Brentford will begin their preparations for the start of the 2021-22 Premier League campaign with a pre-season clash against AFC Wimbledon on Saturday afternoon.
The Bees are building towards their league opener against Arsenal on August 13, while Wimbledon will begin their League One campaign with a trip to Doncaster Rovers on August 7.
Match preview
© Reuters
AFC Wimbledon won 12, drew 15 and lost 19 of their 46 League One matches during the 2020-21 season to collect 51 points, which left them in 19th spot in the table, four points above the relegation zone.
The Dons could be in for another tough season in the third tier of English football, and the start of competitive action is not too far away, as they take on Doncaster in their League One opener on August 7.
AFC Wimbledon have not been in action since drawing 0-0 with Lincoln City on the final day of last season, but a busy programme will see them take on Brentford, Kingstonian, Metropolitan Police, Hampton & Richmond, Dartford, Woking and Scunthorpe United over the next couple of weeks.
Head coach Mark Robinson will need to make full use of his squad in the period ahead, and it has been a busy summer in terms of incomings, with Darius Charles and George Marsh among those to arrive.
© Reuters
Brentford, meanwhile, are preparing for their first ever Premier League season and their first campaign at the highest level since 1946-47, which is an indication of their achievement.
The Bees were unable to secure one of the two automatic promotion spots in the Championship last term and instead had to do it the hard way, beating Bournemouth in the semi-finals of the playoffs before recording a 2-0 victory over Swansea City in what was a nervy final.
Thomas Frank's side will open their 2021-22 Premier League season with a mouthwatering clash at home to Arsenal on August 13, while they will also take on Crystal Palace and Aston Villa next month.
Brentford will begin their preparations with a clash against AFC Wimbledon and will also take on Boreham Wood, Manchester United and West Ham United before the end of the month.
The Bees will then round off their pre-season with a clash against Valencia on August 7, and there are expected to be incomings at the club over the next few weeks, as it has been a quiet summer thus far.
Team News
© Reuters
AFC Wimbledon have been busy this summer, with Charles and Marsh arriving from Wycombe Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur respectively, while Zaki Oualah and Aaron Cosgrave have also joined the club.
Joe Pigott, Shane McLoughlin and Archie Procter have been among those to move on, and there are expected to be a number of youngsters involved for the League One side this weekend.
Ollie Palmer should feature in the final third of the field, and it seems likely that head coach Robinson will make wholesale changes at the interval, with two different XIs potentially taking to the field.
Brentford have seen Henrik Dalsgaard, Emiliano Marcondes and Luke Daniels leave the club on free transfers this summer, but the Bees are yet to make a first-team signing.
There are expected to be a number of familiar faces on display on Saturday, with Pontus Jansson, Bryan Mbuemo and Ivan Toney all set to be involved for the newly-promoted club.
Toney's excellent 2020-21 campaign has seen the 25-year-old linked with a move away from Frank's side, but the striker is expected to stay this summer, and he should feature from the start in this contest.
Head To Head
These two sides have locked horns on two previous occasions, with their first meeting occurring in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy in September 2013, with Brentford running out 5-3 winners.
The Bees then recorded a 3-1 victory over AFC Wimbledon in the first round of the League Cup in August 2017, with Romaine Sawyers, Ollie Watkins and Justin Shaibu on the scoresheet.
We say: AFC Wimbledon 0-2 Brentford
It is difficult to know exactly what to expect from this match, as neither side have played a pre-season game this summer. Brentford's quality should ultimately shine through, though, and we are expecting Frank's side to pick up a routine victory on Saturday afternoon.
Matt Law
