Brentford v Newcastle: 5 things to watch out for on Christian Eriksen’s Premier League return

All eyes of the Premier League will be at the Brentford Community Stadium on Saturday to see the return of Christian Eriksen, less than a year after he dodged death.

The fact that Eriksen is fit enough to return to the pitch is in itself a miracle, given how devastating his cardiac arrest was in the Euro 2020 match against Finland, when he was clinically dead for five minutes.

The Dane, a deadline day signing for Brentford, and was the feel-good story of the transfer window.

Eriksen spent six-and-a-half glorious years at Tottenham and played 305 games, with 226 six of them coming in the Premier League.

And behind the scenes he was considered a class human being, even admired by opposition fans.

There will be some raw emotions when he takes to the field for the first time since that fateful day in June.

Brentford have not won a league game since their 2-1 win over Aston Villa on January 2, and will be desperate to put some light between them and the improving Newcastle.

With so much at stake and both teams needing the win, here are some of the things you should expect from the clash at Brentford Community Stadium.

A charged atmosphere

When these two teams met back in November they produced a pulsating 3-3 draw, but Newcastle have since strengthened and are threatening to drag Brentford below them in the relegation battle.

Fans of the Bees are getting agitated after a solid start in the Premier League.

They are hungry for a win and will be pushing their team to give everything out on the pitch to get all three points.

The travelling Newcastle fans can sense the fire power and drive from their improved performances, so they will also play their part in what should be a nail-biting atmosphere in west London.

Expects pockets of Danish fans at the stadium to cheer on Eriksen

Brentford had its fair share of Danish players in their squad - and manager Thomas Frank is also Danish - but the biggest star will make his debut on Saturday.

Eriksen is considered the greatest Danish player of his generation, and has more than 109 caps for the national team and 36 goals.

When Eriksen left Inter Milan, not many gave him the chance to make a swift return to top-level football, but his Brentford transfer is seen as great news and fans will travel from Denmark to catch the moment in person.

A close game of football

Both teams are heading in opposite directions at the moment, with Brentford without a win in their last seven and Newcastle undefeated in their last six league games.

The Bees were easily brushed aside by Arsenal, even if the 2-1 score line flattered the west London outfit who never looked like being in the game.

In contrast, Newcastle held their own against West Ham who are challenging for a spot in the Champions League.

If Newcastle win, they will go above the Bees and still have two games in hand, which will be a remarkable turnaround after the doom and gloom that started the season.

Ivan Toney could return

The Bees will be without Mathias Jensen and Julian Jeanvier due to knee injuries, while Tarique Fosu is also out after suffering a hamstring injury in training.

Zanka is nearing a return to action, having missed the last 15 league games due to a thigh problem, and should return to fight-team training soon.

Ivan Toney is the closest to a return, having missed the last three games due to a lower-leg injury. He faces a late fitness test.

Brentford will be busy due to the Eriksen factor

Expect lots of traffic if you’re driving to the stadium on match day.

Given the match is unique with Christian Eriksen returning, the area is likely to be busy before the game - and particularly the roads.

It may be better to take public transport to the Brentford Community Stadium.