Will Brentford qualify for European competition for the first time?
Actually, breaks are rarely scheduled for teams in the English top flight in the middle of a season. It’s no coincidence that the term “English week” has become established to describe a stretch with three matches in a single week. This makes the visitors’ 25-day break following our Brentford vs. Wolverhampton tip all the more unusual.
Various factors have contributed to this break in play: rescheduled matches, elimination from all cup competitions, and an upcoming international break. Accordingly, we expect maximum intensity from the bottom-of-the-table side in the Brentford vs. Wolverhampton prediction.
Relegation to the Championship, where the West Midlands club last played in 2018, is almost inevitable. Nevertheless, Rob Edwards’s charges are putting up an impressive fight, recently giving several top clubs a run for their money and securing wins against Aston Villa (2-0) and Liverpool (2-1), among others.
However, this winning streak hasn’t lifted them from their underdog status in the Brentford vs. Wolverhampton betting odds. The top bookmakers are offering no more than 1.60 odds for a home win by the Bees. A victory would bring Keith Andrews and his club almost level with Chelsea.
Despite the club’s long history, the fans of the seventh-place team have never had a taste of European competition. As things stand, the odds aren’t bad—especially if top striker Igor Thiago (18 goals this season) continues to score at the same level as he has so far this season.
The Bees often force chaotic games. They are well-prepared for this and generally maintain their composure despite fluctuating game situations. This quality will help in the clash against the bottom-of-the-table team.
Brentford – Wolverhampton Head-to-Head Record
The Bees haven’t lost any of their last four matches against the Wolves. Brentford won the first-leg clash 2-0 at Molineux Stadium. The game was scoreless at halftime before Keane-Lewis Potter scored a brace to secure the victory for his team.
In a turbulent Premier League season that’s testing the nerves of many fans, Brentford is one of the most consistent teams—the Bees have suffered no more than two consecutive losses. They follow clear game plans, push the match to the limit with predictable goals, and come out on top quite often.
Brentford – Wolverhampton Prediction
The home side has scored 98 percent of their goals this season (43 out of 44) from inside the opponent’s penalty area – the highest percentage among all English Premier League teams. On the other side, only Arsenal allowed a lower percentage of opponent shots from inside the penalty area (63.09 percent) than the seventh-place team (63.74 percent).
Additionally, no team in the league has conceded fewer set-piece goals than Brentford (5), and 7.31 expected set-piece goals conceded is also a top-3 figure. Up front, however, luck has often been lacking from set pieces (8 set-piece goals) – yet the home side is the third-best Premier League team in terms of expected set-piece goals (13.24 set-piece xG).
Andrews’s side forces fast, physical games and is focused on generating high xG values themselves – they therefore wait patiently for the right scoring opportunity. Only three teams across the league have taken fewer shots than the hosts (304) heading into this matchday. That could make for a tough matchup against Wolverhampton—after all, Rob Edwards’s side has conceded just seven goals in their previous six league games.
