Southamptonvs.Brentford

Ethan Pinnock, Kristoffer Ajer and Ben Mee are all currently sidelined with injury for the Bees, so Frank will have been glad that he was able to welcome Sepp van den Berg back from a minor setback in the clash with Arsenal on New Year's Day.

Those absentees mean Frank cannot switch to a usually favourable back three though, with inexperienced Kim Ji-soo the only other available centre-back along with starter Nathan Collins.

Pinnock, Ajer and Mee are all expected to miss most of January, so Van den Berg being forced into the centre also means that Keane Lewis-Potter may be needed to drop in at left-back more often than not.

That is because Rico Henry and Aaron Hickey both remain out with long-term injuries that Frank has not put a timeline on for either player.

One positive was the fact that goalkeeper Mark Flekken was quickly able to recover from the muscle jarring that forced him off in the draw with Brighton & Hove Albion at the end of the year, and the Dutchman started against Arsenal.

With Lewis-Potter at left-back, and Igor Thiago out with a joint infection, Mikkel Damsgaard is set to start alongside the undroppable pair of Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa in attack, even if the latter has failed to score in his last four league games.

Josh Dasilva's knee problem will keep him out for another month, but Mathias Jensen made a much-welcome return on New Year's Day, after spending over a month on the sidelines, playing the final 15 minutes in the Arsenal defeat.

Brentford possible starting lineup:

Flekken; Roerslev, Collins, Van den Berg, Lewis-Potter; Janelt, Norgaard, Jensen; Mbeumo, Wissa, Damsgaard

Written by

Andrew Delaney