SOCCER: Arsenal prepare to defend top spot against surging Brentford

Arsenal will aim to restore its six-point lead atop the Premier League table on Thursday when the Gunners visit Brentford, a club targeting European qualification following a strong run of form.

The Gunners (17-3-5, 56 points) saw their lead shrink to three points on Wednesday after second-place Manchester City defeated Fulham 3-0.

Brentford (12-10-3, 39 points) presents a unique challenge, as the club continues to evolve under first-year manager Keith Andrews. Earlier this season, Brentford used three center backs in seven of their first 20 games across all competitions, including a 2-0 loss at Arsenal on December 3. However, Andrews has favored a four-man back line in the Bees’ last 10 fixtures, earning 19 points in nine league matches.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta acknowledged the difficulty of preparing for a team with a changing tactical approach.

"I think it's happened a lot of times already this season for us," Arteta said. "At the end, you learn the lesson that not only with the change of manager, but what you expect a manager to do against you as well, because it has changed a lot this season. So we focus more on us and what we want to achieve, the way we want to play, the things we want to happen in the game in relation to what they do tactically."

Arsenal comes into the match on the back of a four-game winning streak across all competitions, including consecutive league victories against Leeds and Sunderland, with a home League Cup semifinal win over Chelsea in between. Viktor Gyokeres scored twice off the bench in Saturday’s 3-0 win over Sunderland, bringing his total to eight league goals in his first Premier League season.

Brentford also enters the match in strong form, having won their last two league games: 1-0 at Aston Villa and 3-2 at Newcastle. Dango Ouattara scored the winner in both matches, bringing his league total to five goals. The Burkina Faso international has already scored three match-winning goals in his first season with Brentford after joining from Bournemouth.

"He's in good form," Andrews said of Ouattara. "His approach to what we do and how we go about it is very selfless, which is an important part of what we ask from the players on certain occasions. He defends selflessly and the quality he has is in no doubt."

Igor Thiago leads Brentford with 17 league goals, second in the Premier League, after converting a penalty in the win over Newcastle.

-Field Level Media/Reuters