Brentford head coach Keith Andrews provided a squad update ahead of the Bees’ Premier League game against Sunderland on Wednesday (7.30pm kick-off GMT, live on Sky Sports).

Igor Thiago scored a hat-trick as the Bees beat Everton 4-2 last time out, while Régis Le Bris’s side drew 1-1 with Tottenham Hotspur.

“It’s been a busy period of fixtures – that’s the nature of Christmas and New Year,” said Andrews.

“We’re probably as we were. It’s pretty similar in terms of bodies and people available. There’s nothing new to report, really.”

The Bees boss was full of praise for midfielder Vitaly Janelt, who has registered three assists in his last five Premier League appearances.

“He’s been a very consistent player,” said Andrews.

“I watched him from afar and felt he was probably underrated. Those types of players, in my experience, can feel like that.

“They’re not always the shiny toys; they’re the ones who go a little bit under the radar.

“Vitaly has a habit of allowing other players to play better. He has a lot of trust from his team-mates.”

“In recent weeks he’s provided real solidity and calmness to our play, which I really like. His performance levels have been impressive.”

Josh Dasilva (knee ligament) remains sidelined, while Fábio Carvalho and Antoni Milambo will both miss the rest of the campaign due to ACL injuries.

Frank Onyeka and Dango Ouattara are also unavailable due to their involvement in the Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria and Burkina Faso, respectively.

Brentford fell to a 2-1 defeat at Sunderland in August, Wilson Isidor heading home the winner in the sixth minute of stoppage-time.

With the west Londoners currently sat seventh in the Premier League, the Bees boss expressed his satisfaction with how his side have progressed since that day at Stadium of Light.

“The team has taken big steps forward over the last few months,” he continued.

“The understanding and the connected nature in which we play the game now, with and without the ball - we’re a far better team now than we were then, for sure.

“[Sunderland] also had a lot of time together to build those relationships, and they’ve played in different ways over the last few months to find themselves in a really healthy position in the league [eighth, level with Brentford on 30 points].

“Everyone was talking about us in the summer with a little bit of scepticism, understandably. But we just gone on with our business.

“In the main, we’ve taken steps in the right direction. You have to take hits along the way; that’s just the nature of the league we’re in.

“To be sat here in seventh, we’re not taking that for granted, for sure. We’re pretty content.”