Alan Shearer has predicted the result of Wolves’ visit to Brentford on Saturday afternoon.
Gary O’Neil could make an excuse for his side’s struggles this season as they’ve faced Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle, Aston Villa and Liverpool in five of their first six matches.
Wolves now travel to Brentford on Saturday afternoon, a side who have tasted victory in two of their Premier League matches.
Realistically, their trip to the Gtech Community Stadium is a great chance to get off the mark, and while O’Neil doesn’t think it’s a must-win match for Wolves, it’s important to grab three points sooner rather than later.
Paul Merson thinks Wolves will come away from Brentford with a win this weekend, and that was the case last season as a Hwang Hee-chan brace saw the Old Gold earn a 4-1 victory.
Alan Shearer predicts a Brentford win vs Wolves
O’Neil confirmed that Santi Bueno and Craig Dawson are both fit to start against the Bees after their respective problems.
Dawson is a huge part of the Wolves’ defence, as his wealth of experience and know-how in the backline are two irreplaceable attributes.
Despite delivering positive news on the injury front, the Premier League’s record goalscorer Alan Shearer doesn’t believe the tide will turn for the Wanderers this weekend.
Although he claims it’s a tough result to call, he thinks O’Neil’s men will succumb to the pressure they’re under and ultimately come away empty-handed for the sixth time in seven games.
In his weekly predictions for Metro, Shearer wrote: “This is a tough one to call. Wolves are under huge pressure and Brentford scored early again last time out, now three games in a row.
“I think with the pressure Wolves are under, I’d see Brentford winning this one. Brentford are scoring early, and I put that down to good preparation, good warm-ups, and good motivation.
“If it happens once or twice you may say it’s a fluke, but if it’s three times, you must look at who and what’s preparing them in the right way, so huge credit to them.”
- READ MORE: Wolves predicted lineup, team and injury news as Gary O’Neil makes surprise change vs Brentford
Wolves can ill-afford to concede early vs Brentford
Brentford’s unique kick-off routine has seen them score a goal within the first minute on three occasions this term, including against West Ham, Manchester City and Tottenham.
It’s a smart ploy from Thomas Frank, as he’s realised teams at the start of the game normally like to feel their way into the action but by deploying a direct style straight from the off, he’s been able to catch some of his opponents off guard.
For Wolves to stand any chance of winning at Brentford, they can ill-afford to fall victim to this tactic and go behind early.
If they do, O’Neil’s men will have a mountain to climb in the match as confidence is already on the floor and conceding in the first few minutes could be detrimental.
A strong start to this game could therefore prove crucial to recording their first league victory, with Matheus Cunha no doubt going to play a key role.