Brentfordvs.Sheff Weds

The Bees seek a place in the quarter-finals after Saturday's mesmerising 4-3 Premier League triumph over Ipswich Town, while their Championship counterparts earned their own one-goal triumph away to Portsmouth at the weekend.

Match preview

Death, taxes, and goal-laden extravaganzas at the Gtech Community Stadium. A couple of weeks on from sharing an extraordinary eight goals at home with Wolverhampton Wanderers, Brentford served up an equally unforgettable spectacle with Ipswich on October 26.

From 2-0 down to 3-2 up, Thomas Frank's side were ostensibly resigned to picking up just one point when super sub Liam Delap sent the away end into bedlam, only for Bryan Mbeumo's cross from the right to evade everyone - including Ipswich goalkeeper Arijanet Muric - and cap off an unbelievable victory for the buzzing Bees.

While Brentford's backline did not earn many plaudits, two-goal Mbeumo - who only trails Erling Haaland in the Premier League's Golden Boot race - and fellow brace-scorer Yoane Wissa continued to prove that the Bees' attack remains prolifically potent in the post-Ivan Toney era.

Frank's side coincidentally also had to come from behind to make it this far in the EFL Cup, reversing a 1-0 deficit against Leyton Orient to prevail 3-1 in round three, and that success is one of five that Brentford have achieved in six home games in all competitions this term.

Furthermore, not since the 2010-11 campaign have Brentford fallen at the last-16 stage of the EFL Cup, with that defeat coming on penalties against Birmingham City, who memorably went on to conquer the competition that year - promising omens for Sheffield Wednesday if they can spring a surprise here.

Tuesday's trip to West London represents a fourth straight away day for Sheffield Wednesday in the EFL Cup, but they have had no problem coming up trumps on enemy territory so far, rocking up to all of Hull City, Grimsby Town and Blackpool and emerging victorious each time.

The latter contest saw Di'Shon Bernard strike the only goal of the game in the first half as the Owls made it past the third round of the EFL Cup for the first time since the 2015-16 campaign, where their journey ended at the hands of Stoke City in the quarter-finals.

Winners of the tournament all the way back in 1991 - where Manchester United were their victims in the final - Sheffield Wednesday harnessed their own comeback powers at Fratton Park on Saturday, as Danny Rohl masterminded a 2-1 turnaround triumph over Portsmouth to leave the Owls in comfortable mid-table obscurity.

Including their trio of EFL Cup wins, Sheffield Wednesday already have a stellar five away victories to their name this season - also besting Coventry City 2-1 before the October international break - but the head-to-head history books do not favour the visitors.

Indeed, Brentford won each of their final three Championship clashes between March 2020 and February 2021 before joining England's elite, and Sheffield Wednesday have not beaten the Bees away from home since 2015, when the hosts were still housed at Griffin Park.

Brentford EFL Cup form:

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Brentford form (all competitions):

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Sheffield Wednesday EFL Cup form:

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Sheffield Wednesday form (all competitions):

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Team News

Brentford's astonishing beating of Ipswich saw Mathias Jensen make his return from a calf injury off the bench for the final 20 minutes, but Kristoffer Ajer missed out with a foot problem and is not expected to be risked here either.

Long-term quintet Igor Thiago (knee), Aaron Hickey (thigh), Gustavo Nunes (back), Josh Dasilva (knee) and Rico Henry (knee) remain on the treatment table too, but there is hope that the latter will finally make his long-awaited return at some point next month.

Deadly double act Mbeumo and Wissa should be given a night off after their heroic exploits at the weekend, allowing the likes of Kevin Schade and Fabio Carvalho - whose creative thunder has been stolen by Mikkel Damsgaard in recent weeks - to strut their stuff up front.

As for Sheffield Wednesday, their hard-fought win over Portsmouth came at a bit of a cost, as centre-back Akin Famewo left the field in the first half with a muscular problem and is believed to be facing weeks on the sidelines.

Rohl also delivered another piece of negative injury news after the game, revealing that summer signing Olaf Kobacki - who was not in the squad for the trip to Fratton Park - may spend up to two months out recovering from his own muscular concern.

Nathaniel Chalobah (muscle) and Ben Hamer (finger) are also out of contention for Tuesday's visitors, who must make do without right-back Pol Valentin due to a yellow-card ban too.

Brentford possible starting lineup:

Valdimarsson; Roerslev, Mee, Van den Berg, Meghoma; Jensen, Konak, Trevitt; Carvalho, Schade, Yarmolyuk

Sheffield Wednesday possible starting lineup:

Charles; Palmer, Bernard, Iorfa; Valery, Bannan, Charles, M. Lowe; Musaba, Windass; Smith

We say: Brentford 3-1 Sheffield Wednesday

Any goalkeeper stepping foot onto the Gtech Community Stadium turf should not expect to keep a clean sheet, and that should be the case once again on Tuesday if Brentford's lack of defensive discipline is anything to go by.

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