Brentford v Barnsley: Sky Bet Championship betting preview, free tip and TV

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Brentford v Barnsley in the Sky Bet Championship on Wednesday.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Mix, 7.30pm Wednesday

Best bet

Barnsley or draw double chance
1pt 21-10 Betfair, Hills

Team news

Brentford
Thomas Frank has no new injury concerns after midfielder Shandon Baptiste returned as a substitute at Stoke on Saturday.

Barnsley
Romal Palmer and Elliot Simoes are sidelined but Gerhard Struber otherwise has a fully-fit squad to choose from.

Match preview

An important game for two different reasons takes place at Griffin Park and promotion-chasing hosts Brentford look a short price against a Barnsley side scrapping for their Sky Bet Championship survival.

Both sides require other results to go their way to achieve their goals. Brentford need to win and hope West Brom falter at home to QPR to secure automatic promotion, while the travelling Tykes need maximum points to give themselves any chance of avoiding the drop.

The Bees missed the chance to put promotion in their own hands when they lost at Stoke on Saturday, ending an eight-game winning sequence, and there have been a definite signs of improvement from Barnsley.

Gerhard Struber’s side have lost only two of their eight games since the season restarted and they were worthy 1-0 winners at home to Nottingham Forest on Sunday, winning the shot count 20-8 and limiting the playoff challengers to only one effort on goal.

Prior to that, the Tykes had pushed champions Leeds all the way at Elland Road, falling to a 1-0 defeat as a result of a Michael Sollbauer own goal.

Barnsley were extremely competitive in that game, forcing 12 shots to the home side's eight, and Struber was frustrated to leave empty-handed, saying: "We played so well against a massive opponent. We have played at this level the past few games, but our issue is taking top chances and being clinical."

The Tykes can’t afford not to make the most of those opportunities against a Brentford frontline spearheaded by Ollie Watkins, Said Benrahma and Bryan Mbeumo, but they are operating at the top of their game and are capable of avoiding defeat at a nice price.

Key stat

Barnsley have kept five clean sheets in their last eight league games.

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