There is one match left to conclude the Championship weekend and it comes from the capital where Brentford will be aiming to reach the summit of the table once again when they go up against a talented Barnsley outfit.
This would have been a very good encounter to watch on the TV but sadly we don’t get that opportunity as it is only taking place on the Sunday due to Barnsley being involved in the FA Cup on Thursday night.
Brentford
This is clearly a big few months for Brentford. Whether you subscribe to the fact that they bottled promotion last season or just came up short, they are clearly going to be posed the same questions this term and it will be interesting to see whether they have the answers for them this time. At this point in time they are looking as awesome as they were this time last year, but things will only intensify from here on in you would think.
Brentford are the highest scorers in the Championship by a country mile and while they are not as strong defensively as they were last season, we saw with the likes of Leeds United and Fulham that goals are the commodity that get you promoted. In terms of style and technical ability there is no doubt in my mind that Brentford set the standard in this division, but that doesn’t necessarily equate to success. They will need to make sure it does.
Barnsley
This has already been a much better season for Barnsley than last term, although that was always likely to be the case for a couple of reasons. Firstly they only stayed up on the last day of last term and secondly they have a better squad overall this time round. They will have good memories of this fixture as it was this one which they won last season to secure their Championship status, albeit at Griffin Park rather than the new ground.
Barnsley were in excellent form around Christmas time but with added matches due to cup games and heavy pitches they have just started to come up a little short in recent times and they head into this one without a win in five in the league, albeit they have drawn their last two. The other thing that is not likely to do them any favours is they were chasing Chelsea around on a heavy pitch in appalling conditions on Thursday night.
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Team News
Bryan Mbuemo returned for the Bees at the Madejski Stadium on Wednesday night and he is expected to remain in the side here although Thomas Frank could call upon Saman Ghoddos should he so wish to.
Barnsley boss Valerien Ismael will need to assess the fitness of his squad given the shorter turnaround here. Daryl Dike came off the bench against Chelsea and could be given a longer role here. Michael Sollbauer is another waiting in the wings.
Betting
This would be a tough ask for Barnsley on an even playing field but the day less recovery time for the clash makes me think that the cards are stacked against the Tykes in this one. Barnsley pulled off the miracle escape in this fixture last season and they’ll take heart from it but Brentford were tanking at that point and they certainly aren’t doing that at the minute. Actually they look to be improving with every performance which is a bit of a worry for the rest.
Brentford haven’t lost in the league in some 21 matches and after a bit of a stick start where they had only won three of their first eight, with a hangover from the Wembley defeat very much in play there, they have now won eight of their last nine and are truly surging. They have scored 17 goals in their last four wins and look to be finding a groove at both ends of the pitch. I saw with my own eyes what damage this Brentford outfit can do to a tired side last season and if they Bees get ahead early this could get messy fast. For all Barnsley have improved this term, they haven’t scored a goal in four outings against the top three. Even if they score here I think they go down comfortably.
Tips
Back Brentford (-0.75AH) to beat Barnsley for a 3/10 stake at 1.83 with Bet365
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