The FIFA World Cup may still be ongoing but that hasn’t stopped most Premier League clubs from commencing their pre-season preparations.
The vast majority of top-flight teams are back in training, while there has even been a couple of behind-closed-doors already contested.
Coventry City and Brentford are the teams in question, both of which faced Wimbledon in kickabouts over the last week.
Here are our brief Scout Notes from these two matches – not that there is much information on either game!
Look out for our Pre-Season Minutes Tracker lauching over the next few days, too.
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BRENTFORD 3-2 Wimbledon
- Goals: Morgan, Anthony, Damsgaard
- Assists: Nunes, Damsgaard, Ouattara
No starting XI information available
NOTES
- While Brentford didn’t supply any line-up information, there were no post-match interviews, and match footage was limited to the goals, we do know that regulars Caoimhín Kelleher, Mikkel Damsgaard, Kevin Schade, Vitaly Janelt and Dango Ouattara were involved at Jersey Road. Josh Dasilva, who returned from a very long-term injury at the back-end of 2025/26, also featured. So too did new signing Jaidon Anthony, whom the Bees recently snapped up from Burnley.
- And Anthony marked his unofficial debut with a goal, finishing well after Damsgaard’s cross deflected into his path.
- Brentford twice had to come from behind to win this match. After falling 1-0 down early on, Keith Andrews’ side restored parity when winger Gustavo Nunes, who hasn’t really made the grade yet after arriving from Brazil two years ago, crossed low for B team striker Iwan Morgan. Anthony then levelled again after Wimbledon restored their advantage just after half-time, before Damsgaard completed the turnaround by dinking home from a Ouattara pass.
- We’re reliant on the Brentford match report for other information. Schade squandered a one-on-one big chance (that happened a fair bit in 2025/26!), with Janelt and Morgan also forcing first-half saves. Young striker Kaye Furo, deputising for Igor Thiago, rattled the woodwork in the second half.
- Thiago, Kristoffer Ajer, Aaron Hickey and Jordan Henderson were the four Brentford players on duty at the World Cup this summer (the injured Henderson is still there, of course), and will be returning to pre-season training later.
- Brentford’s next advertised friendly is not until August 8 but you can bet that there’ll be more of these secretive kickabouts to come in between.
Wimbledon 3-2 COVENTRY CITY
- Goals: Van Ewijk, Bassette
Coventry City first-half XI: Wilson, Kesler-Hayden, Woolfenden, Kitching, Batanwi, Dasilva, Perry, Onyeka, Eccles, Andrews, Simms.
Coventry City second-half XI: Wilson, Van Ewijk, Latibeaudiere, Thomas, Bidwell, Raphael, Grimes, Torp, Betjemann, Andrews, Bassette.
NOTES
- Even less is known about Coventry’s opening summer friendly from an action perspective, save for the fact that right-back Milan van Ewijk and surplus-to-requirements young striker Norman Bassette found the net. No highlights, no details on the game outside of the goalscorers, and no post-match interviews.
- What we did get, at least, were the line-ups. Most squad members lasted 45 minutes, with the exception of goalkeeper Ben Wilson and young midfielder Kai Andrews. Neither player started a single Championship match last season.
- A number of regular starters in 2025/26 did get a half of football, however. Defenders van Ewijk, Bobby Thomas, Jay Dasilva and Liam Kitching, who all made 30+ Championship starts last season, featured. So too did midfielder Matt Grimes, an ever-present starter in the promotion-winning campaign. Frank Onyeka, whose loan spell has been turned into a permanent move this summer, also played, while 13-goal striker Ellis Simms – who was admittedly more of a substitute last year – led the line in the opening 45 minutes in Marbella.
- There was no Jack Rudoni, the attack-minded midfielder who had shoulder surgery at the end of last season. Haji Wright and Brandon Thomas-Asante, Coventry’s representatives at the World Cup, were also unsurprisingly absent.
