'Brentford Are Enjoying A Really Positive Season'
- Brentford host Leicester City in the fourth round of the Emirates FA Cup on Sunday (2:30pm kick-off)
- The Bees are third in the Sky Bet Championship and reached the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup
- Thomas Frank's men have enjoyed a positive 2020/21 season, says Phil Parry, from BBC Radio London
- Parry's full preview can be heard on LCFC TV's Matchday Live show on Sunday, starting at 1pm
Despite missing out on promotion to the Premier League in the Sky Bet Championship play-off final last season, the Bees have been excellent for large parts of the 2020/21 campaign.
Thomas Frank's side are currently on a 16-game unbeaten run and sit third in the second tier standings with games in hand on their immediate promotion rivals.
Alongside an encouraging league season, the London outfit also reached the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup, losing out narrowly to Tottenham Hotspur in their first outing of 2021.
Despite losing attacking outlets Saïd Benrahma and Ollie Watkins during the summer transfer window, other players have stepped up, specifically Ivan Toney, who has 16 goals to his name.
Previewing Sunday's 2:30pm kick-off at Brentford Community Stadium, Parry outlined why the Bees can feel optimistic about their chances against the Foxes, a side who currently sit third in the Premier League.
"It’s been very positive," he told LCFC TV. "Sometimes, when you lose the play-off final, in the way they lost it late on after maybe being favourites, to have been beaten at Wembley, it can have a hangover.
"They’ve not really suffered from that. Add to that the fact that two of their real star players from the last couple of seasons, Saïd Benrahma and Ollie Watkins, moved on.
"You think: 'What effect’s that going to have?' The good thing is, it hasn’t. They’re on a 16-game unbeaten run in the league now. They’ve got games in hand.
"If they were to win the game in hand against Swansea next mid-week, then they’ll go second in the table. They had a great run in the League Cup too, their best-ever performance.
"Previously, they’d never even got to a quarter-final, never mind a semi-final and, but for VAR, they may have been at 1-1 in that game going into the final quarter against Spurs.
"Now they’ve got another chance to have a go at Leicester in the FA Cup within 12 months of the last opportunity, so it’s been a really positive season.
"There’s some players who have gained growth out of it. The likes of Vitaly Janelt, who’s come in and has really had some positive game time, with Christian Nørgaard injured.
"Ivan Toney has hit the ground running with goals, but also as we saw against Luton, assists. He’s been really important for Brentford this season.
"Bryan Mbeumo’s got better again, which is very positive, and Sergi Canós is playing a lot of games after almost a year out. You get a sense of him getting back to some decent form."
In the Carabao Cup, following a penalty shootout win over Wycombe Wanderers, Brentford secured victories against top-flight outfits Southampton, West Bromwich Albion, Fulham and Newcastle United.
Despite losing out to Tottenham Hotspur in January in the semi-finals, the furthest Brentford have ever progressed in the competition, Parry says the Bees can take heart from their exploits.
"The run was very positive," he added. "With all due respect, from the Premier League teams, Spurs were the best team that Brentford came up against in that run.
"Southampton at the start of the season were starting slowly, we know Newcastle away from home in London don’t have a great record, and Steve Bruce wasn’t happy with their performance.
"And then, Fulham and West Brom, the promoted teams, are struggling this year. I think Brentford took a lot of confidence from those games.
"They missed out to those teams in getting promoted last season, however they went and beat them in a cup game, and it helped them with that momentum.
"They’ll take a lot from the Spurs game because they did stand toe to toe with Spurs. They had a go when they could and it was fractions for the offside decision against Toney.
"His kneecap was marginally off side and who knows what might have happened after that particular juncture if that goal had actually stood.
"There’s a lot they can draw from and a lot of confidence they can use pushing forward."
All times GMT.