One of only two all-Premier League FA Cup third-round replays takes place at Molineux on Tuesday evening, as Wolverhampton Wanderers renew hostilities with Brentford.
Gary O'Neil's side held out for a 1-1 draw at the Gtech Community Stadium on January 5, despite playing over 80 minutes of the contest with a numerical disadvantage.
Match preview
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The taxing trip to West London was seemingly destined to have been a rather pointless affair for the Wolves contingent two Fridays ago, as in a calamitous first half against Brentford, Joao Gomes was given his marching orders nine minutes in before Neal Maupay propelled the Bees into a late lead.
However, whatever choice words O'Neil had during the half-time break for his 10 men went down a treat, as Brentford failed to make their extra player count and succumbed to a 64th-minute equaliser from Tommy Doyle, set up by none other than proficient playmaker Pedro Neto.
Thanks in no small part to the Portuguese's eighth assist of the season - only Bukayo Saka (11) and James Ward-Prowse (10) boast more among Premier League players in all competitions this term - Wolves have the chance to right a few wrongs this week, having taken Liverpool to a replay in the 2022-23 third round only to suffer defeat in the return match.
Since the start of the 2017-18 campaign, O'Neil's troops have also bowed out to Swansea City and Manchester United in identical circumstances, but during their time as a top-division club, it has been 49 years since the hosts were eliminated from the third round in back-to-back campaigns.
Doyle's equaliser also ensured that Wolves' unbeaten run would stretch to four matches across all competitions, and none of their last eight matches at Molineux has ended in defeat - a 3-0 beating of Everton on December 30 marked their fourth win from five on familiar territory.
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From a Brentford perspective, playing out a low-scoring stalemate with Wolves at least represents an improvement on their 4-1 home drubbing at the hands of O'Neil's troops in late December, but the sense of frustration around the Gtech Community Stadium was palpable nonetheless.
A dispirited Frank insisted that his charges only had themselves to blame for their failure to get the job done at the first time of asking, but there was another small positive aspect of their draw in the capital; their five-game losing run did not become a sickening six-game streak of successive defeats.
As is the case with Wolves, the Bees also head to Molineux with the aim of avoiding successive third-round exits - West Ham United condemned them to a premature elimination this time last year - although that represents their only defeat at this stage in the past five editions.
However, not since overcoming Sunderland in the 2005-06 season - when the Bees were plying their trade in League One - have they sent a Premier League team packing in the FA Cup, although from their last two third-round replays against Walsall (1988-89) and Southend United (2012-13), Brentford have prevailed in both of them.
Whether such positive and negative historical omens have a significant bearing on Tuesday's result remains to be seen, but Brentford were beaten 2-0 at Molineux in an April 2023 Premier League fixture, offering the home faithful hope of a hitherto unexpected fourth-round trip to near neighbours West Bromwich Albion.
Team News
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Having been ejected from the field for an early rash challenge on Brentford's Christian Norgaard, Wolves fulcrum Gomes begins a three-game ban this week, and O'Neil's midfield options are also depleted by the absence of Mario Lemina for personal reasons.
Boubacar Traore, Rayan Ait-Nouri and effervescent striker Hwang Hee-chan are also away with their national teams for a number of weeks, while Jonny remains out of the first-team picture due to a training-ground incident, and the issues which kept Craig Dawson (knee) and Hugo Bueno (knock) out of the initial draw will need a closer look at in the coming hours.
Jose Sa will continue to guard the posts while Daniel Bentley is on the way back from an unspecified operation, and unless O'Neil sees fit to deploy Joe Hodge in place of Gomes, Neto could be reintroduced into the XI as Jean-Ricner Bellegarde drops deeper.
The Gomes challenge on Norgaard which warranted a red card also forced the Brentford captain to call it a night in the 11th minute of the match, although Frank was none the wiser about the severity of his ankle problem immediately after the match.
The Bees' list of guaranteed absentees refuses to shorten, though, as all of Rico Henry (knee), Bryan Mbeumo (ankle), Aaron Hickey (thigh), Kevin Schade (groin) and Kristoffer Ajer (ankle) are unavailable, as are Africa Cup of Nations trio Yoane Wissa, Frank Onyeka and Saman Ghoddos.
Ben Mee and Ivan Toney are also serving their respective suspensions - the latter's ban runs its course one day after the replay - and Frank will likely call upon the returning Vitaly Janelt to fill the Norgaard void.
Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Sa; Kilman, Toti, S. Bueno; Semedo, Doyle, Bellegarde, Doherty; Sarabia, Cunha, Neto
Brentford possible starting lineup:
Flekken; Zanka, Collins, Pinnock; Roerslev, Jensen, Janelt, Dasilva, Lewis-Potter; Yarmolyuk; Maupay
We say: Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 Brentford
Injuries, suspensions and international absentees will hit both sides hard ahead of Tuesday's replay, and despite Frank's rallying call for a greater cutting edge in attack, his pleas may fall on deaf ears.
A penny for Toney's thoughts as he helplessly watches on one day before his eight-month suspension comes to an end, but with Wolves often proving too tough to break down at Molineux, O'Neil's side are our favourites to advance to round four.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
