Brentford

Brentford boss Keith Andrews has been speaking to the media before Tueday's Carabao Cup third round game against League One side Reading at The Select Car Leasing Stadium (20:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Andrews confirmed he intended to start 19-year-old striker Kaye Furo, who won the Premier League 2 Player of the Month award, on Tuesday but the youngster picked up an injury in the last few days and had to undergo surgery on Monday.

• Providing more detail, he added: "Unfortunately for him, he's had to have an operation this morning. The timing of an injury is obviously never good for a player, but I felt he was just coming into a really good place with his game. That's really frustrating for him. I would've started him against Reading because I felt he deserved it and was in that type of space. I'm not sure how long he's going to be out for but we'll obviously look after him and get him back to a good place."

• However, young defender Benjamin Fredrick will be involved against the Royals: "He hasn't had a lot of football but has come back in the last couple of weeks. We decided not to play him in the B team game on Sunday to make sure he was in the right place to be available for our game against Reading. I anticipate he'll be involved."

• On the importance of the Carabao Cup: "We've got 5000 fans going to the game. That for me says it all - the belief the fans have that we are taking it very seriously. We did it last year. We pushed as hard as we could. We didn't get to where we wanted to but that's the plan this year."

• On his side's start to the season: "The way I look at the last few weeks is that we set the bar very, very high in some games and we haven't quite hit that level. We are a team that is very respected now and with that comes a different type of pressure to perform and get results."

• Asked what has been his favourite aspect of his first 50 games in charge of the Bees, Andrews said: "Seeing the team and the group grow and evolve and mature and gain a really nice way of working together. That is underpinned on trust and belief. I just love the journey we have been on together. I have tried to learn and evolve and be really demanding of our group, but also really supportive."

• On Tuesday's opponents Reading: "We have to pay the opposition ultimate respect, and that's something we do really well. Players are always very aware who they're up against and what it will feel like. We need to play our game. Reading will have their plan, I have watched them from afar. We will have to play really well."

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We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Brentford and Bournemouth.

Here are some of your comments:

Brentford fans

Brahams: First of all, lucky to get a point. Defensively, I think maybe having a changing back four (can't be helped through injuries) is causing us some headaches. Potentially in midfield as well. Just feels like we need some stability. But, I know we will be a very dangerous team this season.

Stanley: We need to start turning draws into wins if we want to qualify for Europe, but we were actually lucky to steal a point. It has still been a good start to the season, but just not very convincing.

Sampson: A fair result in the end. I'm happy with most of the performances, but a bit worried about our centre-back problem. I think we should have signed one in the summer.

Rob: We were very fortunate to come away with a point. I struggle to understand some of our substitutions. Thiago is not in good form and should have been benched for Wilson if we were going for the three points. The like-for-like subs are really annoying when we should be looking for tactical subs to change the game.

Bournemouth fans

Kirsi: The players are doing amazingly with Rose's tactics and our style of play has been really good and entertaining in these past few fixtures. Only problem is we aren't efficient enough and are wasting way too much shots on target. It could have easily been our first win versus Brentford in years, but the wait will unfortunately extend into 2027.

Terry: If Marco wants to thrive in charge of Bournemouth he needs to find the courage to give our finishers more time. Against Lincoln they had 12-plus minutes and helped turn 2-0 into 4-0. Against Brentford he only gave them eight-plus minutes. Those late chances before the subs came on might have been converted with fresh legs and sharp minds.

Sid: Some of the build-up play is the most exciting ever from Bournemouth. Unfortunately, the finishing is so poor and there are too many individual defensive errors so far.

Paul: Encouraging performance in terms of chances created but still not putting them away. Missing a natural goalscorer like Eli Junior Kroupi up front. I would think about giving Alvaro Rodriguez an extended run to see what he can do.

Adwaidh Rajan
BBC Sport journalist

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Kevin Schade scored a hat-trick in the 4-1 win against Bournemouth last December and was their tormentor again on Saturday.

He headed in the opener before capitalising on a dreadful mistake from Petrovic to complete his brace in the 56th minute, ensuring the Bees remain unbeaten in 12 games against the Cherries since 2014.

Andrews' side seemed eager to keep that unbeaten record going as Igor Thiago and Keane Lewis-Potter went close to an opener inside three minutes.

With the score at 1-1 deep into first-half stoppage time, the Bees were convinced they had a penalty as Kristoffer Ajer's shot struck Adrien Truffert's arm, but referee Jarred Gillett deemed the defender to be too close to react and waved away the appeals.

Andrews' side were fortunate to escape with a point and familiar problems remain as they let a lead slip again - for the third time in as many matches.

But three draws and a win from their opening four matches will be an encouraging return for Andrews, who will celebrate his 46th birthday on Sunday.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Bournemouth's performance

What did you make of Brentford's display?

Reaction and analysis to follow - and come back on Monday for a selection of your replies.

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Former England striker Ellen White on Final Score: "The momentum ebbed and flowed. I think Bournemouth will be frustrated not to have gotten the three points. It was obviously a bit of a calamity at the back.

"Bournemouth had a lot more chances in that second half to obviously get the three points, so Brentford probably feel lucky to come out with a point."

Brentford manager Keith Andrews speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "Our games are rarely boring. We did not hit the levels we set for ourselves, we did not make life easy for ourselves. So this is a point gained.

"We did not take care of the ball as well as we should have. Our subs did not impact the game, which is disappointing as we have a squad to compete.

"There were a couple of occasions we got through but did not attack with conviction. But we are in early stages, we are unbeaten, so there are reasons to be content - but I'm not wired like that."

On Kevin Schade: "He has been electric, he has attacked everything and is in a good rhythm with his game. We are in discussions [over a new contract], let's see how it pans out."

Did you know?

• Brentford remain unbeaten four games into a Premier League season for just the second time, after also doing so in the 2023-24 season, the fourth game of which was also a 2-2 draw against Bournemouth.

• Kevin Schade has now scored in Brentford's last three Premier League away games, just the second time a player has scored in three successive away games for the club in the competition after Schade himself in January/February 2025.

There are seven games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Aston Villa v Nottingham Forest

• Bournemouth v Brentford

• Chelsea v Hull City - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

• Crystal Palace v Ipswich Town

• Liverpool v Fulham - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Tottenham v Everton (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Sunderland v Arsenal (20:00)

Kick-off times 15:00 BST unless stated.

Follow all of the action and reaction here

How to follow the Premier League weekend across the BBC

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Simply predict the outcome of the six fixtures we've selected from across domestic and European competitions every week.

Players can join at any time, get involved with the latest round and start building a streak.

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To say Bournemouth keep on throwing it away is a bit harsh, but they have been ahead in all three of their league games so far and not won any of them.

Will they see this one through? I am not sure, but I like the way Cherries boss Marco Rose talks when he has been interviewed after games. He is a bright guy and he will get things right.

I was spot on with my prediction for Brentford's 1-1 draw with Sunderland last week, but the Bees were actually lucky to get a point in the end.

Brentford will play on the counter-attack here and Bournemouth will have a go at them, so this smells like a draw to me.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Sophie Brown
BBC Sport journalist

Bournemouth are looking for a first Premier League victory over Brentford.

The Cherries have led in all three of their league games this season, yet failed to win any of them.

Two points from three matches so far probably isn't a fair reflection on how Marco Rose's side have played, but they have developed a habit of crumbling late on in games. Four of the five goals they have conceded have been after the 84th minute, with two of those coming in stoppage time.

In contrast, all of the four league goals scored by Bournemouth have come in the first half. Against Newcastle last weekend, they had 13 shots in the first half, with five on target; after the break, they had four shots, none of which were on target.

"In the second half, we dropped a bit in everything," admitted head coach Rose after Bournemouth were pegged back from 2-0 up by an 88th-minute equaliser.

They started to put that right in midweek, with three second-half goals from a much rotated line-up giving them a 4-0 League Cup win over Lincoln City, which was Rose's first competitive win in charge.

But now Bournemouth need to transfer that to the Premier League, where they have lost seven points from winning positions this season, more than any other team – and 29 since the start of 2025-26, the joint-highest in the division.

Brentford are unbeaten this season but have also been struggling to kill off games in the league, having let a lead slip in their past two top-flight matches.

The Bees have drawn nine of their past 13 Premier League games (W2, L2), and have amassed 11 draws in 2026 - second only to Bournemouth, who have drawn 12.

The latest concession of a lead came last weekend when Sunderland grabbed a draw through an Enzo le Fee penalty in the 82nd minute.

Giving away penalties has also been something of an Achilles heel for Brentford in recent times. They have conceded more than any other Premier League side since the beginning of last season, with six goals coming from the nine spot-kicks they have given up.

On the flip side, they have earned more than any other side in that time, but they are the only team in this Premier League campaign to miss a penalty – that happened in the opening match of the season when Igor Thiago hit the post with his against Tottenham.

Holly Bacon
BBC Sport journalist

Brentford boss Keith Andrews has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Bournemouth at Vitality Stadium (kick-off 15:00).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Andrews confirmed Nathan Collins won't be involved "this side of the international break" after picking up a calf injury.

• He also said Mathias Jensen is "doing well" but won't be available for the trip to Bournemouth, adding: "Realistically, he won't be involved next weekend, I don't think. We'll see how he goes next week."

• On Jannik Schuster, who came on for Collins against Sunderland: "To come in, in those circumstances, is testament to the character he is and the attributes he has. He's started his Brentford career really well."

• The Bees boss was also asked about the club's recruitment policy: "The personality and the person needs to absolutely fit the group. I absolutely wouldn't take someone into the group that I thought wouldn't fit the rhythm of the way they are, the way they behave, how we play, for the benefits of potential abilities or attributes as a player."

• On Igor Thiago, who was left out of the most recent Brazil squad, and his goal productivity: "If I'd seen any dip in his endeavours, enthusiasm or his general way of being - the positivity in which he comes in [with] - then I'd be slightly worried. I haven't sensed that in the slightest since the second he came back after the World Cup into pre-season training. He's been nothing but amazing throughout that whole time, throughout my whole time at the club in particular as head coach. The goals will come, I've no doubt about that. I'm not worried about that and he's performing to a really high level for us."

• When asked about reports suggesting the club have opened contract talks with Kevin Schade, Andrews said he is "not entirely sure where those conversations are exactly" but reiterated that he would like to keep him at the club: "Everybody can see how well he's started the season. He's been very focused, come back in a really good place and I think he's playing the best football certainly since I've been in charge."

• Andrews said Bournemouth are "a team that has really good attributes with how they play the game, attributes that I quite admire in how they play", and new boss Marco Rose has made tweaks but been "very understanding of what makes that team tick and has done for a few years."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

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The Premier League has announced it will stage seven matches on Boxing Day this year after releasing its festive schedule.

Four fixtures will be staged at 15:00 GMT, with further matches played at 12:30, 17:30 and 20:00.

The fixture programme for 26 December, which falls on a Saturday in 2026, is considerably bigger than last year, when one game was held.

Three matches will be played on Sunday, 27 December, while three further rounds of games will be held over a period up to Thursday, 7 January.

A round of evening midweek fixtures will staged on 29-30 December, while Leeds will host Everton (20:00) for the only match on New Year's Day.

The remainder of that round will be held over the weekend of 2-3 January, with the fourth round of games spread across the evenings of 5-7 January.

The Premier League has brought forward the announcement of fixture scheduling over the Christmas and New Year period after consultation with both broadcast partners and the Football Supporters' Association and representatives from club Fan Advisory Boards.

Television scheduling for Premier League fixtures has been announced up to Monday, 2 November, with broadcast selections for the remaining games in November and December to be announced in the weeks commencing 21 September and 19 October respectively.

The Premier League has guaranteed clubs at least a 60-hour break between fixtures over the festive period to address the concerns over a congested festive schedule that follows recent expansions of the European and international calendars.

Premier League Christmas and New Year schedule

Saturday, 26 December

12:30 Aston Villa v Leeds

15:00 Everton v Sunderland

15:00 Fulham v Brighton

15:00 Ipswich v Brentford

15:00 Spurs v AFC Bournemouth

17:30 Hull v Liverpool

20:00 Newcastle v Manchester City

Sunday, 27 December

14:00 Coventry v Chelsea

16:30 Manchester Utd v Nottingham Forest

19:00 Crystal Palace v Arsenal

Tuesday, 29 December

19:30 Hull v Leeds

19:30 Spurs v Brighton

20:15 Everton v Manchester City

Wednesday, 30 December

19:30 Coventry v Brentford

19:30 Crystal Palace v AFC Bournemouth

19:30 Fulham v Arsenal

19:30 Manchester United v Sunderland

19:30 Newcastle v Nottingham Forest

20:15 Aston Villa v Liverpool

20:15 Ipswich v Chelsea

Friday, 1 January

20:00 Leeds v Everton

Saturday, 2 January

12:30 Brighton v Manchester United

15:00 Arsenal v Ipswich

15:00 Brentford v Crystal Palace

15:00 Liverpool v Coventry

15:00 Nottingham Forest v Fulham

15:00 Sunderland v Hull

17:30 AFC Bournemouth v Aston Villa

Sunday, 3 January

14:00 Chelsea v Newcastle

16:30 Manchester City v Spurs

Tuesday, 5 January

19:30 Arsenal v Brentford

19:30 Brighton v AFC Bournemouth

19:30 Everton v Aston Villa

19:30 Nottingham Forest v Hull

20:15 Sunderland v Liverpool

Wednesday, 6 January

19:30 Crystal Palace v Chelsea

19:30 Fulham v Spurs

19:30 Ipswich v Coventry

20:15 Leeds v Manchester City

Thursday, 7 January

20:00 Manchester United v Newcastle

Dale Johnson
Football issues correspondent

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Brentford should have been awarded a penalty at Leeds United for Jayden Bogle's challenge on Kevin Schade, the Premier League's Key Match Incidents Panel has said.

But the KMI Panel voted that the decision did not reach the threshold for a video assistant referee intervention, so Neil Davies was correct not to send referee Tony Harrington to the pitchside monitor.

Bogle stood on the boot of the Brentford attacker inside the area in the 66th minute of the teams' 1-1 draw at Elland Road last month.

The Bees led 1-0 at the time and could have had the opportunity to double their advantage.

The KMI Panel voted 4:1 that Harrington should have given the penalty, but supported the VAR outcome 3:2.

"There was foot on foot contact instigated by Bogle with enough contact for a penalty kick," the KMI Panel noted.

"However, given the high threshold for VAR intervention, the panel felt the referee's call should remain on field as it wasn't a clear and obvious error."

"My journey has not been straightforward, far from it, especially in those earlier years."

Those are the words of Keith Andrews, who, after making a combined 84 Premier League appearances for Wolves, Blackburn and West Brom between 2003 and 2012, is now settling into his second season in charge of Brentford as a Premier League boss.

From starting his coaching journey with MK Dons in 2015, it took the Ireland international 10 years to become a top-flight manager.

"I went on a journey to try to be a head coach, but that wasn't straightforward," Andrews told The Football Interview.

"That journey was longer than anticipated, but I am a lot calmer and calculated than I was when I was a young man.

"Football was my passion since being a young, young child."

Playing his junior football in the Dublin District Schoolboy League, second tier Wolves identified Andrews as a target.

And after deliberating over what side to join, at 15-years-old, the young midfielder travelled over the Irish Sea to make Wolverhampton his new home.

"My mother was very against it," Andrews explained. "She wanted me to finish my education and go to university. All the men in the family wanted me to pursue my dream."

Although Andrews had left his hometown of Artane, near Dublin, he was comforted by fellow international Robbie Keane joining him in the midlands.

"We had a huge Irish contingent at Wolves," says Andrews. "The league [Dublin District Schoolboy League] was so competitive, we were playing competitions against Man Utd and European teams. We would go toe to toe."

After being heavily tipped to experience a tough debut season as Brentford boss, Andrews proved the doubters wrong with an aggressive style of play, and he was able to guide the club to a ninth-place finish at the end of the 2025-26 campaign.

"I've been here a long, long time. We want the noise. We're not finished yet," he adds.

"It is keeping that hunger and desire going into the next chapter where I think we will be better."

From extinguishing the noise, Andrews now welcomes high expectations going into the 2026-27 season.

Listen to Andrews above or watch on BBC iPlayer here

The Football Interview will be available on BBC One at 12:45 every Saturday during the Premier League season, as well as on BBC iPlayer, BBC Football YouTube and the BBC Sport website and app.

Brentford have opened contract talks with forward Kevin Schade to deter interest from Arsenal. (Teamtalk), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Mark Scott
Final Score reporter at Gtech Community Stadium

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Brentford fans might be able to look at Saturday's draw with Sunderland in a couple of ways.

Being bullied as much as they were in the first half is something I can't remember seeing happen to the Bees for a very long time, and there has been a bit of talk about the way they set up perhaps helping the visitors in that regard.

On the other hand, Keith Andrews was very bold with his half-time changes, which included hooking Ibrahim Sangare, who has been getting rave reviews.

He was rewarded following his assertive alterations with a much better showing from his side.

The manager again showing his tactical acumen and the depth on display from the bench are positives to take following that poor first half.

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Brentford and Sunderland.

Here are some of your comments:

Brentford fans

Rob: Keith Andrews needs to stick to a 4-3-3. We were getting overrun in the midfield, just like in the second half of the Leeds match. For some reason, he cannot see this, which is a concern going forward this season.

Ian: As good as we were at Leeds in the first half last week, it was the opposite on Saturday. Three changes at half-time, in addition to a substitution during the first half, gave Brentford more energy. The goal came from good build-up play, with Vitaly Janelt converting from the edge of the penalty area. Inconsistency from the match officials made the game a difficult watch at times. The penalty was given and some of the outfield tackles not. Football is a funny old game!

Graham: It was a very frustrating match as a Bees fan. We weren't ourselves in the first half and looked intimidated by Sunderland. The ref's decisions seemed inconsistent and arbitrary, but in the second half we were the better team and unlucky. The scoreline reflects the game but not our capability.

Bill: One or two games a season we will play badly, the opposition really well, and the ref will be really bad. This was one of those. Did well to draw after being played off the park in the first half. Still optimistic- second-half improvement - with brave substitutions - and we will definitely be better again next week. Come on, you Bees!

Sunderland fans

Stephen: We need to work out why we struggle to score goals. We played some fantastic football and controlled much of the game, especially in the first half - but only managed to score one goal and that came in the second half.

Paul: Two points dropped. We should have been out of sight at half-time.

David: The first half was the team's and Nilson Angulo's best 45 of the season. It has been a frustration for a while now, however, that we rarely turn our dominance into goals. Convert our chances and the sky's the limit for this side. Regis le Bris, once again, spot on with selection and changes. Great to see Wilson Isidor supporting Brian Brobbey for the final 30 and an encouraging cameo from Malick Fofana. Arsenal up next in the league - bring on the champions.

Denise: We were brilliant in the first half but we need to convert that brilliance into goals. We eventually scored in the second half to equalise, but we should have been well in front at that stage of the game.

Chris McKenna
BBC Sport journalist

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Keith Andrews was not shy in making changes at the break and it almost secured Brentford three points.

Record signing Ibrahim Sangare has had rave reviews for his performances in their first two Premier League games of the season since joining from Lens but he picked up a booking in the first half and was not at his best.

Anthony was one of those half-time substitutes and the former Burnley winger wasted an early chance but showed more attacking threat.

Then Yehor Yarmolyuk played a role in the build-up to the opener before Damsgaard put in the ball which eventually led to Vitaly Janelt's great finish.

Brentford remain unbeaten and if Andrews continues to show bold management then the Bees could be well placed to push on from their ninth-placed finish last season.

If they can maintain their strong record at home it will help, too. They have not lost a game on their own patch since February.

The concern for Andrews is that they have now surrendered four points from winning positions in their three games, having also conceded late in a draw away at Leeds last weekend after an opening game victory over Tottenham.