Brentford

Brentford boss Thomas Frank has been speaking to the media before Tuesday's Premier League game at home against Manchester City (19:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Frank confirmed Rico Henry will return to a Premier League squad for the first time in 16 months but is "unlikely to start" after featuring in the FA Cup loss to Plymouth.

• He added he is "very, very pleased" that Henry is back available: "He's been one of our best players in the four years in the Premier League. It will take a little bit of time before we see him fully firing. That's not me saying he can't start or play a Premier League game, but consistent high performances will take a little bit of time to build."

• Meanwhile, Ben Mee is "ready" after returning from a muscle injury. Christian Norgaard and Vitaly Janelt are also both available after missing Saturday's game.

• Midfielder Norgaard has six months remaining on his current deal but the Bees have an option to extend by a further year: "Christian is happy here and we're happy with him. So let's see."

• Reflecting on the FA Cup exit: "I tried to find that perfect balance between having a big week, with Plymouth first, then City, then Liverpool. I tried to balance the squad, tried to give a little bit of minutes, and maybe I didn't hit it perfectly. I was also a little bit limited with at least seven players I didn't want or could use. I think we had an average performance, not through the roof."

• On Fabio Carvalho, who received some criticism for his performance against the Pilgrims: "Very few players step in and perform at a good level from day one – very, very, very few. He's a very good player and I'm convinced he will be good for us. He's training well and he's showing all the right attributes to become a good player for us. I told him not to be too harsh on himself."

• Carvalho's path to the first team has been hindered by the strong form of Mikkel Damsgaard: "Damsgaard has done very well for us – it's not that I can't play both, because I can – but that's made it a bit hard for him."

Follow all of Monday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

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We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's FA Cup game between Brentford and Plymouth Argyle.

Here are some of your comments:

Nick: Dare I say it, but, I doubt that goal would have happened had it been a Premier League game. Our defence was fast asleep. Lesson to be learned - never underestimate opponents, no matter what league they are in.

Neil: Too much sideways and backwards tippy-tappy football. Not enough penetrating passes to turn Plymouth around. Sometimes there is nothing wrong with some more direct football.

Ray: Failed to name our strongest side assuming the opposition were not a threat, being near to the bottom of the Championship and having sacked their manager. Disrespectful. We paid the price.

Gavin: Plymouth totally deserved that. Although we dominated possession, we lacked the cutting edge that saw us rip through Southampton's defence. We didn't create enough chances and there didn't appear to be any leaders on the pitch.

Wellsers: Very slow start from the Bees, who enjoyed a lot of possession but couldn't make it count. Bringing on Bryan Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa and Keane Lewis-Potter didn't seem to up the tempo. To their credit, Plymouth kept plugging away and, unlike Brentford, took their chance. A very lacklustre performance.

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Brentford's performance

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

The FA Cup third round continues on Saturday, with several Premier League sides in action:

• Bournemouth v West Bromwich Albion

• Chelsea v Morecambe

• Norwich v Brighton

• Nottingham Forest v Luton

• Brentford v Plymouth Argyle - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Manchester City v Salford City (17:45) - watch on BBC One, iPlayer and the BBC Sport website & app

All times GMT and kick-off at 15:00 unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction

BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton has made his predictions for all 32 FA Cup third round games and given his verdict on who will make it into round four.

For this week's matches he is up against actor and musician Billy Bob Thornton, who is a Liverpool fan.

Sutton's prediction: 5-0

Plymouth are another managerless club. They also have a terrible defensive record this season so you really fear for them here, off the back of Brentford's 5-0 win at Southampton last weekend.

The Bees are definitely going to bag a few more goals here too. Plymouth have not won away all season and have only scored three times on the road, and this is going to be a very difficult day for them all round.

Billy's prediction: 3-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

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The FA Cup third round is well under way, with Premier League sides Everton, Fulham and Aston Villa the clubs already booking their places in the fourth-round draw with wins on Thursday and Friday.

But for other sides hoping for a healthy cup run this season, when will the draw take place?

The draw will be live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer following the conclusion of the Arsenal v Manchester United tie, which kicks off at 15:00 GMT on Sunday.

It will include 32 teams - with all third-round matches this weekend settled on the day - and the resulting ties will be played over the weekend commencing Saturday, 8 February.

Brentford boss Thomas Frank has been speaking to the media before Saturday's FA Cup third round tie at home against Championship side Plymouth Argyle (15:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Frank confirmed Rico Henry will start on his return from a long-term knee injury sustained in September 2023 which is a "big boost for him, us and the fans": "He has been good in training - very aggressive as he always is. In general, he's looked good and ready to start. If he wasn't good enough, we wouldn't start him. Rico is the only player that was here when I came more than eight years ago, so it's a good journey and story we have together."

• Frank also confirmed Fabio Carvalho will return after missing two games with a minor groin injury while Ben Mee is "getting closer" but Saturday's game will come too soon for the defender.

• He added midfielder Ryan Trevitt has a "minor issue with his Achilles, but he's on the way back".

• Brentford have no fresh injury concerns following the 5-0 victory over Southampton in the Premier League last weekend.

• On the Bees' plans in the January transfer window: "It depends on how many numbers we've got available, and then we will work around that."

Follow all of Friday's FA Cup news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Listen to live commentary of Brentford v Plymouth at 15:00 on Saturday on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kevin Nancekivell says he wants Plymouth Argyle to create more FA Cup memories when his side faces Brentford on Saturday.

The Pilgrims can put their recent league difficulties to one side as they head to the Premier League club in the third round.

Nancekivell is in interim charge as the Championship's bottom side search for a new head coach to replace Wayne Rooney.

Brentford are the third top-flight side the Pilgrims have faced in the past decade, having taken Liverpool to a replay in 2017 and narrowly losing in extra time at then-European champions Chelsea in 2022.

Plymouth's best-ever finish in the competition was reaching the semi-finals in 1983-84 when they were beaten 1-0 by Graham Taylor's Watford at Villa Park.

"The FA Cup is special to everybody," Nancekivell told BBC Radio Devon.

"This football club, one of its biggest days was 1984 and the FA Cup semi final, so we want more days like that.

"We've had some good days at Arsenal, we've had some good days against Liverpool, Chelsea wasn't so long ago as well.

"So we want to build on that and we want to add Brentford to that list of achievements.

"We're under no illusions how difficult the task is going to be, but we've got no fear at the minute.

"We can go up there, we can take away the pressures of the league, enjoy ourselves and see what we can do."

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Brentford have never beaten Plymouth in the FA Cup in nine previous meetings (drawn three, lost six) - most recently a 2-1 defeat in a first-round replay in 1998-99.

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Paris Maghoma's slalom-like dribble and pass late on to set up Yoane Wissa's fifth goal against Southampton was the highlight of his career to date.

That moment was building as Thomas Frank has been increasing the minutes for the midfielder, 23, who began the season with an ankle injury but is now getting regular minutes from the bench.

Cameos against Aston Villa, Newcastle - in the league and cup - and against Nottingham Forest and Arsenal led to his latest substitute display.

Of course, those first displays in the Premier League have been building for his lifetime - from when Maghoma began following in the footsteps of his footballing idols: his brothers.

Christian, who is four years older, would take Paris for football on the local London estate but they each came through the finishing school at Tottenham's academy, following in their eldest brother Jacques's footsteps.

Christian now plays Aldershot Town, while Jacques has retired, with both being international players for DR Congo during their careers.

But it is Paris, who has spent time on loan at Wimbledon, MK Dons and most recently Bolton, taking his game to the highest level.

Brentford offered Maghoma a pathway through their B team in 2020, playing against non-league and EFL clubs, instead of the usual academy football, through their unique development programme.

B team head coach Neil MacFarlane and his assistant Sam Saunders have been key in Paris's development, taking him from a wide forward or striker to become the ball-carrying midfielder he is today, capable of doing his defensive duties - as well as making an impact in attack.

Maghoma will hope for his first start for Brentford comes against Plymouth in the FA Cup third round.

Brentford striker Bryan Mbeumo, 25, is on Arsenal's shortlist for a summer transfer. (Florian Plettenberg, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Thurday's full gossip column

Brentford have started 2025 with a bang, beating strugglers Southampton 5-0 and signing Keane Lewis-Potter up to a long-term deal at Gtech Community Stadium.

After Saturday's FA Cup tie against Plymouth Argyle, the Bees must face Manchester City in the Premier League next followed by Liverpool.

With that first away win of the season finally secured - and given our fan writer Ian Westbrook's helpful insight (12:32, 7 January) on the fixture schedule - we want to know the one thing - good or bad - that no-one seems to be talking about right now.

Have your say - and come back on Thursday for a selection of replies

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Brentford boss Thomas Frank said there is a "big future" for Keane Lewis-Potter with the Bees after the midfielder signed a new long-term contract with the club.

The 23-year-old has agreed a deal to stay in west London until the summer of 2031, with the club having the option to extend it by a further 12 months.

Lewis-Potter has featured in every game for Brentford this season, scoring two goals and making two assists in 24 appearances across all competitions.

Head coach Frank said: "I'm very happy that we've agreed a new contract with Keane. He has been through a great development over the last couple of years.

"He can play all the front four roles; what he's also turned out to be is a very flexible and versatile player that can play multiple other positions, which he has shown this season by playing games at left-back, where he has done fantastically.

"One on one, he is fantastic, his crossing is very good, and the way he helps the team is also so good. There is a big future for him here at Brentford."

The winger told club media that it "feels amazing" to sign the new deal and he "can't wait for the future".

He added: "It's such a great club. Since I've joined, they've been so good with me. I also feel like I've developed so much, especially this season. The togetherness everyone has got - it's such a good club to be at."

Ian Westbrook
Fan writer

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If you are going to end a long wait for an away win, then a 5-0 victory is the way to do it.

Brentford finally finished the long fruitless run on the road with the thrashing of Southampton on Saturday. The Saints' weaknesses should not detract from a superb Bees performance, except for a quiet period either side of half-time.

However, all the talk about Brentford's wonderful home record and lousy away record is actually a red herring.

What people should really be focusing on is our performances against the top and bottom teams, not where they have happened.

That provides a truer picture of our season so far and reflects our 11th place accurately.

Of our seven home wins, five came against teams currently in the bottom six in the table.

Of our seven away defeats, five have been against teams currently in the top half, with the other two at so-called big-six clubs Spurs and Manchester United.

Context is everything!

Our home and away form in the second half of the season could well be a mirror image of our results in the first half of the campaign.

The Southampton performance on Saturday was like some of the home wins, with 20 shots, 11 of them on target, and a high expected goals.

Once again the stats prove the club's philosophy of only trying to score from high-quality chances.

It is rare to see a Brentford player try to score from 25 yards – the thinking being that you rarely find the net from there. We will always try to get as close as possible to goal before shooting. As a result, our on-target percentage of shots in a game is often around the 50% mark as a result.

Find more from Ian Westbrook at Beesotted podcast, external

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Brentford have triggered a contract extension to keep midfielder Myles Peart-Harris with the club until the end of the 2025-26 campaign.

The 22-year-old, who is on loan at Swansea City, was initially out of contract at the end of the season. The club have now exercised the option to extend this contract for a further year.

Peart-Harris has featured 23 times for the Championship side this season, scoring three times and providing a further three assists.

He joined Brentford in 2021 after over a decade with Chelsea, and made his Premier League debut in December 2023.

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We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Southampton and Brentford.

Here are some of your comments:

Jeff: Brentford were in total control all game. We could have scored more after hitting woodwork and having an excellent goal controversially ruled out by VAR.

George: A wonderful three points. Last season, both Sheffield United and Burnley beat us when we faced them away, so it's nice to see just how much our forward play has improved. Mikkel Damsgaard, Mads Roerslev and our midfield kept the ball constantly cycling up the pitch. While we were a little wasteful with chances in the first half, the Bees were relentlessly swarming around the box throughout the second half.

Sandra: Everything clicked into place for the Bees. Excellent to watch. I really enjoyed the game and the contrast between us and them was worlds' apart. Keep playing the attacking football Thomas Frank - that's the Bees' way to play.

Ian: An all-round top team performance from the Bees. In the Premier League you need to win away! Damsgaard again conducted the performance with nice cameos from Vitaly Janelt, Paris Maghoma, and Yehor Yarmolyuk in the second half.

Mel: My heart goes out to the Saints, but the Bees deserved this emphatic win. It encapsulates everything about this squad, who are still with 10+plus injuries, the support, the management and of course Thomas Frank. To use his own words on the BBC: "Wow!" Who knows how long we can keep Thomas and our front men? But, for the moment, let's continue to be excited and look forward, especially to our January fixture list. I can't wait!

Gary Lineker introduces highlights and analysis from Saturday's seven Premier League fixtures.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Crystal Palace 1-1 Chelsea

• Brighton 1-1 Arsenal

Marissa Thomas
BBC Sport journalist

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Brentford had picked up just two points away from home all season but a trip to St Mary's changed that.

The Bees scored after six minutes against Southampton and dominated throughout the match in a five-star performance.

Two goals in stoppage time really stuck the boot in on a Saints side who looked down and out after conceding the first goal.

Bryan Mbeumo was in inspired form, scoring twice and providing the assist for Keane Lewis-Potter's first Premier League goal of the season.

The Cameron international has scored 13 league goals this term, behind only Mohamed Salah (17) and Erling Haaland (16).

All of Brentford's attacking players looked like they could score at any minute as they ran rings around the Saints.

This was the Bees' biggest winning margin in the competition, and their biggest league win since April 2021 vs Preston North End (5-0).

It's no wonder manager Thomas Frank said the victory was "very, very close to perfection."

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Brentford won their first Premier League away game of the season, ending their nine-game run without a win on the road (D2 L7).

This was the Bees' biggest winning margin in the competition and their biggest league win since April 2021 against Preston North End (5-0).

Bryan Mbeumo has scored in 10 Premier League matches for Brentford this season, with only Mohamed Salah (14) and Alexander Isak (11) netting across more games in the competition this term.

Yoane Wissa netted his 36th Premier League goal for Brentford, becoming the joint-top scorer for the Bees in the competition alongside Ivan Toney.

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Brentford manager Thomas Frank has been speaking to BBC Match of the Day following the win at St Mary's: "That was very, very close to perfection. We gave nothing away throughout the 90 minutes, defended extremely well and then we created chance after chance after chance. It could have easily been more than five goals.

"I am extremely proud of this performance in many ways because Southampton are struggling a little bit.

"We haven't won away on the road, but the performance we put out there is fantastic and I think it speaks about the culture we have got in the changing room and among the players. The commitment, the focus, the attitude - wow."

On how his side creates chances: "We are always happy when the offensive players score goals because those are the ones who need to be reliable, and then other players need to chip in occasionally. But basically we played with five very offensive players.

"Keane Lewis-Potter, Kevin Schade and Yoane Wissa scored, Bryan Mbeumo scored two. Mikkel Damsgaard created a lot of chances and opportunities, at least one assist today.

"We are very dangerous and we had a very good day."

On Mbeumo and Wissa's chemistry: "Some players can click on the pitch, but they have a very good relationship on and off the pitch. You can see that in a lot of the goals.

"Our group of players really like each other, work hard for each other and they care about each other - I think that's extremely important."

On how he will enjoy the win: "I think I will get a very good glass of red wine."

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Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo has been speaking to BBC Match of the Day about the win: "I think we, and the fans, have been waiting for a while for our first away win. We worked a lot for it and we are very happy."

"Today we have put in a good performance and we just worked really hard."

On trying to get his first Premier League hat-trick: "Of course. When you hit two goals, you always want to try and get a hat-trick - but I just keep working and it is going to come."

On how he is able to get the best out of himself: "It is mental. I just try to run hard and help my teammates and I think we are doing really well. I just want to help the team."

On his friendship with Yoane Wissa: "We have a really good relationship off the pitch and that's why maybe we perform well on the pitch."