Leeds United vs Brentford: Premier League Preview, Gameweek 2, 2026
Kevin Schade battles Ethan Ampadu at Elland Road in March (Photo by Oli Scarff / Getty Images)
Brentford make the trip up north to take on Leeds United at Elland Road, as both sides look to continue their winning starts to the new season.
Hosts Leeds began their Premier League campaign with three points, as Anton Stach’s late free kick secured a 1-0 win away to Nottingham Forest, before Daniel Farke’s side won away at Forest again in midweek, this time two goals to nil, in Round Two of the Carabao Cup.
Keith Andrews’ Brentford have also enjoyed a successful start to the season, scoring nine goals in their opening two games, beating Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 in their Premier League opener prior to an emphatic 6-1 win away to Birmingham City in the Carabao Cup in midweek.
Fans of both teams will be hoping this season’s meetings between the two sides bring better entertainment than the last. Brentford and Leeds drew 1-1 at the Gtech Community Stadium in December last year, with Jordan Henderson and Dominic Calvert-Lewin amongst the goals, and later played out a goalless draw at Elland Road back in March.
Team news
Leeds United
Wilfried Gnonto and Gabriel Gudmundsson returned to full training on Friday. Daniel Farke has said Leeds will wait and see how their bodies react before making a decision on any potential involvement this weekend.
Gabriel Gudmundsson vs Nottingham Forest in February (Photo by George Wood / Getty Images)
Gabriel Gudmundsson vs Nottingham Forest in February (Photo by George Wood / Getty Images)
Ilia Gruev is getting closer to a return to action having trained with the team for the past two weeks. The Bulgarian midfielder has not played since April due to a meniscus injury.
Mateo Joseph, who spent last season on loan at Mallorca, is absent long term with a knee injury.
Brentford
Yehor Yarmoliuk is fit and available, Keith Andrews has confirmed, despite the Ukranian being substituted off with an injury in the win at Birmingham.
New signing El Hadji Malick Diouf from West Ham United could be involved in the squad, although as of Friday lunchtime Andrews was unsure as to whether the full back’s registration had gone through in time to be eligible for the trip to Yorkshire.
El Hadji Malick Diouf the Gtech Community Stadium tunnel in May (Photo by West Ham United / Getty Images)
El Hadji Malick Diouf the Gtech Community Stadium tunnel in May (Photo by West Ham United / Getty Images)
Portuguese midfielder Fabio Carvalho returned to the matchday squad for the first time since November in midweek after recovering from an ACL injury and could be involved.
Antoni Milambo and Sepp Van den Berg remain unavailable due to their respective knee and groin injuries.
Predicted lineups
Leeds United
Trafford; Rodon, Bijol, Muharemovic; Bogle, Stach, Ampadu, Justin; Wilson, Calvert-Lewin, Aaronson
Brentford
Kelleher; Kayode, Ajer, Collins, Lewis-Potter; Janelt, Sangare; Ouattara, Jensen, Schade; Thiago
Key players
Leeds United: Tarik Muharemovic
Tarik Muharemovic on debut (Photo by Michael Steele / Getty Images)
Tarik Muharemovic on debut (Photo by Michael Steele / Getty Images)
Signed for £31.7 million from Sassuolo over the summer, new signing Tarik Muharemovic has enjoyed a strong start to his Leeds United career.
The Bosnian centre back is yet to concede a goal for his new club, starting both the Premier League and Carabao Cup wins at Nottingham Forest, keeping a clean sheet in both.
Coming up against a Brentford side that has scored nine in their opening two games, Sunday afternoon is expected to be the toughest test of the season so far for Muharemovic and the Leeds backline, and the performance of their new centre back could be crucial to Leeds’ hopes of continuing their winning start.
Brentford: Mamadou Sangare
Mamadou Sangare on debut (Photo by Ryan Pierse / Getty Images)
Mamadou Sangare on debut (Photo by Ryan Pierse / Getty Images)
Much like Muharemovic at Leeds, Brentford’s club record signing Mamadou Sangare, who joined for a fee of £39 million from RC Lens, has had a blistering start to life in England.
The Mali midfielder announced his arrival in the Premier League with an assist and man of the match performance on debut in the win over Tottenham Hotspur, whilst also picking up another assist off the bench in the Carabao Cup win over Birmingham.
Part of the Ligue 1 Team of the Season last campaign, Sangare arrived in West London with great expectations, and over the course of pre-season and the season opener has formed part of a strong, well balanced midfield trio alongside Vitaly Janelt and Mathias Jensen.
In their March trip to Yorkshire, Brentford had only 43% possession, registering just six shots and an xG of 0.46 in the 0-0 draw. To continue their strong attacking start to the season and pose a greater threat than their previous trip to Elland Road, the performance of Sangare will be very important to winning the midfield battle and getting a positive result for the Bees on the road.
Match details
Where is the game being played?
Leeds United will be hosting Brentford at Elland Road.
Inside Elland Road (Photo by George Wood / Getty Images)
Inside Elland Road (Photo by George Wood / Getty Images)
What time is kick-off?
The game is scheduled for 2 PM BST on Sunday afternoon.
How can I watch?
The match is being broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK, with coverage of the game to be shown on the Sky Sports Premier League channel.