Brentford and Wolves meet again for the second time in almost a fortnight as the two face off Gtech Community Stadium in the FA Cup.
It was only on December 27 that Gary O'Neil's side cruised to a 4-1 victory in West London. A brace from Hwang Hee-Chan and a goal from Mario Lemina gave them a two-goal lead at half-time after Yoanne Wissa's effort following a two-minute salvo reduced the deficit but Jeanricner Bellegarde ensured an emphatic victory for Wolves.
The two teams have been paired together in an all-Premier League third round FA Cup tie, to be played at the same venue. It's likely that the two XI's will look a lot different to what it was at Christmas and that rotation is to happen from both managers.
Enforced changes are in the offing as both clubs have had been affected after players were called up for international duty for the Africa Cup of Nations and the Asia Cup. The international tournaments take place from January to February, unlike UEFA EURO 2024 which is in Germany, and takes place this summer.
Pedro Neto has recently returned from injury and that's a major boost. He's got eight assists and one goal in 11 games, and could be tipped for a start against Brentford. Neto was amongst the subs against Brentford but failed to come on and then in the 3-0 win against Everton he had a 10 minute cameo.
Wolves have a clean bill of health whilst Brentford have been one of the worst affected teams when it comes to injuries this season. Here's the latest injury and team news ahead of Brentford v Wolves in the FA Cup.
1. Mario Lemina - doubt
Mario Lemina missed the win against Everton. His father sadly passed away last Friday, and his teammates dedicated the win to him, as well as wearing black armbands. Photo: David Rogers
![Gary O'Neil said on Dec 29: 'Mario has gone back to France to attend to a family issue; I don't want to speak about it too much as it's not my place. Mario didn't train today, and that's all I can say [about] it.'](https://www.thestar.co.uk/jpim-static/image/2023/12/29/0/13/GettyImages-1889445543.jpg?crop=3:2&width=800)
2. Mario Lemina - doubt
Gary O'Neil said on Dec 29: 'Mario has gone back to France to attend to a family issue; I don't want to speak about it too much as it's not my place. Mario didn't train today, and that's all I can say [about] it.'
3. Jonny Otto (Wolves) - out
The versatile defender has been separated from the first-team group following a bust-up in training. As it stands, Jonny won’t play for Wolves again.
4. Boubacar Traore - out
Representing Mali at AFCON and has reported for duty.