Mark Warburton is hopeful of having a near fully-fit squad for the first game of the Christmas period at home to Ipswich Town on Friday.
The Bees go into the game having won seven of the last eight in the Sky Bet Championship and on a run of four straight home wins.
The most recent success came last Saturday with a 3-2 victory over Cardiff City but that win came at a cost with Harlee Dean and Jonathan Douglas both picking up knocks during the match.
However, with the visit of in-form Ipswich Town just two days away, Mark is confident that both players will be in contention for Friday’s match against the Tractor Boys.
“Harlee Dean is fit and well,” said Mark, speaking to Bees Player ahead of the match.
“He was winded at the time but did really well and it was a good 90 minutes from him.
“He is in this morning recovering.
“Jonathan Douglas was taken off as a precaution but they are looking good and hopefully we are in good shape.
“The players are fit now and it is a maintenance programme.
“It is a loading programme to give them the best preparation for the game.
“They will be off Christmas Day and they have earned that.
“We will work through the course of this week but it is more individual too.
“Certain players need more than others and we will look at their individual requirements and go from there.
“It is a case of Cotton Wool for some of the players and making sure they are right for the fixture.”
Friday’s match against Ipswich Town is the first of The Bees Christmas fixtures which then sees a trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday before a home FA Cup tie with Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday January 3rd.
With three important games in two competitions coming up Mark believes that this is where squad strength will begin to tell.
However Mark was keen to stress that his and his teams focus can only be on the next game and they cannot afford to start looking to the future.
“We will utilise the squad over the coming three games, there is no doubt about that,” said Mark.
“It is important to do that as they are all key games.
“We have two tough games in three games and it is important to pick out what you need for the relevant fixture and likewise for the FA Cup fixture after that.
“We will use the squad for sure and hopefully have three good performances.
“We spoke about Christmas Day off and they have earned that right.
“You can trust the group; they are pros and they know the importance of each and every game.
“Everyone is building up the Ipswich Town game, and it is second versus third and everyone understands that, but it is the same as any other game.
“We are fighting for the same three points and their preparation will be perfect.
“They look after themselves and they eat well and rest well and will be fine for Boxing Day.
If you look at it the team are 24 games away from the Premier League.
“That is how it is and it is the same for every team.
“Our job is to be best prepared and take one game at a time.
“It is the same boring rhetoric but it is true for us.
“We will see where it takes us.
“Right now we have two tough fixtures in Ipswich Town and Wolverhampton Wanderers and we will get these out of the way but right now our only focus is getting the best performance we can on Boxing Day.
“There is no point about worrying about a game four or five weeks away if we lose the four games in between.
“Our only focus is getting it right for what will be a very tough challenge on Boxing Day and we are well aware of that.”
Friday’s meeting at Griffin Park between The Bees and Ipswich sees the two most in-form teams in the Sky Bet Championship clash.
Brentford have won seven of their last eight league games while Ipswich are unbeaten in their last nine league games, winning six of their last eight.
Mark Warburton is under no illusions that Ipswich Town will pose a very firm test for his side’s winning run and he is expecting a tough battle against Mick McCarthy’s side.
“We saw the way that Ipswich performed against Middlesbrough,” said Mark.
“It was a very strong, dominant performance and they deserved their victory.
“They are in good form but so are we with seven wins out of eight.
“It should be an exciting encounter between two teams with energy, dynamism and good quality.
“Hopefully it will be a good encounter.
“We think we know what to expect from Ipswich but likewise they will know what to expect from us.
“It is at our stadium and we will always try to approach the game playing to our strengths.
“I am not one for changing it or adapting it too much.
“We will look at aspects of their play and what they do well and what we are going to do to counter that but we are not going to change what we do as a team.
“It has worked well for us and why change it.
“Mick McCarthy is vastly experienced and he has two promotions already from the Championship to the Premier League.
“He knows the division inside out and his teams are always well organised and have a great work ethic.
“He has got rid of one or two players who maybe didn’t have the work ethic he was after.
“They will be organised, disciplined, hard-working and they are enjoying their football.
“They are in second place in the table going into Christmas Day and they are in great shape but again so are we.
“It will be a tough challenge for another three points.”
Griffin Park is a complete sell-out for Friday’s match and Mark wants to deliver another good home performance to send the crowd home happy.
Brentford’s last nine home games have all seen 10,000+ crowds and more than 1200 fans travelled to Cardiff last Saturday to see The Bees win in the Welsh Capital.
Mark said he and the players are very thankful for the support they have received so far this season and he is hopeful that will continue on in to 2015.
“Griffin Park will be a tough place to come to but Mick and his players will be aware of that,” said Mark.
“It is tight and a great atmosphere.
“The crowd are enjoying the football which is great news for us.
“We need to deliver another good performance.
“We are well aware of the threat they pose but we want to impose ourselves on the game, play our style of football and hopefully get good rewards at the end of it.
“We have been really thankful for the support the first half of the season.
“We have been really thankful for that support home and away.
“To take nearly 1400 fans on the Saturday before Christmas is a fantastic achievement.
“All we can do is deliver the type of performance they enjoy watching.
“Other than that we wish them a happy Christmas and a good second half to the season.”
Bees Player subscribers can listen to the full interview here