Brentford vs Wolverhampton Wanderers

Gtech Community Stadium is the venue as Brentford and Wolverhampton Wanderers meet in a bottom-half Premier League encounter.

Manchester City’s involvement in the Club World Cup offered Brentford an extended break ahead of the Premier League return for post-Christmas fixtures, giving under-pressure boss Thomas Frank more time to regroup his troops after witnessing five defeats in the last six league matches (W1). The wheels have seemingly come off, with the ‘Bees’ suffering three defeats across their six most recent Premier League outings at the Gtech Community Stadium (W3), as many as in their previous 27 such contests (W13, D11, L3). Wolves’ arrival in the capital doesn’t bode well for Brentford’s bid to find a way out of this crisis, considering they’ve emerged victorious just once in their last eight H2Hs (D2, L5), beating them 2-0 in their inaugural Premier League encounter at Molineux in September 2021.

In the meantime, Wolverhampton put a two-game winless league streak (D1, L1) to bed at the weekend courtesy of a dramatic 2-1 home triumph against Chelsea but failed to climb out of the lower reaches nevertheless. Gary O’Neil’s men commence this round seven points clear of 18th-placed Luton, though they can’t afford to rest on their laurels after losing their last four top-flight games on the road. Each defeat worryingly saw them concede multiple goals, casting doubt on their quest to extend a four-match unbeaten run in away H2Hs (W2, D2). Adding to the traveling side’s pessimism, they’ve won none of their last 14 Premier League visits to London (D3, L11), including five losses in a row in the build-up to this trip.

Brentford and Wolverhampton Wanderers are set to lock horns in the FA Cup round three at the Gtech Community Stadium.

2023 couldn’t have ended soon enough for Brentford after a disheartening 3-1 defeat at Crystal Palace condemned them to a fifth Premier League loss on the trot, demoting them to 16th in the standings. With only four points separating them from the relegation zone, the upcoming FA Cup assignment is seemingly a welcoming distraction for the ‘Bees.’ However, anxiety remains a common theme among the home fans as Wolves’ visit to the Gtech Community Stadium brings back frustrating memories of a 4-1 defeat in their most recent home league outing. Another bad omen for the home side is that they’ve lost 15 of their last 16 FA Cup ties against top-flight opponents. Brentford’s dreadful cup fortunes against top-tier sides cast doubt on their effort to end a four-game winless run against Wolves (D1, L3).

In the meantime, Wolverhampton capped off 2023 with an overwhelming 3-0 home victory against Everton. Indeed, the tail-end of the last calendar year marked a significant improvement for Gary O’Neil’s side as they won three consecutive Premier League fixtures for the first time this season. They notably netted 2+ goals on each occasion, a feat they’ve managed in three of their last four encounters against Brentford! All that gives the ‘Wanderers’ hope they’ll avoid back-to-back third-round eliminations as a top-flight side for the first time since 1974/75. But despite putting the ‘Bees’ to the sword on their last domestic travel, the visitors can’t take anything for granted, knowing that win ended a dismal four-game losing streak on hostile turf.