FA Cup: Brentford vs Wolverhampton betting preview

We’re into the third round of the FA Cup as of Friday and at Gtech Community Stadium, two Premier League sides will meet as the Brentford Bees play host to the Wolverhampton Wanderers. The kick-off is scheduled for 2:15 PM EST. The top-flight teams have had byes until this point in the competition. Brentford is coming off a 3-1 defeat against Crystal Palace and will be motivated for a bounce-back performance here. Wolves meanwhile just beat Everton 3-0 over the weekend actually hammered the Bees 4-1 last week which means they will have fond memories of this clash. Below, find the preview and injury news.

Brentford

Brentford isn’t exactly having a phenomenal campaign, sitting in 16th place in the Premier League table. They’re only three points above the safety zone at the moment and have hit a brutal spell of form, losing five games in a row to Brighton, Sheffield, Aston Villa, Wolves, and Palace. During that span, the Bees have netted a mere four times and conceded 12 goals. Not ideal.

Thomas Frank’s men did take the lead early last weekend through Keane Lewis-Potter, but it didn’t last long. Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze ended up scoring in the first half before the Eagles added another in the second period. Brentford controlled 54% of the ball but continued to struggle in the final third and looked very vulnerable at the back.

When it comes to the FA Cup, the Bees lost in the third round last season to West Ham and haven’t made it past the fifth round more than once, progressing to the quarterfinals back in the late 1940s. In other words, they don’t have a lot of success in the FA Cup, and given their recent play, it’s hard to believe in the hosts producing much of a result come Friday. They sit at +130 odds for this fixture at 888sport.

Wolves

Wolverhampton is doing a bit better than Brentford, occupying 11th spot in the standings. They’re actually just six points off a European spot. And unlike their FA Cup opponents, Wolves are in top form right now. The side is 3-1-1 in their previous five outings. In fact, Wolves are enjoying a three-game unbeaten streak, notching an impressive win over Chelsea before hammering Brentford and Everton. 

Gary O’Neil’s squad absolutely ripped through the Toffees last Saturday. Max Kilman, Matheus Cunha, and Craig Dawson all hit the back of the net in the victory. Defensively, Wolves were solid as can be. Everton didn’t register a single shot on target. Leading the way up top for this group is Hee-Chan Hwang, who has 10 goals and three assists to his name. However, he just went off to the Asian Cup, which means Wolves won’t have their talisman on Friday.

Wolves have had some success in the FA Cup, winning the competition four times before. But, that was a long time ago. In recent years, the club has typically bowed out in the third or fourth round. Last season, Wolves exited in the third round against Liverpool. The visitors are a slim underdog here at most soccer betting sites.

Injury news

Brentford is without a plethora of key players including Bryan Mbuemo, Rico Henry, Ivan Toney, and Josh Dasilva, among others. Ben Mee is also still serving a suspension. As for Wolves, they’re without Hee-Chan as previously mentioned, which is a big blow. But, the visitors aren’t missing too many others.