AliousBrentford manager Thomas Frank faces a challenging weekend as he could be without as many as six players for the trip to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace.
Kristoffer Ajer, who has been sidelined for six weeks with an ankle injury, has returned to training and may be fit enough to make the matchday squad. However, Igor Thiago (knee) and Gustavo Nunes (back) are nearing returns but are unlikely to feature this weekend.
Longer-term injuries remain a concern, with defenders Ethan Pinnock and Aaron Hickey, midfielder Josh Dasilva, and youngster Ryan Trevitt all still unavailable for selection.
Given the limited options, Frank is expected to stick with the team that narrowly missed out on a point against Liverpool in their last outing. Mark Flekken is set to retain his place between the posts as he seeks his fourth clean sheet of the season.
Keane Lewis-Potter, who scored against Crystal Palace in a 3-1 loss at Selhurst Park last season, will likely continue in a left wing-back role. Nathan Collins, Sepp van den Berg, and Mads Roerslev are expected to form the defensive backbone.
In midfield, Yehor Yarmolyuk, Christian Norgaard, Vitaly Janelt, and Mikkel Damsgaard are all likely to start, providing a solid base for Brentford’s dual attacking threat of Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo. Both forwards will aim to break the Bees’ three-match winless streak across all competitions.
**Predicted Brentford Starting XI:**
Flekken; Lewis-Potter, Collins, van den Berg, Roerslev; Yarmolyuk, Norgaard, Janelt, Damsgaard; Wissa, Mbeumo.
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