Overview
Dango Ouattara's failed Panenka shot caused Brentford to stop in the FA Cup against West Ham, forcing the London team to focus all their strength on the race to win a European Cup spot in the Premier League.
When Panenka-style penalty kicks are successful, the performer is often praised for being bold and cold. But when they fail, it is an inevitable moment of responsibility - like Ouattara's case in the match at the London Stadium.
Brentford and West Ham created a dramatic 2-2 draw after 120 minutes in the 5th round of the FA Cup. However, in the decisive penalty shootout, goalkeeper Alphonse Areola stood still and easily caught Ouattara's weak Panenka shot, thereby sending Brentford out of the tournament.
On the other side, goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher could not stop any shots from West Ham, officially closing Brentford's FA Cup journey.
After this defeat, Brentford is forced to focus entirely on their goal in the Premier League, where they are competing for a European cup spot.
Coach Keith Andrews' team entered round 30 with seventh place in the standings. However, their recent form is not really stable when they have only won one of their last 4 matches in the Premier League.
In the previous round, Brentford drew 0-0 with Bournemouth in a match where they did not score. Home record at Gtech Community is also not very positive when Brentford has not won in the last 3 home matches in the Premier League, even being goalless in 2 matches.
On the opposite side, Wolves also understand the disappointment of being eliminated in the FA Cup. Coach Rob Edwards' team just lost 1-3 to Arne Slot's Liverpool in the 5th round of the FA Cup.
That defeat ended Wolves' hopes of winning their third consecutive victory in all competitions. However, in the Premier League, Wolves still have a chance to stay in the league. Two consecutive victories against Aston Villa and Liverpool help them nurture hopes of escaping the bottom group.
However, the situation is still very difficult as the gap between Wolves and 17th-placed Nottingham Forest is currently up to 12 points. Edwards is also cautious when talking about the team's ability to escape danger, especially when Wolves have not won any away matches in the Premier League this season - losing 10 and drawing 4 after 14 away games.
Even, Wolves have not scored any goals in their last 3 away matches in the league.
In their most recent meeting in December, Brentford defeated Wolves 2-0 at Molineux, thereby extending Wolves' winless streak against the London team to four.
Personnel situation
Regarding the force situation, Brentford has almost no change compared to the most recent match. A rare bright spot is Reiss Nelson's ability to return as he is recovering from a calf injury.
Meanwhile, Rico Henry and Aaron Hickey (brother injury) and Vitaly Janelt (ankle) are still unable to return before the international break.
Long-term injuries such as Antoni Milambo, Fabio Carvalho and Josh Dasilva still need a few more months to fully recover.
On the other side, Wolves hopes that number one goalkeeper Jose Sa will recover from his ankle injury in time to play. If that happens, Sam Johnstone's short time in goal may be over.
Wolves' midfield was also strengthened when Andre returned after a FA Cup suspension for accumulating enough yellow cards in the match against Liverpool.
Expected lineup:
Kelleher, Kayode, Collins, Van den Berg, Lewis-Potter, Jensen, Henderson, Ouattara, Damsgaard, Schade, Thiago.
Sa, Doherty, Bueno, Krejci, Tchatchoua, Andre, J. Gomes, Mane, R. Gomes, Hwang, Arokodare.
The match between Brentford and Wolves takes place at 3:00 AM on March 17 (Vietnam time).
