Tottenham Hotspur’s new-look defence has been handed an early warning before Saturday’s Premier League opener after Brentford finished pre-season with a remarkable 7-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side travel to the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday evening, with uncertainty still surrounding the make-up of Tottenham’s back four.
Micky van de Ven remains a major doubt for the fixture, potentially leaving summer signings Jan Paul van Hecke and Marcos Senesi to start together at centre-back.
They will face a Brentford attack arriving in considerable form.
Brentford score seven before Tottenham clash
Keith Andrews’ side dismantled Bundesliga opposition in their final pre-season friendly, beating Frankfurt 7-0 at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Kevin Schade scored twice and provided two assists, while Igor Thiago was also among Brentford’s biggest attacking threats.
Brentford’s own match preview has subsequently highlighted the result ahead of Tottenham’s visit, while also pointing towards the attacking numbers Andrews’ team produced last season.
The Bees recorded the best shot-on-target percentage in the Premier League at 36.3 per cent, with Thiago scoring 25 goals across all competitions.
His 26.19 per cent shot-conversion rate was also the highest among Premier League forwards.
That provides an immediate examination for a Tottenham defence likely to look considerably different from last season.
Read Tottenham’s predicted XI for the Brentford game has Van Hecke and Senesi starting together if Van de Ven fails to recover, with Archie Gray and Andy Robertson completing the back four.
Spurs were unbeaten during pre-season themselves, winning four and drawing three of their seven matches, and ended their public preparations with an impressive 3-0 victory against Hoffenheim.
De Zerbi therefore has plenty of positives to take into his first full Premier League season.
Brentford’s finishing against Frankfurt nevertheless provides an early indication of how quickly Tottenham’s rebuilt defence will be tested.
Supporters can find the TV channel, live stream and kick-off information for Brentford vs Tottenham here ahead of Saturday’s 5.30pm start.
