The match will kick-off at 3:01pm to encourage supporters to ‘Take A Minute’ to think about looking after their mental health. This is a campaign which will be implemented across all FA Cup matches and it is hoped that it will raise awareness of the importance of looking after our mental health.

The Opposition

Stoke will take a break from league action where they occupy 21st place in the SkyBet Championship as they sit one point above the relegation zone. They come into the game off the back of an impressive 5-2 win away from home at Huddersfield Town where they netted four second-half goals.

Stoke went into the 2019/20 season with Nathan Jones in charge but made a managerial change in November as they brought in Michael O’Neill. His first game in charge saw him pick up all three points over Barnsley back in early November.

A tough beginning to the season saw them fail to win a league match until 5 October when they beat Swansea City away from home before making it back-to-back wins with victory over Fulham. Another tough run then preceded the departure of Jones, and with O’Neill’s arrival results have been mixed so far.

Pre-Match facts

The Manager

Currently managing both Northern Ireland as well as The Potters, Michael O’Neill had an impressive playing career which saw him begin with Coleraine before moving on to Newcastle United. A couple of years there would then see him go on to turn out for the likes of Dundee United and Hibernian before returning to England to link up with Coventry City. Wigan Athletic, St Johnstone and a spell with Portland Timbers would follow before he rounded off his playing days with well over 400 appearances to his name.

He then moved into management with Brechin City before making a name for himself with Shamrock Rovers where he made history by being the first manager of a League of Ireland team to guide his side to European competition. His impressive management record in a successful stint with Shamrock then ensured that he caught the eye of the Northern Ireland national team as he took charge in 2011. His stock continued to rise as he guided the nation to its first ever European Championship in France in 2016 of which he guided the team out of the group phase successfully before they bowed out against Wales. O’Neill then took the role at Stoke but is continuing in his role with Northern Ireland for the remainder of their UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying campaign.

Team News

With a break in league action, both sides could well make changes to their starting line-ups off the back of a busy Christmas schedule. The Bees are still without long-term absentees Sergi Canos and Nikos Karelis.

As for the away side, Peter Etebo could well still be missing through injury, whilst Ryan Shawcross could well step up his return from injury with some game time.

Pre-match build up

Hot off the press: Martin Spinks of Stoke on Trent Live previews our Emirates FA Cup opponents

Ref Watch: Keith Stroud to take charge of match at Griffin Park

Last Meeting:

Ticket info:

This is our last Emirates FA Cup campaign at Griffin Park so every game could be the last one ever in our old ground. Be there for this historic game – cheapest tickets are only £10 for Adults and £5 for Juniors.

All prices exclude booking fees:

No booking fees for online purchases at tickets.brentfordfc.comNo booking fees apply when buying in person from the Ticket OfficePaper ticket fixture only - no Brentford Cards will be accepted

IFollow

With the match an Emirates FA Cup fixture, live footage will not be available via IFollow, but you can tune in to audio coverage courtesy of Mark Burridge and Marcus Gayle.

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