Head coach Keith Andrews has confirmed that summer signing Mamadou Sangaré is in line to make his Premier League debut when Brentford welcome Tottenham Hotspur to Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday (5.30pm kick-off BST, live on Sky Sports).
The Mali international joined the Bees from Lens this summer and has impressed Andrews with how quickly he has adapted to his new surroundings.
Asked whether Brentford’s new arrivals Sangaré, Jannik Schuster, Jaidon Anthony and Callum Wilson could feature in the season opener, Andrews said: “Yes, I’d anticipate so.
“We’ve brought four players in from other clubs and we’re really happy with the business we’ve done and the impact they’ve made - both on and off the pitch.
“I have no doubt you’ll see some of them tomorrow.”
On Sangaré specifically, the Bees boss added: “He’s a very talented midfielder who can do lots of different aspects of that role.
“He’s a very focused, very determined and very ambitious young man. He’s very humble but equally as hungry to achieve impressive things. He’s certainly a player on an upward trajectory.”
The Bees completed their preparations for the new campaign in emphatic style with a 7-0 win over Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend.
Sangaré featured in midfield, and Andrews has been pleased with his adjustment to Brentford’s style of play.
“I want him to be him,” said Andrews. “I spoke to him after training today. I’m really happy with how he’s settled. It’s not always easy.
“We’re really happy with how he’s settled into our rhythm of how we play. I was pretty confident that he would, but you never truly know.
“I want him to be him tomorrow. I want him to enjoy the game, enjoy the occasion, and just play his game.”
Andrews also provided an injury update on Sepp van den Berg and Antoni Milambo ahead of Tottenham’s visit to Gtech Community Stadium.
Van den Berg will miss the opening weeks of the campaign due to a groin issue after an interrupted pre-season.
“Sepp has a groin issue,” Andrews explained. “We’ve had to manage that in a certain way. He needs a little bit more rest, unfortunately for Sepp.
“He’s had a disjointed pre-season – it hasn’t flowed as well as we’d have liked – so we’re going to have to look after him in the short term. He’ll miss the first few weeks of the season.”
Milambo, meanwhile, continues to make progress with his rehabilitation.
“Antoni is a few weeks behind with the [ACL] injury,” said Andrews. “It’s not an exact science, naturally, but he’s had a really positive couple of weeks.
“He’s been training with the group for a number of weeks - sometimes modified, sometimes full training. He’s making really good strides.”