Brentford travel to face Hull City on Sunday with suspensions and injuries complicating their Premier League preparations. The Bees, sixth in the table with 10 points from seven games, are without midfielders Vitaly Janelt and Yehor Yarmoliuk, who are both suspended for the trip to the MKM Stadium.
That sequence includes a 2-2 draw with Aston Villa and a 3-0 victory over Chelsea. Their recent form across the last five matches reads two wins, two draws and one loss. Hull City, sitting ninth and one point behind Brentford, present a stern challenge with an unbeaten home record this season, having conceded only twice in front of their own fans.
Team news and suspensions
Beyond the suspended duo, Brentford’s injury list includes Kaye Furo, Joshua Dasilva and Antoni Milambo, while Jannik Schuster is considered a doubt. Hull City manager Sergej Jakirović has his own concerns, with goalkeeper Jack Butland doubtful due to an elbow injury and a lengthy list of absentees including Eliot Matazo and Matt Targett.
Jakirović was critical of his team’s recent performance in a 1-0 loss to Fulham. “We were very, very poor,” the Hull boss said.
The challenge ahead
Brentford’s attack will look to Kevin Schade, the club’s top scorer this season with three goals, and Igor Thiago to breach Hull’s resilient defence. The Bees have scored 13 goals so far this campaign but face a side that has built its early-season success on defensive solidity and quick transitions, having scored a league-high three goals from high turnovers. The team's overall record shows two wins, four draws and one loss from their seven games, with a goal difference of plus five having conceded eight.
For Hull, promotion heroes like Oli McBurnie and Mohamed Belloumi, who has three goals this term, will be key. The Tigers were widely tipped for relegation last season, a fact Jakirović has used as motivation. “I’ve seen all the predictions, but it’s a great motivation to prove them wrong because we don’t have anything to lose,” he said.
The referee for the 2pm kick-off on Sunday will be Robert Jones. The Bees' next assignment after Hull is another away trip, continuing a busy period in the Premier League calendar. With the title race already taking shape, Brentford find themselves 11 points behind leaders Manchester City.
