Brentford Predicted Lineup at Hull: Sangare Starts in New Midfield

Brentford Name a Brand-New Midfield Pair at Hull as Sangare Makes First League Start Since 12 September

Brentford travel to Hull City on Sunday with a central-midfield pairing that has never started a league game together. After Yehor Yarmoliuk and Vitaly Janelt were both sent off against Liverpool, club-record signing Mamadou Sangare starts alongside a deeper-lying Mathias Jensen at the MKM Stadium, kick-off 2pm.

Fixture: Hull City v Brentford — Sunday, 2pm, MKM Stadium
Competition: Premier League — the first top-flight meeting between the two clubs
Headline selection: Mamadou Sangare's first league start since 12 September
Suspensions: Yehor Yarmoliuk (GW8 and GW9) and Vitaly Janelt (one match)
Form: Brentford seventh on 10 points; Hull a point behind on nine, unbeaten at home
What's at stake: A Hull win takes them above Brentford in the table

Confirmed line-ups

Brentford (4-2-3-1)

Starting XI: Caoimhin Kelleher; Michael Kayode, Jannik Schuster, Kristoffer Ajer, Keane Lewis-Potter; Mathias Jensen, Mamadou Sangare; Jaidon Anthony, Mikkel Damsgaard, Kevin Schade; Igor Thiago

Substitutes: Not confirmed by the source

Hull City

Starting XI: Not confirmed by the source. Konstantinos Tzolakis continues in goal in place of the injured Jack Butland; Oli McBurnie leads the line; Mohamed Belloumi and Sorba Thomas are the wide players.

Selection notes

Keith Andrews keeps the 4-2-3-1 that has carried Brentford to seventh, but changes three of the four midfield and attacking-midfield slots. Two suspensions in the same position and a number 10 fit again at the right moment drive the changes.

Yehor Yarmoliuk is suspended for this game and the next league fixture after a red card for violent conduct against Liverpool. Vitaly Janelt, dismissed for two bookable offences, serves a one-match ban. Between them they had started four of Brentford's last five league games.

Mikkel Damsgaard returns at No. 10 after missing one match through injury and returning as a substitute against Liverpool. Kevin Schade is recalled on the left, the position he was a doubt for before the Liverpool game. Jannik Schuster comes in for Sepp van den Berg in the only defensive change, enforced by fitness after he missed the Liverpool match with a knock and illness.

Why Andrews is reshaping the engine room

The Liverpool defeat cost Brentford more than points. Brentford led and competed for an hour before the game turned, and the two red cards converted a narrow loss into a selection problem. Andrews is not changing shape because the problem is personnel, not structure: two suspensions in one position and a No. 10 back from injury.

Mamadou Sangare has waited since 12 September for a league start. His brief is the simpler of the two: sit in front of the back four, win second balls and feed Jensen. Mathias Jensen played as the No. 10 against Liverpool, but his passing range and set-piece delivery are worth more from deep in a match Brentford expect to dominate.

The risk sits in the screening. Neither player protects the defence the way Janelt does, so Hull's midfield runners will get chances to attack the back four. That is why Damsgaard between the lines matters: he is how Brentford connect midfield to Igor Thiago, and his return is the main reason the attacking shape should still function.

Talking points

Jensen at No. 6 is a creative decision, not a defensive one. Against a Hull side unbeaten at home, giving him deep distribution may expose Ajer and Schuster to runners.
Sangare's first league start since 12 September is overdue for a club-record signing, but throwing him in beside a converted No. 10 is a tough first assignment.
Lewis-Potter returns to the club where he started his career, now part of a back four that must protect a brand-new midfield pair.
Brentford have drawn all three away league games and have a league-high four draws in total — a pattern that may favour another tight game over an open one.

Injury and availability

Suspended: Yehor Yarmoliuk (GW8 and GW9); Vitaly Janelt (one match).

Out injured: Joshua Dasilva (hamstring), Kaye Furo (metatarsal), Antoni Milambo (ACL). Andrews' midfield options on the bench are limited if the Sangare-Jensen pairing does not work.

Returning: Jannik Schuster (knock and illness) and Mikkel Damsgaard (fit again after a match out).

Hull: Seven players out, including goalkeeper Jack Butland, so Konstantinos Tzolakis continues in goal. Tim Iroegbunam is pushing for his first start since arriving from Everton, and Sergej Jakirovic has said he is likely to make changes after the 1-0 defeat at Fulham.

The numbers

Brentford sit seventh on 10 points; Hull are a point behind on nine
Brentford have drawn all three away league games — at Leeds, Bournemouth and Aston Villa
Brentford have a league-high four draws in total
Hull are unbeaten at home this season: one win, two draws
Schade needs one more goal to reach 25 league goals for Brentford
McBurnie is still looking for his first league goal of the season
The last meeting between the clubs was a 5-1 Brentford win in the Championship in February 2020

What happens next

Brentford's next match after Sunday is at home, when Janelt will be available again once his one-match ban is served; Yarmoliuk is also suspended for that next league game. At the MKM Stadium, a Hull win takes them above Brentford in the table, so the new midfield pair is under immediate pressure.

Frequently asked questions

Is Mamadou Sangare starting for Brentford at Hull?

Yes. Sangare comes in for his first Premier League start since 12 September as the direct replacement for the suspended Yarmoliuk and Janelt.

Why are Yarmoliuk and Janelt missing for Brentford?

Both were sent off in the 2-1 home defeat by Liverpool. Yarmoliuk is suspended for GW8 and GW9 after violent conduct; Janelt serves a one-match ban for two bookable offences.