Brentford face Sunderland in the Carabao Cup Round of 16 on Wednesday night, with a place in the quarter-finals at stake. The match kicks off at 7.45pm GMT at the Stadium of Light.
Thomas Frank’s side enter the tie in strong form, sitting sixth in the Premier League with 11 points from eight games, having recorded two wins and five draws so far. They are unbeaten in three of their last five matches across all competitions, including a 1-1 draw at Hull City last Saturday. Dango Ouattara scored the equaliser in that game, assisted by Igor Thiago, after Oliver McBurnie had given Hull the lead from the penalty spot.
Recent form
Brentford’s recent results show two wins, two draws and one defeat from their last five outings. This sequence includes the draw at Hull City on 25 October, a 1-2 home defeat to Liverpool on 17 October, a 2-2 draw at Aston Villa on 10 October, a 3-0 win over Chelsea on 18 September, and a 2-1 win at Reading on 15 September. They have scored 14 goals in the league this season while conceding nine, giving them a positive goal difference of five. Schade is their top scorer this season with three goals in eight appearances. Their cup run has seen them dispatch Birmingham City 6-1 and Reading 2-1 to reach this stage.
Sunderland, managed by Régis Le Bris, have had a patchier run with two wins and three defeats in their last five. They sit in the lower half of the Premier League and have kept a clean sheet in only 14% of their fixtures this term. Their last outing was a 0-0 draw with Leeds United.
Head-to-head
The two sides last met in the Premier League on 5 September, playing out a 1-1 draw at the Gtech Community Stadium. That result extended a competitive recent history between the clubs.
Phil Smith, previewing the tie, noted the changes since that encounter. "It’s been just under two months since the last meeting between Brentford and Sunderland at Gtech Community Stadium," he said.
Brentford will be looking to their attacking output, which averages close to two goals per match, to overcome a Sunderland defence that has conceded regularly. The Bees also have a 33% clean sheet rate this season. Victory would secure a Europa Conference League spot for the quarter-final stage.
After this cup tie, Brentford’s attention returns to the Premier League and a home fixture against Nottingham Forest on Saturday 31 October. Forest currently occupy 18th place in the standings. In the league, Brentford are ten points behind the leaders Manchester City.
The winner of Wednesday’s match will progress to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals, with the draw to follow later in the week.
