Looking to halt a worrying run of three-straight defeats, Brentford will welcome a resurgent Wolverhampton Wanderers to the Gtech Community Stadium on Wednesday night in the Premier League.
The Bees have been afforded a full week to prepare for a festive battle with Wolves, while the Black Country outfit are fresh from their Christmas Eve success over Chelsea.
Match preview
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Due to Manchester City's involvement in the Club World Cup, Brentford have been handed 10 days to mull over the 2-1 defeat to Unai Emery's title-chasing Aston Villa on December 10, when the Bees extended their losing run in the Premier League to three matches - the club's worst run of short-term form since April.
Former Hull City starlet Keane Lewis-Potter netted his maiden goal of the top-flight season to put Thomas Frank's men ahead at the Gtech, but the second-half dismissal of Ben Mee changed the course of the contest, with the Villans grabbing late goals through Alex Moreno and Ollie Watkins, who did not hold back his celebrations against his former employers.
Having lost five of their last six matches in the Premier League, Brentford supporters will not be in a festive mood as nervously look over their shoulders towards the relegation zone, with 18th-placed Luton Town just seven points behind the West Londoners as the New Year approaches.
The absence of last season's leading marksman Ivan Toney has placed increased pressure onto the attacking talents of Bryan Mbeumo, who currently leads his side's goalscoring charts with seven top-flight strikes, with no other Bees player managing more than three goals so far.
Although home clashes with Aston Villa and Mikel Arteta's Arsenal were always going to be tough assignments over the past month, Brentford have displayed their ability to pick up maximum points at the Gtech recently, including in the 3-1 win over Rob Edwards's Hatters on December 2, when Shandon Baptiste netted only his second Premier League goal.
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Wolves' ability to rise to the big occasion at Molineux was on full display once again during a rare Christmas Eve offering, as Gary O'Neil's men condemned a directionless Chelsea to their 19th top-flight defeat of the calendar year, piling further pressure on Blues head coach Mauricio Pochettino.
The visitors from the capital dominated proceedings in the opening stages and the West Midlanders rode their luck - while thanking some questionable attacking play from the Raheem Sterling and Nicolas Jackson - to remain level, but the hosts were able to pounce in the second period, with Mario Lemina and substitute Matt Doherty popping up with the decisive strikes.
With the scalps of Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham Hotspur and now Chelsea having been claimed at Molineux so far this season, O'Neil's team are making fun of pre-season suggestions that they were in line for a relegation dogfight following the shock exit of former boss Julen Lopetegui on the eve of the campaign's start.
The Black Country outfit moved themselves level on points with the Blues with success on Christmas Eve, meaning Wolves possess a comforting 10-point advantage over Luton in 18th, with seventh-placed Newcastle United just seven points better off as the season approaches its halfway point.
Improving results away from Molineux will be spearheading a list of priorities for Wolves as the busy festive schedule continues, with O'Neil's men currently enduring on four-game losing run on their top-flight travels, including the 3-0 defeat at West Ham United on December 17 when Mohamed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen ran riot.
Team News
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Following a reckless tackle on Aston Villa's Leon Bailey last time out, Brentford will do without the services of centre-back Mee for the next three matches, meaning Frank will need to find a new defensive partner for Ethan Pinnock.
Better news for the Bees arrives in the form of Danish midfielder Mathias Jensen, who is fit and available for selection after missing the last month of action due to a groin issue.
Having featured off the bench for the final 14 minutes against the Villans, former Wolves man Nathan Collins is set to line up against some familiar faces after shaking off an ankle injury.
Toney's suspension and Mbeumo's ankle woes continue to limit Brentford's options in attack, meaning Neal Maupay is likely to join Yoane Wissa in a two-man forward line on Wednesday night.
Frank's men are currently operating with second-choice options at wing-back due to the absences of Rico Henry and Aaron Hickey, with the former sidelined for the remainder of the campaign due to a serious knee injury.
As for the visitors to the Gtech, Craig Dawson is expected to be available for selection despite being forced off in the second period against Chelsea due to a deep cut to his knee.
O'Neil is set to make alterations to his XI despite a resounding success over the Blues on Christmas Eve, with wing-back Rayan Ait Nouri a leading candidate to be rested after struggling with fatigue last time out.
The return of Portuguese playmaker Pedro Neto would be a significant belated Christmas present for Wolves, with the attacker set to feature in the matchday squad on Wednesday after two months out because of a hamstring strain.
A sickness bug kept Boubacar Traore, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Fabio Silva from featuring on Sunday afternoon, but O'Neil is expecting to have some of his stricken men back for the trip to West London.
Brentford possible starting lineup:
Flekken; Zanka, Pinnock, Collins; Roerslev, Jensen, Norgaard, Janelt, Ghoddos; Maupay, Wissa
Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Sa; Kilman, Dawson, T Gomes; Semedo, J Gomes, Lemina, H Bueno; Sarabia, Cunha, Hwang
We say: Brentford 2-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Brentford will be raring to put the loss to Aston Villa behind them following a rare 10-day break during the festive period, but the absence of Mee could hamper their defensive strength.
Wolves should arrive in the capital full of confidence after putting Chelsea to the sword on Christmas Eve, and we feel that the potential return of Neto could help O'Neil's men to a goal-laden share of the spoils.
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