Speaking at his pre-match press conference, the Palace manager discussed the Bees’ recent promotion under Thomas Frank and their subsequent successful consolidation of Premier League status.
Since earning promotion via the Championship play-offs in 2020/21, Brentford have finished 13th and then ninth in the Premier League table.
Hodgson said: “It’s the kind of test you have in all Premier League games, especially when you’re meeting a good team. We’re fully aware of Brentford’s strengths. We know what a good team they are.
“We are, like everyone else, very appreciative of everything that Thomas Frank has done since he came to the club, and how they’ve progressed from year to year.
“[We’re impressed by] how they’ve really got themselves – even though they hadn’t been in the Premier League for a long time [74 years] – established as a team certainly capable of testing even the big boys at the top.
“We know what we’re heading for when we go to Brentford tomorrow, but we’re looking forward to the game. We like to think that we also have certain qualities and we will also bring something to the game.
“At the moment, if you look at it from a neutral point of view, it has the makings of a very good game with two teams both capable of taking points from the game.”
