Latics take on Premier League newcomers Brentford in the third round of the Carabao Cup tonight (7:45pm KO).
Last time out, 'the boys in blue' drew 0-0 with Hartlepool United at Boundary Park.
Keith Curle’s men will be looking to pull off a big upset in the Carabao Cup to reach the next (4th) round of the competition.
Form Guide
The Bees have made a solid start to life in the top-flight and can boast two wins in the league, whilst only suffering defeat once so far.
They were impressive on their Premier League bow, overcoming Arsenal 2-0 and they secured their second league win last time out at Molineux by the same scoreline.
This leaves them in an impressive ninth place in the Premier League and Thomas Frank’s side have certainly looked like they belong at the top level.
The Bees’ Last Six:
- Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-2 Brentford
- Brentford 0-1 Brighton and Hove Albion
- Aston Villa 1-1 Brentford
- Brentford 3-1 Forest Green Rovers (Carabao Cup)
- Crystal Palace 0-0 Brentford
- Brentford 2-0 Arsenal
Cup Run So Far
One of the perks of Premier League promotion for the Bees is that they get to enter the Carabao Cup at the second round stage rather than the first and as such have only had to win once to get to this round.
They overcame Sky Bet League Two highflyers Forest Green Rovers 3-1 at the Brentford Community Stadium.
The Premier League outfit came from a goal behind and secured their place in the next round courtesy of goals from Yoane Wissa, Bryan Mbeumo and Marcus Forss.
Latics have overcome Tranmere Rovers and Accrington Stanley to make it to this stage.
Both ties were won via a penalty shootout with Curle’s side coming from two gaols down against Rovers and successfully holding Sky Bet League One side Stanley to a goalless draw.
Head-to-Head
Meetings: 55
Latics wins: 15
Brentford wins: 21
Draws: 19
For - 76
Against - 79
The last time that Latics faced up against the Bees was March 2014.
The sides played out a goalless draw at Boundary Park in League One.
The five previous encounters were all won by Brentford, with Oldham’s last success over their opposition coming in January 2011.
Goals from Oumare Tounkara and Filipe Morais were enough to give Oldham all three points in a 2-1 win.
Watch Out For
Ivan Toney may be the Bees’ goal scoring hero so far in the Premier League, but Marcus Forss is likely to lead the line in the Carabao Cup.
The Finnish striker started and scored in Brentford’s 3-1 win over Forest Green in the last stage of the cup and he will be hoping to prove himself further when Latics come to town.
The 22-year-old’s youth career began in his home country before he came over to join the ranks at West Bromwich Albion in 2012.
He joined Brentford in 2017 and had limited first team experience in the 2018/19 season before he left to get more chances on loan at AFC Wimbledon in the 2019/20 campaign.
An impressive return of 11 in 19 showcased the young forward’s talent and as such he was a regular fixture in the Brentford side that won promotion to the Premier League, scoring eight goals in the process.
He also boasts international pedigree, having represented Finland nine times to date.
Stadium
Brentford Community Stadium
Capacity: 17,250
Opened: September 2020
Record attendance: 16,479 (v Arsenal, August 2021)
The Bees’ new stadium replaced the much popular Griffin Park, which had been their home since 1904.
In The Dugout
Thomas Frank is the man in the dugout for the hosts.
Danish manager Frank took has been Brentford boss since Dean Smith’s departure in October 2018. He had previously been assistant.
His tenure has been a huge success culminating in Brentford’s promotion to the Premier League.
He has also taken charge at Denmark national team youth sides as well as Brondby IF.
Match Officials
The man in the middle for the game is Simon Hooper.
His last fixture in charge of Latics arrived in April 2016 as we lost 2-1 away at Barnsley and he handed out zero red cards as well as five yellow cards.
He took charge of 24 games last campaign, handing out a total of 56 yellow cards and zero red cards.
Hooper will be assisted by Daniel Robathan and Robert Hyde, with Tom Nield the Fourth Official.
Sky Bet Odds
Brentford are heavy favourites to make it into the fourth round at 2/9.
Latics are 11/1 to win the tie in 90 minutes whilst the draw is 19/4.
Oldham have won both previous ties on penalties and they are 10/1 to do the same again this time around.
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How To Follow The Game
Live commentary is only available on iFollow Latics with Roy Butterworth and Michael Brown who will be talking you through the match.
Unfortunately an iFollow match pass stream isn't available in this competition.
For more information, visit the iFollow Latics page by clicking here.
Alternatively, supporters can also follow the game with live updates on the club's official Twitter account: @OfficialOAFC