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Brentford have a chance of playing in Europe but manager sounds caution

Brentford have a chance of playing in Europe but manager sounds caution
Brentford host Manchester United next and then complete their campaign with away trips to Ipswich Town and Wolverhampton Wanderers, with a home clash against Fulham sandwiched between. (AFP)
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Updated 02 May 2025

Brentford have a chance of playing in Europe but manager sounds caution

Brentford have a chance of playing in Europe but manager sounds caution
  • Brentford host Manchester United next and then complete their campaign with away trips to Ipswich Town and Wolverhampton Wanderers, with a home clash against Fulham sandwiched between

NOTTINGHAM: Brentford’s surprise away win over Nottingham Forest on Thursday kept alive its hopes of a place in European club competition next season but manager Thomas Frank has sounded a cautious note about the team’s chances.
The 2-0 victory left Brentford in 11th place in the Premier League but only two points off eight placed Fulham. There is a chance that as many as 10 English clubs could qualify to play in Europe next season, but Frank warned Brentford’s destiny was not all in their own hands with four fixtures left in their league campaign.
“There is a few things that need to happen; the teams ahead of us need to get less points and we need Manchester City to win the FA Cup,” Frank told reporters after their win at the City Ground with goals from Kevin Schade and Yoane Wissa.
“There’s a few things that we cannot control ourselves,” he added.
“In our last 12 games we have been extremely consistent and performed well. There’s another big game on Sunday which we will do our best to win.”
Brentford host Manchester United next and then complete their campaign with away trips to Ipswich Town and Wolverhampton Wanderers, with a home clash against Fulham sandwiched between.
Asked whether he felt Brentford were ready to compete in Europe, Frank said: “Ask me in three games’ time, then I’ll answer the question.
“We’re growing as a club and the team is growing. We would be more competitive if we didn’t have as many injuries last year.
“We consistently performed at a good level. This season we had one bad game whereas the other season we have had three or four.”
Brentford have never competed in European club competition and Frank told Sky Sports it could prove “tricky” for the club.
“Do you want to be a European club, but what is a European club?” he asked.
“Is that every year? If it is, then it depends on the size of the club, where the budget would need to be fairly linked to it. Money talks.
“The good thing for us is culture, strategy, hard work, clear principles and style of play. All those things we do quite well. It can raise your level and it has raised our level,” Frank said.


Battling Barcelona earn 3-3 draw in thriller against Brugge

Battling Barcelona earn 3-3 draw in thriller against Brugge
Updated 06 November 2025

Battling Barcelona earn 3-3 draw in thriller against Brugge

Battling Barcelona earn 3-3 draw in thriller against Brugge
  • Barcelona found their equalizer in the 77th minute when Yamal lifted a cross into the box and defender Seys headed the ball into his own net when trying to clear

BRUGES, Belgium: Barcelona fought back three times to snatch a 3-3 draw at Club Brugge in the Champions League on Wednesday, equalising for the final time late in the game with an own goal from 20-year-old Belgium defender Joaquin Seys.
Barcelona are now 11th in the standings on seven points from four matches while Club Brugge sit 22nd on four points, with both teams still in the hunt for qualification.
In a thriller at Brugge’s Jan Breydel Stadium, the home side opened the scoring through Nicolo Tresoldi in the sixth minute, after a quick counter by Carlos Forbs that exposed the vulnerability of Barcelona’s high defense.
The 21-year-old jet-heeled Portuguese forward controlled a long ball in his stride to beat the offside trap up the right channel before bursting into the box and crossing low for Tresoldi to score with a tidy finish past the goalkeeper.
Barcelona hit right back with Ferran Torres from close range two minutes later but Brugge regained the lead in the 17th minute with Forbs scoring after another quick counter.
In an end-to-end encounter with both sides creating several chances, Jules Kounde struck the crossbar in the 27th minute as Barcelona tried to find the equalizer, while Ferran Torres missed from close range right before the break.

FRANTIC FINALE
Barcelona keeper Wojciech Szczesny made a stunning save early in the second half when Seys entered the penalty box in a counter-attack and struck a bullet shot from close range that the veteran Polish keeper blocked away brilliantly.
Barca defender Eric Garcia almost scored in the 59th minute with a thunderous strike from long range that exploded off the crossbar but it was teenager Lamine Yamal who scored a brilliant individual goal one minute later to level the match again. However, it took Club Brugge only two minutes to get back the lead, with Forbs scoring from another counter-attack, beating Barcelona’s high defense again for the umpteenth time before chipping a tidy finish round Szczesny into the net.
Barcelona found their equalizer in the 77th minute when Yamal lifted a cross into the box and defender Seys headed the ball into his own net when trying to clear.
There was more drama as Brugge thought they had scored the winner in added time through Romeo Vermant, thanks to what looked to have been a massive blunder by Szczesny. But the VAR video review ruled out the goal as the forward fouled the keeper in his effort to recover the ball, helping Barca rescue a point.
“They have created a lot of danger on the counter-attack and we should have done much better everywhere,” a visibly frustrated Ferran Torres told Movistar Plus.
“It seemed like that with two passes they were already in our box. We have to find ways to improve. The team reacted well, we had a lot of chances. But when you’re behind... It’s tough.”