Brentford will host Sheffield Wednesday in the EFL Cup round of 16 on Tuesday at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Brentford picked up a last-gasp win over Ipswich Town this past weekend, and that will have given them a major confidence boost heading into the game against Sheffield Wednesday in the EFL Cup round of 16 on Tuesday.
On paper, the Bees are the better team, and they will be expected to grind out of victory. Brentford have done well against Sheffield Wednesday in the past, and they will look to extend their fine run of form against their midweek opposition.
Meanwhile, Sheffield Wednesday are coming into this game on the back of a win over Portsmouth on Friday night. They are currently unbeaten in three matches, and it will be interesting to see if they can pull off an upset here.
The hosts cannot afford to be complacent, and they will have to be thoroughly professional if they want to grind out a positive result. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Brentford
Brentford will be without Joshua Dasilva due to a knee injury, Gustavo Nunes due to a back injury, Rico Henry due to a knee injury, Aaron Hickey due to a thigh injury, and Igor Thiago because of a knee injury.
The home side will shape up in a 4-3-3 formation, with Mark Flekken in goal. Mads Roerslev and Kristoffer Ajer will be deployed as the full-backs here. They will look to help out at both ends of the pitch. Nathan Collins will start at the heart of the defence alongside Ethan Pinnock.
Vitaly Janelt will start as the defensive midfielder alongside Christian Norgaard and Mikkel Damsgaard in the middle of the park. Janelt and Norgaard will look to provide defensive cover and win the ball back for their side. Damsgaard will add creativity from the midfield. Kevin Schade will lead the line for Brentford, with Bryan Mbeumo and Keane Lewis-Potter on either side of him.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Flekken; Roerslev, Collins, Pinnock, Ajer; Norgaard, Janelt, Damsgaard; Mbeumo, Schade, Lewis-Potter
Sheffield Wednesday
The visitors will be without the services of Akin Famewo, Nathaniel Chalobah, Olaf Kobacki and Ben Hamer due to injuries. Pol Valentin misses out with a suspension.
They will shape up in a 3-4-2-1 formation with Pierce Charles in goal.
In the back, Liam Palmer will start alongside Di Shon Bernard and Dominic Iorfa.
Yan Valery and Max Lowe will start as the wingbacks, and they will look to keep things compact defensively and hit Brentford on the counter.
Barry Bannan and Shea Charles will start in central midfield. They will look to protect the side defensively and add drive to the midfield as well.
Anthony Musaba and Josh Windass will start in the attacking midfield roles, and they will look to create goalscoring opportunities for their teammates and link up with Michael Smith in the attack.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Charles; Palmer, Bernard, Iorfa; Valery, Bannan, S. Charles, Lowe; Musaba, Windass; Smith
Key Stats
- Brentford have kept a clean sheet in their last four home matches against Sheffield Wednesday in all competitions.
- Brentford have won their last four home matches against Sheffield Wednesday in all competitions.
- 18 goals have been scored in the last six meetings between these two teams.
- Both teams have picked up three wins from the last six matches in all competitions.
Player to Watch
Bryan Mbeumo
The Brentford attacker could cause all sorts of problems for a vulnerable Sheffield Wednesday defence. He will add pace, flair and goals in the final third. Mbeumo could open up the away defence with his creativity and link-up play. He is our key player to watch out for, and Brentford will depend on him to create openings in the final third.
Prediction
Brentford 2-1 Sheffield Wednesday
This is likely to be a close contest, and it will be difficult to separate the two teams. Sheffield Wednesday are on a winning run, and they will look to pull off an upset here. The Owls will look to make life difficult for the Premier League side, but Brentford have enough quality in the final third to grind out a result.
The home team will have to work hard in order to get a positive outcome here. A narrow win for the Bees is on the cards here. The Hard Tackle predicts Thomas Frank and his charges to reach the quarter-finals with a 2-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday.