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• Frank confident Brentford will find clinical edge without Toney

  Thomas Frank is confident that Brentford can find their clinical edge without Ivan Toney as they welcome Southampton to the Gtech Community Stadium this Saturday.

  The Bees were involved in EFL Cup action on Wednesday, narrowly beating League Two side Colchester United courtesy of Keane Lewis-Potter’s first-half strike.

  But without the presence of club-record top scorer Ivan Toney against Liverpool, Frank’s side struggled in the attacking areas and were well beaten at Anfield.

  However, the Brentford head coach is excited by his new signings and acknowledged it would take time to adapt to his style of play, also confirming Toney would not be available for the fixture.

  "We played three average-plus games. Definitely still players growing into it. We still have some players coming back, some new signings, so I'm still understanding how I will put the best squad out there, how I will use new signings.

   "We are well aware of what Southampton are capable of. I think they will put up a big challenge for us. We need to hit a top performance with high tempo and high intensity. I'm backing us. If we hit highest level, I back us to win."

  "Ivan is training well and in good spirits. I would be happy to have more questions on Toney next time."

  Southampton were also involved in midweek action, leaving it late to secure their place in the hat for the third round of the EFL Cup with a 5-3 win against Cardiff.

  It marked the Saints’ first win of the new season, having lost their first two Premier League fixtures, the latest of which came against Nottingham Forest at St. Mary’s.

  Despite their progression, head coach Russell Martin was left frustrated by the frenetic nature of the game and is hoping for a more measured approach against the Bees.

  "I’m really happy with the win and I’m pleased for my young players. But there is also a lot to be annoyed about.

  "We conceded three goals and the game descended into chaos in the second half. It was a moment of brilliance for their first goal from a player I have admired for a long time (Rubin Colwill), but we took our foot off the gas and dropped to their intensity.

  "That was a big learning curve for the younger players. They took some liberties in the first half and they will be better for the experience. They showed real grit."

  PLAYERS TO WATCH

  Brentford – Yoane Wissa

  Yoane Wissa has been involved in six goals in his last seven home Premier League starts for Brentford (four goals and two assists), scoring and assisting in each of the last two.

  The last player to score and assist in three home appearances in a row was Leroy Sane for Manchester City between September and October 2017.

  Southampton – Jan Bednarek

  Jan Bednarek has completed more passes than any other Premier League player this season (198), an average of 104 per 90 minutes.

  In his previous six top-flight seasons between 2017-18 and 2022-23, Bednarek’s highest average was 49 per 90 minutes in 2020-21.

  MATCH PREDICTION: BRENTFORD WIN

  Brentford have won their last three Premier League games against Southampton without conceding, winning both home games against Saints by a 3-0 scoreline.

  Having beaten Crystal Palace at home on the opening day, the Bees are looking for consecutive home Premier League wins for the first time since last November, while they last won their opening two matches on home soil in a season during their 2018-19 Championship campaign.

  Southampton have won just one of their last nine away league games against Brentford (D3 L5), beating them 3-0 in April 2011 while in League One.

  The Saints have won both of their league games in London in the Championship last season (1-0 v both Millwall and QPR). However, in the Premier League, they’ve won just one of their last eight visits to the capital (D1 L6), beating Chelsea 1-0 in February 2023.

  Despite having the highest average possession in the Premier League so far this season (70.6%), Southampton have lost both of their games 1-0. Only once in their history have they lost their first three league games in a campaign without scoring, doing so in 2001-02.

  They have completed 1,175 passes in their two Premier League matches this season under Martin – since 2003-04, only two managers have seen their team complete more passes in their first two Premier League games in charge: Thomas Tuchel (1,459) and Maurizio Sarri (1,223), both at Chelsea.

  OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

  Brentford – 52.8%

  Draw – 23.4%

  Southampton – 23.8%

• Cincinnati v Montreal: ‘Alarming’ slow starts must change, insists Kinnear

  Cincinnati assistant head coach Dominic Kinnear insisted that the team’s slow starts were "alarming" and needed to be put right ahead of the visit of CF Montreal.

  With head coach Pat Noonan serving a suspension, Kinnear watched on as his side conceded two goals in six minutes against Inter Miami, with Luis Suarez netting both in a 2-0 victory for the Eastern Conference leaders.

  Despite the result, the Orange and Blue remain second in the standings, but have Leagues Cup winners Columbus Crew breathing down their necks and the advantage of having two games in hand.

  Kinnear believes that starting fast will set the tone for the remainder of the season, explaining that it must start sooner rather than later ahead of the playoffs.

  “It's cause for alarms,” Kinnear said of the team conceding early in four of their last six matches. “It's the intensity and the, you know. I think at times, the lack of understanding of how the other team is going to come out.”

  “These are some very important games. There are playoff positions and trophies on the line. You know, for me, that was a flat 10 minutes. As flat as I've seen coming out of the locker room.

  “Are we out of shape? No. Is the preparation not there; are they understanding the opponent? I think everything is in line there. Sometimes that's the unknown answer. But you know, I won't disagree. We have come out flat and it's something we need to address for sure."

  Montreal, meanwhile, returned from their Leagues Cup campaign with a whimper as they were thumped 5-0 by New England Revolution - their heaviest defeat of the season.

  The result leaves the team in 11th place in the Eastern Conference table, but just a point behind Atlanta United, who occupy the final playoff spot in the division.

  Head coach Laurent Courtois criticised his players for a combination of individual errors that led to the defeat, bemoaning his squad for a lack of discipline during the contest.

  "We thought we had made the personal or tactical adjustments in the second half to turn things around, but when you lose your discipline, it becomes complicated,” Courtois said.

  “There were individual errors that hurt. It's difficult for me to talk about positives tonight, even if we thought there was room for improvement.

  “We struggled in transition and ran out of ideas in the second half.”

  PLAYERS TO WATCH

  Cincinnati – Luciano Acosta

  Luciano Acosta has been the standout for Cincinnati this season, registering 26 goal involvements (11 goals and 15 assists) in 25 league appearances.

  In his 15 appearances against Montreal, Acosta has found the back of the net seven times, level with the San Jose Earthquakes as the most he has struck against an MLS opponent.

  Montreal – Joseph Martinez

  Josef Martinez has scored seven regular-season goals against Cincinnati, tied with Gyasi Zardes for the most in regular season play.

  MATCH PREDICTION: CINCINNATI WIN

  While Cincinnati are the favourites to emerge victorious at the TQL Stadium, they have lost their last four straight regular season matches after losing just four of their previous 24 league games (W16 D4) dating back to last October.

  The Orange and Blue conceded two goals in the opening six minutes of their loss to Inter Miami. Prior to that encounter, Cincinnati had conceded just once in the opening six minutes of matches since the start of the 2023 season.

  But Montreal have struggled away from home and are winless in 13 straight away matches in all competitions (D4 L9) dating back to March. This is the club’s longest road winless run since going 34 without a win on their travels from September 2013 to May 2015.

  OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

  Cincinnati – 63.3%

  Draw – 19.5%

  Montreal – 17.2%

• Champions League holders Real Madrid to face Liverpool and handed Dortmund reunion

  Champions League holders Real Madrid will face Borussia Dortmund in a rematch of last season's final following Thursday's revamped draw.

  The new league phase format sees each of the 36 teams play eight games, four at home and four away.

  And Madrid, who beat Dortmund in the final at Wembley in June, will go up against BVB at the Santiago Bernabeu.

  Carlo Ancelotti's team are also set to face Liverpool at Anfield in one of the headline clashes of the new-look draw, while they will play Milan and Europa League winners Atalanta.

  Liverpool have failed to win each of their last eight meetings with Madrid (D1 L7), their longest winless run against an opponent in European competition.

  Manchester City and Arsenal will both go up against Paris Saint-Germain, while Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen count Inter, Liverpool, Milan and Atletico Madrid among their eight opponents.

  PSG will also take on Bayern Munich, who in turn have to face Barcelona away from home. The French club, meanwhile, have won just one of their six Champions League meetings with Man City.

  As well as taking on PSG, Arsenal also have a clash with Inter to relish. The Gunners' only previous away game against Internazionale was a 5-1 win in November 2003, with that season being the last time the Gunners won the Premier League title.

  Aston Villa fans have a pair of home matches against heavyweights Bayern and Juventus to look forward to.