Preview: Brentford vs Wolverhampton Wanderers - prediction, team news, lineups

Maybe still dreaming of the greatest Premier League escape, a revitalised Wolverhampton Wanderers venture to the Gtech Community Stadium for a date with Brentford on Monday evening.

Rob Edwards's men are searching for a third straight victory in the top flight, while the Bees have some FA Cup wrongs to right after a dismal defeat to West Ham United.

Match preview

When panenka penalties go right, the panenka-taker in question is lauded as a cheeky and ice-cold football player. When they go wrong, there is nowhere to hide - as Brentford's Dango Ouattara discovered at the London Stadium.

The Bees and their London rivals West Ham United played out a frenetic 2-2 draw across 120 minutes in their FA Cup fifth-round tie, before Alphonse Areola stood rooted to the spot and gratefully claimed Ouattara's appalling spot kick in the shootout.

Areola's opposite number Caoimhin Kelleher failed to stop a single West Ham attempt as Brentford's FA Cup journey came to an end, leaving the Bees with nothing but the Premier League European fight to concern themselves with in the coming weeks.

Entering gameweek 30 seventh in the Premier League table, the hosts have their continental destiny in their own hands, despite only winning one of their last four games in the top flight and failing to fire in a 0-0 draw with Bournemouth last time out.

Keith Andrews's men have also been experiencing a sticky patch at their former Gtech Community Stadium fortress in recent times, having failed to win any of their last three home matches in the top flight, in addition to going scoreless in two of them.

Andrews and Edwards can empathise when it comes to knockout misery in March, as the latter's Wolves outfit failed to follow up their extraordinary Premier League success over Liverpool when the Reds came to visit in the FA Cup.

The Old Gold's 3-1 fifth-round loss to Arne Slot's side denied them a third straight win in all tournaments, but the Premier League's basement boys could still make it three on the bounce in the top flight, where survival - while a long shot - is not beyond the realm of possibility.

Wolves' successive victories over Aston Villa and Liverpool mean that the visitors will not be demoted with the lowest Premier League points total in history, and the gap to 17th-placed Nottingham Forest is 12 points at the time of writing.

Edwards has understandably sought to downplay any chances of an outrageous escape, though, especially as his side have still not picked up a single Premier League away win this season - losing 10 and drawing four of their 14 road fixtures.

Wolves have also failed to find the net in each of their last three Premier League matches on rival turf and were beaten 2-0 by Brentford at Molineux in December, extending their winless league run against their London-based hosts to four games.

Brentford Premier League form:

Brentford form (all competitions):

Wolverhampton Wanderers Premier League form:

Wolverhampton Wanderers form (all competitions):

Team News

It will be largely as you were on the injury front for Brentford on Monday night, with the possible addition of Arsenal loanee Reiss Nelson, who is on the cusp of returning from a calf problem.

Rico Henry (thigh), Aaron Hickey (thigh) and Vitaly Janelt (ankle) will not be back this side of the international break, while long-term knee victims Antoni Milambo, Fabio Carvalho and Josh Dasilva still have months of recovery ahead of them.

Netting both of Brentford's normal-time goals against West Ham in the FA Cup, Igor Thiago now boasts a tremendous 21 goals for the season in all tournaments, and he ranks highest for off-the-ball runs into both the final third and penalty area in the 2025-26 Premier League.

As far as Wolves are concerned, Edwards is "really hopeful" that goalkeeper Jose Sa will be fit and available despite a sore ankle, so Sam Johnstone's brief stint in between the posts could come to an end.

Key midfielder Andre is also back in the fold after serving an FA Cup ban for accumulated yellow cards against Liverpool, so Enso Gonzalez - missing for two months with a knee problem - may be the Old Gold's only absentee.

While Andre has returned from the naughty step, he could soon find himself back on it alongside Joao Gomes and Yerson Mosquera, all of whom are one booking away from a two-match Premier League suspension.

Brentford possible starting lineup:

Kelleher; Kayode, Collins, Van den Berg, Lewis-Potter; Jensen, Henderson; Ouattara, Damsgaard, Schade; Thiago

Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:

Sa; Doherty, Bueno, Krejci; Tchatchoua, Andre, J. Gomes, Mane, R. Gomes; Hwang, Arokodare

We say: Brentford 1-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers

Wolves' long and torturous wait for a first Premier League away win of the season looks set to continue on Monday night, but Brentford are not the force they once were in front of the Gtech crowd.

The hosts always carry a devastating goal threat when Thiago is leading the line, but we simply cannot separate two sides in incredibly mixed form and have had to settle on a low-scoring draw.

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