Brentford to unleash Christian Eriksen against Newcastle United this weekend after defeat to Arsenal

Brenford will hope that Christian Eriksen’s debut this weekend will breathe life into their stuttering campaign after they lost to Arsenal over the weekend.

Thomas Frank’s side are without a league win since January 2, and are in danger of being caught up in a relegation battle.

The Premier League debutants are sitting 14th in the league table, ​​six points clear of the relegation zone, however the six teams below them each have games in hand.

The next three games are definitely winnable for the Bees, starting with the visit of Newcastle United, who are unbeaten in five, before games against Norwich, Burnley and Leicester follow in quick succession.

There had been some hope that January signing Christian Eriksen would make the short trip to Arsenal but the club decided against that, preferring to keep him fresh for the home game against Newcastle this weekend.

Manager Thomas Frank revealed he has been training well and even came through an indoor match which was arranged to test his readiness for a competitive game.

The Brentford manager said: “Christian Eriksen looked good in the 60 minutes he played [on Monday] and looked good in training.

“He feels well and is in a good place.

“He’s been out for seven months and normally you need a proper pre-season to get it going.

“He came to us with a good foundation, so he doesn’t need six weeks, but this Arsenal game is just one step too early.

“We have another good opponent for a friendly game on Monday. We are aiming for the Newcastle game.”

So the midfielder will play in another test game later today and if he comes through the 90 minutes unscathed then he will definitely be in the team for the must-win game against Eddie Howe’s resurgent side.

The club is also monitoring the injury situation of lead striker Ivan Toney, who was not fit for the game against Arsenal.

Toney has now missed the club’s last three games, but with the next three pivotal to their premier League status they are hoping he recovers in time to be ready for this weekend’s clash.

His return plus that of the possible debut of Eriksen should lift the atmosphere around the training ground after the recent slump.