Real Madrid 1-1 Osasuna: Bellingham Sent Off as Real Madrid Fails to Win
Real Madrid failed to win against Osasuna, despite Kylian Mbappe's 15th-minute goal and Ante Budimir
26 December 2023
Brentford, who have experienced three straight defeats, take on Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League on Wednesday night. This game was played after last week's Christmas holiday, and Brentford had seven days to prepare; Wolverhampton Wanderers won their last match on December 24 against Chelsea.
With Manchester City taking part in the Club World Cup, Brentford have had 10 days to reflect on their 2-1 defeat by Aston Villa on December 10. The loss extended their losing streak in the Premier League to three matches, which is their worst form since April.
At the Gtech stadium Keane Lewis-Potter, a former Hull City player, who had scored his first goal of the season. But the second-half red card for Ben Mee altered the course of play, as Aston Villa scored late goals from Alex Moreno and Ollie Watkins, who celebrated wildly against his former makers.
Brentford has lost five of their last six Premier League matches. The fans are worried, and they begin to look at the relegation zone. As the New Year approaches, Luton Town are in 18th place but just seven points behind Brentford.
Without last year's leading scorer, Ivan Toney, there is more responsibility on Bryan Mbeumo, who has already bagged seven league goals. No other Brentford player has scored as many as three thus far.
Buck Up Brentford Facing Aston Villa and Arsenal at home in the past month was always going to be tough, but 3-1 over Hatters on December 2 showed that Brents are more than capable of winning at the Gtech. Shandon Baptiste scored his second Premier League goal which also moved him into joint top spot for goals by substitutes.
At Molineux, Wolves again demonstrated their ability to come through in the big games, even when matches are sometimes played on Christmas Eve. They handed Chelsea their 19th defeat of the year, added to the pressure on Chelsea's coach Mauricio Pochettino.
In the early stages of the game, Chelsea were in charge and Wolves just held on. Luckless substitutes Raheem Sterling and Nicolas Jackson exploited some dubious attacking by both sides. But in the second half, Wolves hit back. Mario Lemina and substitute Matt Doherty struck the decisive blows for Chris Hughton's side.
This year, Wolves have thrashed the likes of Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and now Chelsea at home. This success goes against pre-season predictions that they would struggle after former coach Julen Lopetegui left just before the season started.
The Wolves victory on Christmas Eve means they now have the same points as Chelsea. As the season enters its second half, they enjoy a comfortable 10-point advantage over 18th-placed Luton and are only seven points behind seventh placed Newcastle United.
During this busy festive schedule, wolves have to raise their game in away matches. They suffered a 3-0 defeat by West Ham United on December 17, and currently are on a four-game losing streak in away matches. And it was Mohamed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen who stood out the most that day.
After being shown a red card for his dangerous tackle on Leon Bailey of Aston Villa, Mee won't feature for Brentford in the next three matches. This means coach Frank will have to find another defensive partner for Ethan Pinnock. But there is some good news: Danish midfielder Mathias Jensen is fully recovered from the groin injury that has kept him out for a month.
Nathan Collins, once of Wolves, will likely come up against his former team following recovery from ankle injuries and a substitute appearance in the last game at Aston Villa.
With Toney suspended and Mbeumo suffering an ankle injury, Brentford's attacking resources are depleted. Likely to play as part of a two-man forward line, Neal Maupay looks set for a reunion with Yoane Wissa.
Brentford is also facing a dearth of options at wing-back because of injuries to Rico Henry and Aaron Hickey, with then sidelined for the rest of the season due to a knee injury.
Deep cut: Expect Craig Dawson to be back in the mix For Wolves, defender Craig Dawson is expected to recover from a deep cut to his knee following the game against Chelsea.
Despite recent success against Chelsea, Coach O'Neil will probably change the line-up. Wing-back Rayan Ait Nouri could be rested because of fatigue.
The return of Portuguese playmaker Pedro Neto, who missed the past two months with a hamstring strain, is good news for Wolves.
Several players--Boubacar Traore, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Fabio Silva to name a few--were forced out of the last game by the sickness bug. O'Neil is however hopeful that some at least will be fit for Saturday's clash with Brentford.
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