Brentford will host Wolverhampton Wanderers in an all-Premier League FA Cup match. The Bees were humiliated 4-1 at home by Wolves in the Premier League a week ago.
Preview (Brentford vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers)
Brentford team has lost seven of its last eight Premier League games. Thomas Frank is likely going through one of his hardest times as the team’s manager. Since taking over the club at the end of 2018, Frank has only won one of his first ten games in charge of Brentford. Keane Lewis-Potter gave the Bees the lead after just 85 seconds. They lost to Crystal Palace last weekend, suffering their most recent defeat. After allowing at least two goals on seven of those occasions, Frank’s team was ultimately condemned to their fifth consecutive league defeat and their tenth overall this season by goals from Eagles duo Michael Olise (2) and Edgarechi Eze.
With just 19 points from as many league games played, Brentford has fallen to 16th in the standings. They are only four points ahead of Luton Town in 18th place. They are starting to consider a potential relegation dogfight. Frank’s early New Year’s goal is to inspire his team and put an end to the rot. However, Brentford has only advanced from one of its last 16 FA Cup matches against elite competition. Last season, Brentford was defeated 1-0 at home by West Ham in the FA Cup third round.
Now in 11th place and 13 points clear of the relegation zone, Gary O’Neil’s much-improved team. They are starting to look up towards the right end of the Premier League table. They are only four points behind seventh-place Brighton & Hove Albion, who they will play later this month. Wolves have won their last eight games at Molineux. They have only triumphed twice in their last nine away games across all competitions. Last season, Wolves lost 1-0 at home to Liverpool in an FA Cup third-round replay This season, a loss to Brentford would mean elimination.
Team News
The injuries that have beset Brentford’s downfall include those to Ryan Mbuemo (ankle), Ricci Henry (knee), Aaron Hickey (thigh), Kevin Schade (adductor), Josh Dasilva (hamstring), Kristopher Ajer, and Shandon Baptiste (both feet). Meanwhile, highly sought-after striker Ivan Toney is still suspended but can play again later this month. Ben Mee’s three-match ban will end on Friday. It means that Ethan Pinnock, Matthias Jorgensen, and Nathan Collins—the latter of whom made two costly mistakes that resulted in goals surrendered in the league loss to Wolves last week—could all maintain their starting positions at center back.
Neal Maupay will compete with Yao Wissa and Lewis-Potter for an attacking start, while Thomas Strakosha, the goalkeeper, and Frank Onyeka and Mikkel Damsgaard, the midfield tandem, will all be looking to push their way into the starting lineup. Wolves’ leading scorer, Hwang Hee-chan, who scored twice against Brentford last week, is currently representing South Korea in the Asian Cup as an international player, while Boubacar Traore and Rayan Ait-Nouri have joined Algeria and Mali, respectively, for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Lemina is not available for selection since he is now in France with his family after his father passed away. Jonny Castro is not available for selection for disciplinary reasons. The return of star winger Pedro Neto in recent weeks has given O’Neil a boost. On Friday, the Portuguese man is anticipated to get some playing time, either starting or coming off the bench. Meanwhile, players like Daniel Bentley, Hugo Bueno, Matt Doherty, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, and Sasa Kalajdzic will be vying for the starting position.
Brentford 1-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers
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