The Opposition
Defeat to Huddersfield Town in the FA Cup last weekend masks the fact that Bolton's second half of the season has got off to a much brighter start than the first. Wanderers arrive in TW8 on the back of two consecutive wins and three out of their last four in total. Hull City and Sheffield United were both bested by The Trotters thanks to a single goal in each game from Gary Madine.
Back on 23 September, Bolton lost 3-0 to The Bees during an eight-match losing streak that lasted two months. Each of the goals from the away side were of a high standard, including Yoann Barbet's free-kick (below) into the top corner, which gave Brentford the lead on the day.
Bolton have started to clamber their way out of the relegation zone, now a point above the drop on 25 points. The Trotters have won six games this term, compared to Brentford's nine and are 12 points behind Saturday's opposition at Griffin Park.
Team News
Darren Pratley and Karl Henry are serious injury concerns in midfield for the visitors after suffering knocks in the game against Hull City on 1 January.
This week, Wanderers extended the loan of Antonee Robinson from Everton until the end of the season but didn't propose an extension for loanee Adam Armstrong so he returned to Newcastle United.
Brentford are still missing Rico Henry, while Henrik Dalsgaard and John Egan are also doubtful with injury concerns of their own. Lewis Macleod was withdrawn before half time from Brentford B's 3-3 draw against Exeter during the week, although he could still be in contention for the game on Saturday.
The Manager
Phil Parkinson played for Bury and Reading in his playing days as a midfielder before hanging up his boots in 2003. Leaving The Royals after 11 seasons at the Club, Parkinson started his coaching career with Colchester United. Spells at other teams followed, including Charlton Athletic and Bradford City.
He even guided The Bantams to the 2013 League Cup Final at Wembley Stadium, this after beating Aston Villa 4-3 on aggregate in the Semi-Final. They lost the final 5-0 to Swansea City. After goalkeeper Matt Duke was shown a red card with his team 3-0 down, the struggle to get back into the tie was made almost impossible with ten men.
Remembering those we lost in 2017
Those members of the Brentford family who died in 2017 will be remembered on Saturday with a minute’s applause before the match against The Trotters at Griffin Park. Saturday’s copy of BEES will carry the names of those who are to be remembered.
Pre-Match Views
Dean Smith: 'We want to follow up from the festive period'
Stats Zone: The facts and figures ahead of Saturday's match
Opposition View: Marc Iles of The Bolton News highlights the pros and cons of Phil Parkinson's Bolton side
Ticket News
Get your tickets for our next league game before 10am tomorrow and save £5. You can buy your Match Ticket now from Adults £23, Seniors £17, Young Persons £15 and Juniors only £6 to watch us against Bolton Wanderers. Buy online here now.
Match Coverage
iFollow Brentford will be live from 2.30pm on Saturday afternoon with Mark Burridge hosting Matchday Live. He will be joined by Marcus Gayle and Mick Cabble.
Download the Official Brentford FC App to get notifications direct to your phone, plus all the latest news, views and reaction from the game. Visit the Play Store or iTunes App Store now to download.