Brentford return to Championship action against Luton Town on Wednesday evening now sitting nine points adrift of leaders Norwich City.
Meanwhile, the visitors have strengthened their bid for the playoffs with recent victories over Bristol City and Bournemouth, moving the club into 12th position in the standings.
Match preview
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Having witnessed his side put together a 15-match unbeaten streak in the Championship, Thomas Frank would have been frustrated when games started to be postponed due to coronavirus cases.
There is an argument that the break could be what the Bees needed after a relentless first half of the campaign, something which will only be proven over time.
Despite having two games in hand on Norwich and Swansea City, Frank and his squad have watched their biggest rivals for automatic promotion prevail in successive matches.
Brentford can throw everything towards trying to close down that gap courtesy of holding a five-point advantage over seventh-placed Middlesbrough.
Nevertheless, Frank is aware that his players may require time to get back up to speed as they bid to extend their unbeaten second-tier record to three months.
Luton make the short trip to the capital on the back of an excellent 1-0 triumph at Bournemouth, a result which would have been applauded by their next opponents.
Another game at one of the division's high-flyers is harsh on Nathan Jones's men, although it will be seen as a challenge rather than a task which should concern them.
The Hatters went into the campaign with the objective of avoiding a relegation fight, but they already sit 14 points clear of the bottom three.
Although Jones will want to ensure that complacency does not become an issue in the short term, this Luton squad can afford to play with freedom as they look to become dark horses for the playoffs.
Brentford Championship form: DWDWWW
Brentford form (all competitions): WWWWLW
Luton Town Championship form: LDLWLW
Luton Town form (all competitions): DLWWLW
Team News
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After their efforts against Bournemouth, Luton boss Jones must decide whether to stick with the same 11 players.
Tom Lockyer is in line to be fit for the Hatters after being substituted with a head injury against the Cherries.
Recent arrival Kai Naismith is likely to remain among the substitutes' bench.
Barring any late fitness issues, there should be no surprises with the Brentford XI.
With Pontus Jansson sidelined for the foreseeable future after ankle surgery, Mads Bech Sorensen will take his place in defence.
Brentford possible starting lineup:
Raya; Dalsgaard, Pinnock, Sorensen, Henry; Dasilva, Janelt, Jensen; Mbuemo, Toney, Canos
Luton Town possible starting lineup:
Sluga; Bradley, Lockyer, Rea; Bree, Berry, Dewsbury-Hall, Mpanzu, Potts; Cornick, Collins
We say: Brentford 2-0 Luton Town
While Luton will naturally be on a high after their performance at the weekend, it is difficult to look past the hosts for this game. Well-rested after the enforced break, expect the Bees to pick up where they left off at the end of 2020.
Top betting tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Brentford win with a probability of 58.46%. A draw had a probability of 24.3% and a win for Luton Town had a probability of 17.23%.
The most likely scoreline for a Brentford win was 1-0 with a probability of 14.69%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (12.12%) and 2-1 (9.32%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.28%), while for a Luton Town win it was 0-1 (6.84%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 14.7% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 1-0 win for Brentford in this match.
