Brentford vs Nottingham Forest preview: Can the Bees pile more pressure on Oliver Glasner?

Following their midweek Carabao Cup exit against Sunderland, Brentford will be hoping to return to winning ways when they welcome Nottingham Forest to the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Keith Andrews' side face a Forest team struggling for consistency, with Oliver Glasner's men sitting in the Premier League relegation zone after a difficult start to the campaign.

Despite a recent dip in form, Brentford's strong start to the season has kept them inside the top six on goal difference. 

However, the Bees are without a win in their last four matches in all competitions, drawing two and losing one in the Premier League, while conceding in each of those fixtures.

Their most recent league outing saw them come from behind to secure a 1-1 draw away to Hull, with Dango Ouattara finding the equaliser. 

Before that, Liverpool inflicted their first league defeat of the season, with Yehor Yarmoliuk's first-half red card proving costly in a 2-1 loss.

Brentford also shared the points with Aston Villa, taking their total to five draws from eight league matches, the joint-highest in the division. In fact, 12 of their last 18 games have ended level, with Andrews recognising the need to turn those draws into victories.

He described it as “the challenge of turning draws into wins”, something his side will be keen to address against Forest.

The visitors arrive in equally concerning form, sitting in the relegation zone with just six points and one Premier League victory to their name.

A 1-1 draw against Ipswich last Friday ended a three-match losing streak, but it did little to ease concerns surrounding Glasner's side. 

After an encouraging unbeaten run against Liverpool, Tottenham and Aston Villa, with the latter providing their only league victory, Forest have now gone four matches without a win.

Their draw at Portman Road was another missed opportunity, with Forest failing to make their dominance count in front of goal. 

Before that, a late, deflected Noni Madueke winner handed Arsenal all three points, while Crystal Palace capitalised on further defensive and attacking shortcomings to secure a 3-1 victory at Selhurst Park.

With results failing to improve, pressure is beginning to build on Glasner, particularly given owner Evangelos Marinakis' well-documented expectations of his managers. Nevertheless, the Austrian has the experience to turn things around, and Saturday presents an opportunity to take advantage of a Brentford side that has struggled to find its usual rhythm.

Head-to-head:

Despite finishing considerably lower in the table last season, Forest completed the league double over Brentford, winning 2-0 on both visits to the Gtech Community Stadium in the last two campaigns.

Across their eight Premier League meetings, both sides have recorded three victories, with the remaining two fixtures ending in draws.

History also suggests goals are likely, with none of the last 22 meetings between the clubs ending goalless.

Forest have scored on each of their last eight visits to Brentford and have found the net in all four of their Premier League away fixtures this season. 

Meanwhile, the Bees have scored in every league game, although neither side has been particularly convincing defensively.

With both teams possessing attacking threats but struggling to keep clean sheets, Saturday's encounter could provide an entertaining contest.

Team news:

Brentford welcome back Vitaly Janelt, who is available again following suspension after the dismissals against Liverpool. 

However, Yarmoliuk remains unavailable as he serves the remainder of his three-match ban.

Andrews also has several injury concerns, with Josh Dasilva and Antoni Milambo expected to remain sidelined until next month. 

Rico Henry and Kaye Furo are facing longer spells out, potentially until late November or early December.

Igor Thiago is expected to lead the line, although the Brazilian has managed just one Premier League goal this season. 

Kevin Schade has shouldered much of the attacking responsibility, while Keane Lewis-Potter and Janelt have also outscored last season's Golden Boot runner-up.

Despite Thiago's struggles in front of goal, Andrews remains confident in his striker, highlighting his contribution away from the ball and suggesting his hard work will eventually be rewarded.

For Forest, Dan Ndoye is the only player to have scored more than once in the league this season, highlighting their lack of attacking contributions. 

Morgan Gibbs-White remains their key creative outlet, sitting second in the big chances created rankings with seven, alongside two assists and a goal.

However, the former Wolves midfielder has yet to rediscover the form that made him such an influential figure last season. 

Liam Delap is also expected to lead the line, but has scored just once since joining from Chelsea and remains without a goal in his last four appearances.

Glasner has confirmed that Igor Jesus and Nicolò Savona are likely to miss out through injury, although he remains hopeful that Nicolás Domínguez could return from a muscle problem in time for the fixture.

Neco Williams is another potential returnee after recovering from an elbow injury, but the Welshman remains a doubt despite scoring against Ipswich.

Predicted line-ups:

Brentford XI: Kelleher, Kayode, van den Berg, Ajer, Lewis-Potter, Sangaré, Janelt, Jensen, Ouattara, Schade, Thiago.

Nottingham Forest XI: Sels, Cunha, Milenković, Murillo, Netz, Muñoz, McAtee, Schlager, Gibbs-White, Ndoye, Delap.