Wolves are playing against Brentford tonight in the Premier League – and Gary O’Neil is looking for a rare away victory.
Wanderers have not been very good on their travels for a while now.
The team have not won on the road for two months, and it’s actually just five wins in the last 35 Premier League away games for Wolves which is a concern.
Brentford – whose manager Thomas Frank has praised Wolves for their organisation under Gary O’Neil – have been struggling lately. They’ve lost their last three in the league and are only four points above the relegation zone.
So there’s a chance for Wolves to get a result tonight, and especially with the hosts missing both Bryan Mbeumo and Ivan Toney…
Chris Sutton delivers scored prediction for Brentford v Wolves
There is a very chance tonight’s game could be quite a tight affair.
Just three points separate the two teams in the table, and the Bees will be looking to leapfrog Wolves in the table with a win tonight.
Wolves have not won any of the last three meetings between the two teams, losing two and drawing one.
But you would like to think Wolves will be a on a big high after beating Chelsea 2-1 on Christmas Eve.
Despite that result, BBC pundit Chris Sutton is actually predicting a Brentford win tonight at the Gtech Community Stadium. Going for a 2-0 home win, he said (BBC Sport): “Brentford have lost five of their past six games but they were a bit unlucky to be beaten by Aston Villa in their last home game – they were 1-0 up and on top until Ben Mee was sent off with 20 minutes to go.
“Wolves were not on a great run of results either until they beat Chelsea at Molineux on Sunday, and away from home they have lost four in a row. Still, we know they will make things awkward and this one smells a lot like a draw to me… but I’m actually going to back the Bees.
“I think we sometimes forget that Thomas Frank’s side have done remarkably well since they were promoted to the Premier League in 2021. They are without their best two forwards, Ivan Toney and Bryan Mbeumo, through suspension and injury – but I still think they will find a way to win.”
Wolves need psychological boost of an away win
We all know that Wolves are strong at home these days, but O’Neil really needs to start picking up points more consistently on the road if he is to take this Wolves side to the next level.
For whatever reason, Wanderers really seem to struggle going to other grounds, and this has been an issue long before O’Neil came in.
Obviously it is always easier to play at home, but in some away games Wolves are just nowhere near the required level.
But tonight there is a chance of a good result, with Brentford in poor form and missing key players. If Wolves can take three points, then that would do wonders from a psychological standpoint.