Brentford v West Brom Tips: Bookings expected in west London

There's a thrilling prospect in the Championship this Friday evening as title-hungry West Brom take on promotion hopefuls Brentford at Griffin Park. The match kicks off at 19:45 and will be aired live on Sky Sports.

Brentford made a huge statement when they beat fellow promotion candidates Fulham 2-0 last weekend. The Bees scored two goals in the final three minutes to secure a massive three points and claim the bragging rights in west London.

In doing so, they also shortened the gap between themselves and the third-placed Cottagers to a single point, so would leapfrog Scott Parker's side with another win here.

West Brom played out a goalless stalemate against West Midlands neighbours Birmingham in their first game back, but a point was enough to see them move ahead of Leeds to the top of the Championship on goal difference, after Marcelo Bielsa's side fell to a 2-0 defeat against Cardiff City on Sunday.

The bookies have hosts Brentford priced up at 7/5 favourites here after their impressive recent victory - an impled chance of 41% - while West Brom travel south as 2/1 shots for the win - an implied chance of 33%. The draw can be found best priced at 12/5 with BetVictor (29% chance).

Bryan Mbeumo missed Brentford's last game against Fulham after testing positive for coronavirus and will again be sidelined for this clash, while West Brom remain without injured forward Jonathan Leko. Our three tips for this Friday's showdown at Griffin Park can be found below.

Romaine Sawyers is no stranger to finding his name jotted down in the referees notepad.

The Baggies midfielder has picked up a total of eight bookings this season - the joint-highest amount out of any West Brom player - and will be right in the thick of it here against his former side. 

Sawyers spent three years at Brentford before departing for West Brom last summer, racking up over 130 appearances for the Bees, and will be desperate to get one over on his old side when they meet at Griffin Park this Friday evening. 

Up against a midfield who love to press high up the pitch and try and nick the ball away at any given opportunity, there is plenty of scope for the 28-year-old to receive another caution. 

I think this 4/1 price (boosted from 10/3) is simply too good to pass up on given Sawyers’ track record this season, and it’s worth noting that this same bet is priced up at just 2/1 with bet365, so you’re really getting tremendous value backing it at double the odds with Paddy Power.

Ollie Watkins is one of the shining lights in the Championship and it’s no surprise to see his name being linked to an array of top-flight clubs. 

The 24-year-old has lit up the second-tier this season having scored 22 league goals, and will certainly have one eye on clinching the division’s Golden Boot award next month considering he is just one goal behind Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic in the Championship top scorer chart.

After failing to get on the scoresheet against Fulham last week, Watkins will be itching to return to scoring ways here, and we’re backing him to do just that on home turf. 

We’re doubling this bet up with West Brom’s Jake Livermore to be booked. Alongside Sawyers, Livermore is the Baggies’ most-booked player this season with eight yellow cards, and as we have seen throughout the entirety of his career the ex-England international has never been shy of a tackle.

Against an intense midfield on a compact pitch, we could see a few hearty challenges this Friday, and if that does prove to be the case then you can bet that Livermore will be right in amongst things. This bet has been boosted from 9/1 to 11/1 by Paddy Power, which is hugely better than the 5/1 bet365 are offering for the same multiple. 

Our longshot for this Friday’s match is priced up at 22/1 (boosted from 18/1) and couples two variables - Said Benrahma to score anytime for Brentford and Christian Norgaard to be booked. 

Norgaard is Brentford’s most-booked player this season having seen yellow seven times, and will be tasked with containing a very lively West Brom midfield which could well see him make an ill-timed challenge and pick up his eighth booking of the campaign. 

The Danish midfielder is a tough tackler and not one to step down from a challenge, which could really bode well for our bet this Friday.

Benrahma has caught the eye of many with his dazzling displays for Brentford this term. The Algerian always looks as if he’s trying his best to make it onto a random highlight reel on YouTube with his stunning footwork and scintillating skills, but he’s also got a goal in the locker.

The Bees forward has notched 11 in the Championship this term with the latest of those coming against Fulham last weekend. He’ll enter this match-up brimming with confidence, so don’t be too surprised to see him steal the show once more..

As always we hope you thoroughly enjoy the game, but please always remember to gamble responsibly.