Brentford to struggle against high flying Wolves
Bruno Lage's side are looking to continue their impressive run of form that's seen them make an unlikely push for the European places in the Premier League. Their hosts are coming off of a 3-1 home defeat to Manchester United on Wednesday and will be determined to bounce back after a run of three losses on the spin.
Brentford failing to turn dominance into points
The match against Man United should be one that Brentford can take some confidence from. However, a second half onslaught from United ensured that there were no slip ups for Ralf Ragnick's men as they rattled home three goals in quick succession. While an Ivan Toney tap in retrieved some salvation from this game, Brentford once again succumbed to a loss in a game where they dominated the first half.
Unfortunately for the Bees, their best chances fell to Mathias Jensen. While he's a great player, finishing isn't exactly his forte, with his two big chances being scuffed into David De Gea's grateful clutches. This has been the story of their season, with poor finishing being largely their downfall in games where they've had the majority of the chances. Also, shipping ten goals in the last three games shows that they aren't defensively resilient enough to see out games that they don't score in. With just one clean sheet in their last 10 Premier League outings, they'll have to go back to trying to outscore teams, especially if they're to get anything from this tough fixture against Wolves at the Brentford Community Stadium.
Wolves keeping pace with the top six
It's been a brilliant campaign so far for Bruno Lage and his side. They sit 8th in the league and aren't too far from the European spots, holding a game in hand over Man United who sit just one place above them. Their win at home to Southampton was somewhat overshadowed by the visitors only goal coming from one of the most unbelievable free-kicks of the season. James Ward-Prowse hit a thunderbolt from some 30-yards to give the Saints some hope, but Wolves saw out a professional victory to help their push towards Europe. Conor Coady bagged his first every goal at Molineux, and a Jimenez penalty alongside a last minute Adama Traore goal to seal the deal for Lage's side showed the variety of where Wolves get their goals from.
While they haven't scored a tonne of goals this season, and have relied heavily on defensive resilience to see them through a number of games, it's a system that's worked for them. They play to their defensive strengths, and the aforementioned Coady has been the cornerstone of this side. The continuing rumours that Adama could be on his way out of Molineux and on his way to North London to sign for spurs should be a worry for Lage. He's been an experiment that hasn't fully panned out, but still offers a vital outlet, often at times from off the bench this season. But with their recruitment having been excellent in recent years, there's little doubt Wolves will already be eyeing up a replacement.
The Verdict
Wolves have been in fine fettle in this campaign, and travelling to a struggling Brentford side still won't be a routine victory. However, I think they have the form and the talent to see out a win on Saturday. That's why I'm going with a Wolves win with Betway.
