Form
Brentford are now an established Premier League side, having played in the top flight since 2022 after winning the Championship playoffs. They finished last season in ninth place in the league, on the same number of points as Brighton & Hove Albion in eighth, missing out on European football on goal difference.
The Bees have had a strong start to the season, currently sitting seventh, unbeaten in their first four games, winning one and drawing three. They come into this weekend’s game off the back
of a 2-2 draw away to Bournemouth, with Kevin Schade scoring twice.
They progressed to the third round of the cup after an impressive 1-6 away win against Championship side Birmingham City at the end of August.
Reading and Brentford last faced each other in the 2020/21 Championship season with the Bees claiming two 3-1 wins, home and away, in a pair of behind-closed-doors games during the Covid-impacted season.
The boss
Keith Andrews: Andrews was appointed Brentford head coach last June, taking over from Thomas Frank, who left the club to join Tottenham Hotspur after almost seven years in charge in West London.
Former midfielder Andrews had a 16-year career as a player, representing the likes of Wolverhampton Wanderers, Hull City, MK Dons, Blackburn Rovers and Bolton Wanderers. The Irishman also represented his country, picking up 35 caps.
He retired from playing in 2015 and rejoined one of his former clubs, MK Dons, becoming assistant manager to Karl Robinson. Andrews later had roles with the Republic of Ireland and Sheffield United, before joining Brentford as set-piece coach in 2024.
His appointment as head coach last summer raised eyebrows, however Andrews came so close to guiding the club to European football in his first season, after finishing ninth.
The 46-year-old likes his sides to play intense, counter-attacking football.
Squad
Brentford made five signings during the summer transfer window.
Defenders Jannick Schuster and El Hadji Malick Diouf were brought in from Salzberg and West Ham United respectively. Midfielder Mamadou Sangare was one of their big-money signings, joining from French side Lens for a club-record fee.
They also recruited winger Jaidon Anthony from Burnley and striker Callum Wilson on a free transfer following the end of his contract at West Ham.
Striker Kaye Furo will miss out on Tuesday’s game through injury.
Expected setup
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Style: Fast, counter-attacking football
Lineup: Valdimarsson, Hickey, Schuster, Fredrick, Henry, Yarmoliuk, Janelt, Ouattara, Damsgaard, Anthony, Wilson
One to watch
19. Jaidon Anthony: Winger Anthony joined Brentford this summer from Burnley for an initial £15m fee.
He started his career in the youth setup at Arsenal before joining the Bournemouth youth team. Anthony spent time on loan at Weymouth, before making his Cherries debut in an FA Cup game against Oldham Athletic, in 2021.
Anthony made 93 appearances for Bournemouth, scoring 12 goals, but eventually fell out of favour, spending time on loan at Leeds United. He also had a season on loan at Burnley during the 2024/25 season and went on to join the Clarets permanently at the end of that season.
He played a part in all but one Premier League game for the Clarets last season, scoring eight top-flight goals. This impressive form saw the 26-year-old join Brentford permanently this summer and he already has three assists to his name.
Anthony is a winger who usually plays on the left, and is effective at cutting inside and creating or taking chances.
