Arsenal are leading Chelsea in the race to sign 27-year-old England striker Ivan Toney from Brentford. (Independent), external
Meanwhile, the Bees, Brighton and Nottingham Forest are interested in Hoffenheim's Germany Under-21 forward Maximilian Beier. Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen are also watching the developments. (Christian Falk on X), external
The annual feast of festive Premier League football is about to get under way.
So what is your best memory of following Brentford at Christmas?
Mince pies on the train for a Boxing Day away trip? Squinting through the snow to see your team score a late winner? Ending the year with a Christmas cracker?
Brentford have warned Arsenal and Chelsea they will have to pay a "decent" fee if they want to sign striker Ivan Toney. (Talksport), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column
Ian Westbrook, Beesotted podcast, external
Brentford’s absentee crisis is becoming a revolving door.
As soon as one player returns, another one is out of action – or of course in our case, two become unavailable.
Nathan Collins returned from a month out as a substitute for Sunday’s extraordinary game against Aston Villa.
And he was needed in the second half following the dismissal of Ben Mee, who in turn now misses three games himself. Also out of our next match – against Wolves on 27 December - is Frank Onyeka, who collected his fifth booking of the season, on Sunday. That leaves us without 10 first-team players for next Wednesday.
Mee’s early exit turned the match in Villa’s favour, at a time when Thomas Frank’s tactics were working well.
The main talking point among Bees fans after the match, apart from focusing on some dubious refereeing, was Ollie Watkins’s goal celebration.
Watkins has always been popular and well respected by us. We understood when he moved to the Premier League and felt proud when he earned his first England cap.
But whatever the rights and wrongs of the reasons for his celebration, he has sadly now wrecked his good relationship with Bees fans.
Meanwhile, there are good and bad things about Saturday’s scheduled match at Manchester City being postponed because of their Club World Cup participation.
On the positive side, it will be better to go there later in the season with hopefully fewer absentees.
However, if results go against us this weekend, we could go into Christmas 15th in the table.
We asked for your thoughts on Sunday's match between Brentford and Aston Villa.
Here are some of your comments:
Brentford fans
Brizzle: A tactical masterclass from Thomas Frank until Ben Mee’s red card for which he can have no complaints. Frustrating that two clear penalties were not given though, for the headlock on Mee at a corner and the clear push from behind on Neal Maupay. Villa are a class team; however, the Bees put up a good fight despite all their injuries.
David: Brentford played well for the first 70 minutes and the lads were giving 100%. Then, VAR struck and Mee was sent off after looking at the incident in slow motion. I was absolutely appalled by the actions of the Villa players after scoring their second goal. I feel they were unsportsmanlike and the FA should fully investigate this incident.
Howie: Ref lost control of this game and I am disappointed we couldn’t get at least a point. However, there were pleasing performances from Keane Lewis-Potter, Mads Roerslev and Mikkel Damsgaard who are stepping up just when needed.
James: Sad from Ollie Watkins - is there no card for inciting the crowd? And can’t understand why Emi Martinez didn’t see red too? Ref completely lost control of the game.
Aston Villa fans
Parminder: In a game lacking in quality, Villa got an ugly win, a massive three points and reaffirmed their top-four status. The pantomime which followed Villa’s winner will cost them (oh yes it will) and Unai Emery will obviously deal with the main culprits in his own way. That aside, a win is a win and so just enjoy the ride.
Martin: Well fought game. Good to see lots of possession but we need to stay sharp around the box. I felt there were a number of opportunities where we could have shot more quickly but we hesitated and then went back to passing it around the box. Onto the next game!
Jeremy: Not a great performance, but three points ground out from a tough away fixture. How often have we heard that this is the mark of potential champions?
Mark: I was in the Brentford end and Villa were brilliant. Dominated possession in both halves and absolutely deserved to win. Pau Torres is different class. But I thought Watkins' goal celebration was unnecessary and asking for trouble. The atmosphere turned and it contributed to the unnecessary madness at the end. Great result but we will miss Boubacar Kamara!
Mark Chapman introduces highlights and analysis from Sunday's four Premier League fixtures.
If you missed Match of the Day 2, you can catch up on the action on BBC iPlayer.
And Match of the Day brings you a round-up of Saturday's games.
Listen back to Sunday's BBC Radio 5 Live match commentaries in full on BBC Sounds:
Liverpool 0-0 Manchester United
Listen to Saturday's commentaries here:
Michael Emons, BBC Sport
Brentford have now lost five of their past six matches and Thomas Frank was left frustrated by his own players and the officials as they failed to hold on to a lead against high-flying Aston Villa.
Keane Lewis-Potter grabbed his first goal for the Bees to give them a lead just before half-time, but Ben Mee's red card changed the match.
On-pitch referee David Coote originally handed Mee a yellow card but, following a check by video assistant referee Craig Pawson, was advised to check the incident and it was then upgraded to a red card.
Frank was unhappy with the decision, but Mee had gone over the ball and clearly caught Leon Bailey, with Villa then scoring two headers, including an 85th-minute winner.
Villa and Brentford may well face a Football Association disciplinary charge this week for failing to control their players following some unsavoury and silly incidents near the end.
One altercation saw Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and Brentford forward Neal Maupay both trying to get the other sent off when there had been minimal contact in two farcical episodes.
"I didn't like the incidents. That's not how the game should be played," said Frank.
"It's very important to show as much class as possible, but there were too many situations where I thought 'no, that's not how it should be'."
Brentford boss Thomas Frank to MOTD: "I actually think it was a very interesting game, more or less until the end. I think it was an interesting game between two teams who gave everything and in many ways we put in a very good performance against the team everyone is talking about.
"We are leading 1-0 and after that things go your way sometimes, sometimes they don't and that's margins. That happens and I'm a big believer that if you want to improve you have to learn from the mistakes. It's just sometimes a little bit hard to take when you're a little bit hard done by in crucial situations in the game.
"I don't think the referee got got enough help from the VAR. I think it's a clear penalty on Ben Mee, I think the red card is not a red card when you look back at it. The game is a little bit gone, back in the day - yellow, no problem. Even this when you look back - only a yellow.
"The biggest mistake is the penalty on Neal Maupay. How can they not see the penalty - then it's 2-0 and probably game over."
On the incidents between the sides at the end: "In the end I didn't like all the incidents, that's not how the game should be played. I think it's very important to show as much class as possible. I think it's difficult, I don't do it every time and I'm irritated with myself when it happens, but I think there was too many situations where it was not the way it should be."
Aston Villa have won 25 Premier League games in 2023, their most top-flight wins in a calendar year in their entire history.
Brentford have dropped 17 points from winning positions in the Premier League this season, the most of any side and already their most in a single season in the competition.
Since Unai Emery’s first Premier League game in charge of Aston Villa in November 2022, only Erling Haaland (32) and Mohamed Salah (26, before today’s game) have scored more Premier League goals than Ollie Watkins (22).
Aston Villa have won three of their last six Premier League games when conceding the first goal (D2 L1), having lost six of their previous eight when shipping the first goal (D2).
Only four players have both scored five goals and assisted five goals in the Premier League this season, with two of those playing for Aston Villa (Ollie Watkins and Leon Bailey, the latter assisting Alex Moreno’s goal today for his fifth assist of the season). The others are Mohamed Salah and Bukayo Saka.
Ben Mee was sent off for the first time in his 263rd Premier League appearance. In all competitions, it was just his second ever red card, his other coming 10 years and 275 days ago for Burnley vs Blackburn in March 2013. This was his 372nd appearance since that first red.
Aston Villa came from behind to dramatically beat Brentford following a controversial red card for Bees defender Ben Mee.
Keane Lewis-Potter opened the scoring for the hosts at the end of the first half, shooting through a crowded penalty area after Villa failed to clear a corner from the left.
But the game turned when Mee was sent off in the 71st minute for diving in and catching Leon Bailey on the ankle.
On-pitch referee David Coote, close to the incident, originally handed Mee a yellow card but, following a check by video assistant referee Craig Pawson, was advised to check the incident and it was then upgraded to a red card.
Brentford manager Thomas Frank was furious with the decision and got booked, with Villa capitalising on their player advantage six minutes later.
Bailey's cross was headed in at the back post by Alex Moreno for an equaliser, before Watkins headed in an 85th-minute winner from Boubacar Kamara's flick-on.
In a bad-tempered match, Kamara was then sent off for pushing the face of Yehor Yarmoliuk in stoppage time, with Villa boss Unai Emery also cautioned.
Were you at the match or did you follow it from home?
How did you rate the side's performance, Brentford fans?
There are four games being played in the Premier League on Sunday and we will bring you every moment.
Follow all of the action and reaction here
All times are GMT
Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League matches again this season, against a variety of guests.
For this weekend's games, he takes on darts star 'Hollywood' Chris Dobey, who supports Newcastle.
Sutton's prediction: 0-1
Aston Villa are awesome at home, but not so good on the road - they have only won three of their eight away league games so far this season.
If they want to be in the mix for the Champions League places or even do the unthinkable and challenge for the title, they have to start winning more away, in games like this one.
Brentford are missing Bryan Mbeumo up front but they are still streetwise, so this is a serious test.
I am going for Villa to pass it with a narrow win, with Ollie Watkins to get their goal.
Dobey's prediction: 0-2
Find out all of Sutton's predictions for this weekend's games
Image source, Getty ImagesThomas Frank said it is his job to put out a Brentford side capable of winning in Bryan Mbeumo's absence.
The Bees forward has been ruled out for 12 weeks and requires surgery on an ankle injury sustained in the defeat by Brighton.
He is the Bees' top scorer this season with seven goals and four assists and had started all 16 Premier League.
"I think it’s my job to find a solution, to put the best competitive team out there ready to compete against Villa," Frank said. "It’s the players' responsibility to step up and take the chance. Now it’s time for them to shine.
"But I will not only put it on them. It’s my job and the coaches job to help them so they are in the best possible position to perform in the best possible way."
Frank said Brentford would not make any knee-jerk January signings as cover, but said bringing players in on loan could be an option,
"Of course the long-term ones are irritating," he said. "Throughout the season it seems like from game one we struggled a little bit with injuries. The list started to grow, but I’m convinced we can manage well. A good group of players who are willing to fight.
"We need to look into it in January. We are never rushing into things. We try to be clever and try to take calm and sensible decisions and we will do the same in January.
"We will not take a player if we don’t think it’s for the long term. Maybe this time it will be a loan. It depends how things go in the next three or four weeks."
