Attention turns to the FA Cup on Friday night, where Wolves look to continue their positive run of form on their second visit to Brentford in nine days.
#1 In both camps
Following the win over Everton, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Boubacar Traore and Hee Chan Hwang departed for international duty, which means the trip to Brentford will be the first they miss. While Gary O’Neil is losing two of his regular starters, it presents opportunities for others. Hugo Bueno will be eyeing his chance on the left, while Jean-Ricner Bellegarde took his opportunity off the bench when he replaced Hwang at Brentford recently. Pedro Neto’s return to fitness is timely too. He got the final ten minutes against the Toffees and looked lively. The head coach will reveal an update on Mario Lemina in his press conference, after the midfielder missed the Everton game to be with his family, following the sad passing of his father. Tommy Doyle deputised impressively and will be hungry for more opportunities. Elsewhere, the likes of Matt Doherty, Santiago Bueno and Sasa Kalajdzic will hope for FA Cup minutes down in the capital.
Like Wolves, Brentford have lost a trio of first-team players to international duty. Saman Ghoddos and Yoane Wissa started against Crystal Palace at the weekend, while Frank Onyeka came off the bench, and all are now set to miss the cup tie having departed for the Africa Cup of Nations and Asian Cup. The Bees have further absentees too, with Ben Mee and Ivan Toney still out through suspension. Rico Henry, Bryan Mbeumo, Aaron Hickey, Kevin Schade and Kristoffer Ajer have been out injured long-term. Shandon Baptiste and Joshua Dasilva have been absent with foot and hamstring injuries but are nearing a return. One to listen out for in Thomas Frank’s press conference.
#2 Coming into it
Wolves come into the FA Cup tie on the back of a perfect Christmas period, where O’Neil’s side scooped nine points from nine available. In that period, the Old Gold ended their poor run of away form with victory at Brentford, at the same stadium they return to on Friday. Signing off for 2023, Matheus Cunha was joined by central defensive duo Maximilian Kilman and Craig Dawson on the scoresheet, as Wolves beat Everton 3-0. After bowing out of the Carabao Cup in the third round in September, the Old Gold will want to make a better fist of their FA Cup campaign.
Wolves’ last three | W 3-0 Everton (H) – W 4-1 Brentford (A) – W 2-1 Chelsea (H)
The Bees lost both of their festive fixtures, conceding seven goals in the process, so will be looking to bounce back. Without a game before Christmas due to Manchester City’s responsibilities elsewhere, the clash with Wolves on 27th December was Brentford’s first festive fixture and resulted in a 4-1 loss. Since then, they moved across London to Crystal Palace, but were beaten 3-1. It means the Bees have lost their last five matches, last beating Luton Town at home on 2nd December.
Brentford’s last three | L 3-1 Crystal Palace (A) – L 4-1 Wolves (H) – L 2-1 Aston Villa (H)
The view from the North Bank 😍 pic.twitter.com/CW40h96D6P
— Wolves (@Wolves) January 1, 2024
#3 Since last time
Brentford 1-4 Wolves | 27th December 2023
This is shortest distance between two fixtures since the introduction of this feature. Just nine days will have passed since Wolves returned to form on the road at the Gtech Community Stadium. Lemina and Hwang scored within minutes of each other to put Wolves ahead, before Wissa halved the deficit. However, Hwang struck again with a well-taken effort, before Cunha set up Bellegarde to wrap up the victory in the closing stages.
Wolves | Sa, Semedo, Kilman, S Bueno, Toti, Ait-Nouri, Lemina, Gomes, Sarabia, Hwang, Cunha.
Of the Wolves team, Ait-Nouri and Hwang are no longer available. Santiago Bueno and Lemina also didn’t feature against Everton. Is O’Neil set to make more changes? Time will tell. As for Brentford, Ghoddos and Wissa aren’t going to feature in Friday’s cup tie, but the other nine starters from that evening could be involved again.
Brentford | Flekken, Roerslev, Collins, Pinnock, Ghoddos, Yarmoliuk, Norgaard, Janelt, Wissa, Lewis-Potter, Maupay.
#4 In the media
Tom Gayle, BBC Match of the Day commentator, was full of praise for how O’Neil has settled at Wolves, both on and off the pitch.
He said: “The last game of 2023 and a comfortable 3-0 win over Everton, I witnessed a buoyant atmosphere, with home fans regularly chanting O'Neil's name, and even managing to get a response to "Gary, Gary - give us a wave". Why such an outpouring of adulation? First and foremost, results on the field, especially at home. Wolves head into 2024 on an eight-game unbeaten run at Molineux, during which Manchester City, Tottenham and Chelsea have all left empty handed.
“The consistency of performances he’s getting out of the likes of Hee Chan Hwang, Matheus Cunha and Pablo Sarabia can’t be matched by his predecessors, and that has been key to their club record run of scoring in 17 consecutive Premier League games. Off the field he’s impressed too. O’Neil’s showing on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football show in October was clear evidence Wolves have one of the brightest young English coaches around.”
Dom Smith of The Standard, speaking about Brentford’s current form, is expecting it to turn around quickly.
He said: “Brentford are still awaiting the magical all-remedying win that will relieve their own pressure and could be the boost they need to see them climb clear of the relegation zone — currently just four points below them. As many as 10 players could miss their next match through a mixture of injury and participation in the Africa Cup of Nations. Yoane Wissa and Frank Onyeka could be at AFCON for up to a month.
“But poor runs do not last forever. Ivan Toney can return for the Forest match [20th January]. Outscored by only Erling Haaland and Harry Kane in this league last term, his return could be the spark they need. It says something that after five straight defeats, a club record, Frank is not in any danger of losing his job. He has taken Brentford to new heights, and the message is very simple: stick to the process.”
