MY ACCOUNT
– At least four goals have been scored in four of Brentford’s nine PL home games this season
– West Ham’s last two away games saw four goals registered each time
– Recommended Bet: Over 3.5 goals in the game
Eight days on from their Premier League victory at London Stadium, Brentford host West Ham in the FA Cup third round.
The Bees are buzzing after they backed up that 2-0 victory over the Hammers with another against Liverpool at Brentford Community Stadium last Monday.
Thomas Frank’s men now turn their attention to the FA Cup and a return clash with the struggling Hammers.
David Moyes’ side fought out a 2-2 draw with Leeds at Elland Road on Wednesday night, but remain dangerously close to the relegation zone.
The Scotsman was taunted with chants of ‘You’re getting sacked in the morning’ by Bees fans a week ago and may not have enough credit in the bank to survive an early cup exit.
Team news
Frank is hoping to have Ivan Toney available again after his top scorer missed the Bees’ win over Liverpool due to a minor knee issue.
Josh Dasilva is likely to step up from the substitute’s bench to add some freshness in midfield, but Yoane Wissa could keep his slot in attack.
Goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha, who has complained about a lack of opportunities, could be afforded a rare outing between the posts in place of first-choice star David Raya.
For the Hammers, who have had a shorter turnaround between matches, changes are to be expected.
Alphonse Areola is set to replace Lukasz Fabianski in goal while Ben Johnson or Aaron Cresswell could come in for Vladimir Coufal after the defender sustained a knee injury at Leeds.
Michail Antonio has played less than an hour of football since Boxing Day as he has been dealing with a stomach bug.
He looks set to give Gianluca Scamacca a break up front though, with Kurt Zouma (knee) and Maxwel Cornet (calf) the visitors’ only other injury concerns at this moment in time.
Moroccan World Cup star Nayef Aguerd, who made his first Premier League start at Elland Road, could continue alongside Craig Dawson in central defence with Angelo Ogbonna also an option to return.
The stats
Brentford knocked the Hammers out of the FA Cup after a replay in their only previous meeting in the competition back in 1927.
The Bees have not beaten top-flight opposition in the FA Cup since a 2-1 fourth-round victory over Sunderland at Griffin Park in January 2006.
Last Friday’s Premier League win over West Ham was Brentford’s first successful outing in their last seven London derbies.
Frank’s side still have a better points-per-game ratio (1.5) from top-flight derbies than the Hammers (1.19) since the start of the Premier League era.
Prediction
All the ingredients are here for a rip-roaring cup tie with Brentford’s fans anticipating something similar to the performance they produced against Liverpool.
A first-half like that may be hard to replicate, but West Ham have been very slow starters this season and only avoided going in a goal down at the break on Wednesday when they were awarded a 45th-minute penalty following a VAR check.
Moyes has tinkered with the balance of his midfield and it appears to have made them more vulnerable to teams — like Brentford — that can counter quickly.
This could make for an open game and one in which over 3.5 goals are scored, which is available to back at 5/2 with LiveScore Bet.
At least four goals have been scored in four of the Bees’ nine home games against Premier League opposition this term, including the last two, while exactly four have been registered in each of the Hammers’ last two away league contests.
