Brentford - Wolves predictions and free betting tips [27/12/2023]

On Wednesday, 27 December, as part of the 19th round of the Premier League, Brentford will host Wolverhampton on their home turf. The "Bees" have had a whole week to prepare for the upcoming clash with the "Wolves", while the visitors recently scored a victory over Chelsea on Sunday with a score of 2:1.

Predicted Line-ups

Brentford: Flekken; Zanka, Pinnock, Collins; Roerslev, Jensen, Norgaard, Janelt, Ghoddos; Mbeumo, Wissa.
Wolverhampton: Sa; Kilman, Dawson, T. Gomes; Semedo, J. Momes, Lemina, J. Bueno; Sarabia, Kún, Hwang.

Stadium

The match will take place in London, at the Brentford Community Stadium.

Brentford

After a rather comfortable finish in the middle of the standings last season, Brentford is far from battling for survival this time as well. Thomas Frank's team ranks 14th in the overall standings and is 4 points ahead of Luton in 18th position. However, the hosts must maintain vigilance as their recent form has not been impressive: 5 defeats in the last 6 games and only 1 victory. Moreover, the London club lost 3 consecutive matches to Brighton (2:1), Sheffield United (1:0), and Aston Villa (2:1). Kin Lewis-Potter scored his debut goal in the Premier League, giving the red-and-whites the lead, but a red card for Ben Mi in the second half turned the tide of the match and Birmingham equalized with efforts from Alex Moreno and Ollie Watkins. The "Bees'" weekend league match was postponed due to their opponent Manchester City playing in the club's world championship.

The suspension of the club's top scorer, Ivan Toney, has put pressure on another London forward, Bryan Mbeumo, who leads the team's scoring chart with seven goals – no other "Bee" player has managed to score more than three times. The Brentford squad is depleted by injuries to Mbeumo (7 goals and 3 assists), key defenders Ajer, Henry, and Hickey, winger Shade, midfielders Jensen (3 goals) and Dasilva. Aside from the aforementioned Mbeumo, Wissa (3 goals) and Mbeumo (2 goals and 2 assists) could also feature in the hosts' attack. Since central defender Mi is suspended for the next three games, Thomas Frank will need to find a new defensive partner for Ethan Pinnock. Refreshingly, Nathan Collins is back from injury and will take his place on the right wing of the defence.

Wolverhampton

Wolverhampton sits in 11th place in the Premier League table, three points ahead of their upcoming opponent (although they have played one game more). The "Wolves" have turned in excellent home track records (7 unbeaten matches, including 5 wins), but they have struggled on the road (4 consecutive defeats). The team's recent win over Chelsea (2:1) was preceded by a away defeat to West Ham (3:0). Despite dominating the opening stages of the match, the Blue's attacking duo of Raheem Sterling and Nicholas Jackson failed to capitalize on their opportunities - leading the Wolves to seize the advantage with goals from Mario Lemina and Matt Doherty. This campaign has seen them triumph over Manchester City and Tottenham at Molineux. 

Wolverhampton continues to be without Hodge and Johnny, who are not yet fully recovered from their injuries. Moreover, Portuguese winger Pedro Neto (1 goal and 7 assists) has been absent for several weeks and is unlikely to return to action by Wednesday. The "Wolves" in attack rely on the effectiveness of the strikers Mateus Kún (5 goals and 3 assists) and Hee-chan Hwang (8 goals and 2 assists), and the midfield is orchestrated by Lemina and Irish pivot Matt Doherty. Manager O'Neil plans to make a number of adjustments to his team's starting set-up, consequently, defensive flanker Ryan Ait Nouri will be left on the bench.

Head-to-head

Last season, the teams played out a draw in London (1:1), while Wolves claimed a 2:0 victory at Molineux.

Prediction for the Brentford - Wolverhampton match

Brentford has lost 3 consecutive matches, and the club's problems are compounded by a crowded injury list. Wolverhampton, on the other hand, has lost only once in the last four games and has comfortably settled in the middle of the standings. The visitors have looked particularly lively in recent weeks and have bet for a plus handicap in London on Wednesday evening.

Total prediction

Brentford has scored just 2 goals in the last three games, and the club's striking force in attack – forward Mbeumo – remains injured. I'm going for Brentford's individual total of less than 1.5 goals.