Team guides · Brentford
Brentford FPL team guide 2026/27
Squad, fixture runs and rotation partners
Squad leaders
The fastest routes into this club's player pool.
Points and form from 2025/26.
Schedule pulse
Difficulty across the next 5 listed fixtures.
Attack vs defence
Bawler's own split — the same run can be kind to one end and cruel to the other.
Rated 1 (easiest) to 5 from the opponent's attacking and defensive strength, not the official single number. How it's built →
Squad
31 players in the FPL game, by position.
| Player | Owned | Pts | xPts | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | ||||
| KelleherNailed | 12.0% | 143 | 3.26 | £4.8 |
| Balcombe | 0.2% | 0 | — | £3.9 |
| Eyestone | 0.1% | 0 | — | £3.9 |
| ValdimarssonBackup | 1.0% | 1 | 0.16 | £3.8 |
| Defenders | ||||
| CollinsNailed | 2.4% | 129 | 3.58 | £4.9 |
| Lewis-Potter | 1.5% | 115 | 2.39 | £4.8 |
| Kayode | 1.0% | 113 | 2.39 | £4.6 |
| Van den BergBattle | 1.0% | 113 | 2.44 | £4.4 |
| Ajer | 0.2% | 76 | 2.29 | £4.4 |
| HenryRotation | 0.1% | 52 | 0.91 | £4.3 |
| PinnockRotation | 0.1% | 14 | 1.27 | £4.2 |
| HickeyRotation | 0.3% | 37 | 1.17 | £4.0 |
| Shield | 0.0% | 0 | — | £4.0 |
| Stephenson | 0.0% | 0 | — | £4.0 |
| McManus | 0.0% | 0 | — | £4.0 |
| Midfielders | ||||
| Schade | 1.3% | 125 | 2.86 | £6.8 |
| O.Dango | 1.6% | 136 | 3.63 | £5.6 |
| Damsgaard | 0.8% | 113 | 2.62 | £5.6 |
| Milambo50% | 0.0% | 1 | 0.21 | £5.2 |
| Yarmoliuk | 0.1% | 104 | 2.24 | £5.0 |
| Henderson | 0.3% | 76 | — | £5.0 |
| JensenBattle | 0.1% | 98 | 2.06 | £4.9 |
| JaneltBattle | 0.1% | 74 | 2.00 | £4.9 |
| DasilvaBackup | 0.0% | 2 | 0.38 | £4.9 |
| Nelson | 0.1% | 13 | — | £4.8 |
| CarvalhoBackup | 0.1% | 13 | 0.90 | £4.6 |
| Bentt | 0.0% | 0 | — | £4.5 |
| Owen | 0.0% | 0 | — | £4.5 |
| Donovan | 0.1% | 4 | — | £4.4 |
| Forwards | ||||
| ThiagoNailed | 30.2% | 181 | 3.90 | £7.2 |
| FuroBackup | 0.0% | 1 | 0.41 | £4.5 |
Points from 2025/26. xPts is Bawler's projected points per gameweek — fixture-adjusted and weighted by how likely the player is to start. Full projections →
Rotation partners
Own one from each pair and start whichever has the kinder week.
Scored by taking the easier of the two clubs' fixtures each gameweek across the listed horizon.
Fixture run
Every listed fixture ahead, coloured by official FPL difficulty.
Latest updates
Brentford split the squad across two fixtures at Rennes on 8 August. The Roazhon Park XI was Kelleher; Hickey, Collins, Pinnock, Lewis-Potter; Janelt, Jensen, Sangare; Ouattara, Thiago, Anthony, with Wilson, Carvalho, Meghoma, Mawene and Arthur used. The earlier behind-closed-doors XI was Valdimarsson; Ji-soo, Ajer, Schuster, Henry; Konak, Yarmoliuk, Damsgaard; Schade, Furo, Dasilva.
FPL: Read-through is limited because the squad was split over two games, but club-record signing Sangare and Jaidon Anthony both featured in the stronger group, and Kayode did not play in either fixture.
Carvalho came on around the hour mark at Roazhon Park for his first first-team minutes since his season-ending ACL injury, hitting the inside of the post late on. Reports noted little sign of rustiness on his return.
FPL: Carvalho is available again but returns as midfield cover rather than a starter; not an FPL buy yet, though he adds competition in the attacking-midfield rotation.
Thiago led the line in the 4-2 win at Rennes on 8 August, heading in a Mathias Jensen corner on 19 minutes and assisting Dango Ouattara before being replaced by Callum Wilson at half-time. It was his first appearance of pre-season following his late return to the group from the World Cup.
FPL: The doubt over Thiago's readiness for the 22 August opener v Spurs is effectively gone; he is fit, scoring and back leading the line. Treat him as a full-price premium forward option again.
Tracked daily from cited sources. News for every club is on team news.
Manager & style
Robust, replicable and deliberately simple. In possession a 4-2-3-1 with one of the double pivot dropping alongside the back line so the full-backs - especially Michael Kayode on the right - can advance earlier. Build-up is a hybrid of penetrative and direct: Brentford ranked first in the Premier League for long passes and third for through balls after 27 games of 2025/26, with Caoimhin Kelleher's long distribution central to it. The front line is narrow, using opposite movements where one forward drops to drag a marker while another attacks the vacated space, and they crossed less than almost anyone (fifth fewest crosses). Out of possession they sit in a slightly withdrawn block rather than pressing continuously, with a midfielder joining the striker to pressure both centre-backs and the rest hunting aggressively - second in the league for interceptions. Andrews occasionally shifts to a back five to lock play laterally. Set pieces are a genuine club strength (Andrews was previously Brentford's set-piece coach). Rotation is moderate and squad continuity this summer was described by Andrews as 'minimal change'.
Usual shape: 4-2-3-1
Summer transfers
In
| Player | Pos | From | Fee | Expected role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaidon Anthony | LW | Burnley | £15m + £2m add-ons | Wide attacker; scored in the pre-season win over AFC Wimbledon |
| Jannik Schuster | CB | Red Bull Salzburg | £12m + £4m add-ons | Centre-back, signed to compete with and succeed the existing pairing |
| Callum Wilson | CF | West Ham United | Free | Experienced backup striker behind Igor Thiago |
| Joseph Wheeler-Henry | RB | Chelsea | Undisclosed | Full-back depth |
| Sam Sene-Richardson | CM | Chatham Town | Undisclosed | Development signing; no first-team role expected |
| Aidan Stokes | GK | New York Red Bulls | Loan to end of season with permanent option | Goalkeeping depth |
Out
| Player | Pos | To | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frank Onyeka | CM | Coventry City | £6.8m |
| Jordan Henderson | CDM | Released by mutual consent | Free |
| Ethan Brierley | CM | Huddersfield Town | Undisclosed |
| Tony Yogane | LW | Aberdeen | Undisclosed |
| Ethan Laidlaw | CF | Falkirk | Undisclosed |
| Michael Olakigbe | RW | WSG Tirol (loan) | Loan |
| Romelle Donovan | AM | Sheffield United (loan) | Loan |
| Ben Krauhaus | CM | Falkirk (loan) | Loan |
| Matthew Cox | GK | Barnet (loan) | Loan |
Current injuries
| Player | Issue | Expected return |
|---|---|---|
| Gustavo Nunes | Hamstring injury sustained in the second half of the pre-season friendly against Gil Vicente. Andrews said 'he's obviously felt his hamstring; that's pretty clear for everyone to see' and noted it would be 'devastating for him' if serious, given an injury-plagued previous season. Severity not yet confirmed. | Unverified |
| Fabio Carvalho | Recovering from a season-ending ACL injury sustained in 2025/26. Has returned to elements of first-team training at the Portugal pre-season camp and is building sharpness and match rhythm. | Working towards availability for the start of 2026/27; not confirmed fit |
| Antoni Milambo | Recovering from an ACL injury, rehabilitating alongside Carvalho at the Portugal camp; back in limited first-team training. | Working towards availability for the start of 2026/27; not confirmed fit |
Injury picture as of 30 July 2026 — availability moves fast in pre-season, so confirm against official team news.
Expected XI & selection battles
Formation: 4-2-3-1
- GK Caoimhin Kelleher
- RB Michael Kayode
- CB Nathan Collins
- CB Kristoffer Ajer
- LB Rico Henry
- CM Vitaly Janelt
- CM Yehor Yarmoliuk
- RW Dango Ouattara
- AM Mikkel Damsgaard
- LW Kevin Schade
- ST Igor Thiago
Battles to watch
- This XI is extrapolated from Brentford's settled 2025/26 shape rather than a published 2026/27 predicted lineup - Andrews himself described the summer as 'minimal change', which supports continuity, but treat it as a projection.
- Left wing: Kevin Schade vs new £15m signing Jaidon Anthony, who scored in the Wimbledon friendly.
- Centre-back: Nathan Collins is nailed; Kristoffer Ajer vs new £12m signing Jannik Schuster for the partner role.
- Left-back: Rico Henry is reported fit and training at full speed after a hamstring problem, but Brentford have used alternatives during his injury absences.
- Attacking midfield: Mikkel Damsgaard vs a returning Fabio Carvalho, if Carvalho regains fitness after his ACL.
- Striker: Igor Thiago is clear first choice with Callum Wilson signed as backup.
Set-piece takers
FPL winners & losers
Research calls from the sources below, not model output — the model's numbers for these players are on predicted points.
Key uncertainties
The honest list — what this guide could not pin down as of 30 July 2026. Any of these can change the FPL picture before Gameweek 1:
- No published 2026/27 predicted XI was found - the expected XI here is extrapolated from Brentford's 2025/26 shape plus Andrews' 'minimal change' comment.
- Gustavo Nunes' hamstring severity is unconfirmed, as are the exact fitness timelines for the two ACL returnees, Carvalho and Milambo.
- Brentford's opener is on 22 August against Tottenham Hotspur, not 21 August - GW1 spans multiple days, so lineup news lands a day later than for Arsenal.
- Brentford deliberately played no friendly during their Portugal camp (Andrews wanted pure training), so there is less pre-season lineup evidence than for most clubs. Remaining friendlies: Rennes (8 Aug), Eintracht Frankfurt (15 Aug).
- Set-piece hierarchy beyond penalties is carried over from Gameweek 31 of 2025/26 and lists Fabio Carvalho on penalties despite his ACL recovery.
- Michael Kayode's contract status (loan vs permanent) was not verified in a 2026 source.
Sources
- 2026-27 Brentford F.C. season - Wikipedia — 2026-07
- Keith Andrews discusses the 2026/27 pre-season training camp in Portugal and summer signings - Brentford FC official — 2026-07
- Keith Andrews interview: Gil Vicente v Brentford, Gustavo Nunes injury update - Brentford FC official — 2026-07
- Fabio Carvalho discusses returning to training during Brentford's pre-season camp - Brentford FC official — 2026-07
- Brentford Fantasy Premier League prices 2026/27 - Brentford FC official — 2026-07
- FPL 2026/27: Premier League Set-Piece Takers - Fantasy Football Scout — 2026-07
A point-in-time research snapshot compiled 30 July 2026, showing the six most recent of the sources the research drew on. It does not update in real time — line-ups, fitness and transfers can all move before the deadline, so always confirm against official team news. All 20 club guides are on team guides.
FPL is a free fantasy game — this is squad research, not betting advice.
Updated 13 August 2026, 07:21 UK · Source: Official FPL API