PREVIEW: Luton Town v Brentford

Brentford are continuing their quite magnificent season as they look to end a 70-year absence from the top flight by securing promotion to the Premier League.

Barring the first two months of the season, which weren't even that bad either, the Bees winning three and losing five out of their opening 11 matches, Thomas Frank's side have been outstanding for the majority of the campaign.

A 3-2 home win over Millwall on October 19 kick-started a superb run of nine wins from 14 in the league, with a 7-0 thrashing of Luton in November the obvious highlight.

The turn of the year has seen Bees carry on their merry way too, with some wonderful results on the road, thumping Bristol City 4-0 and then Hull 5-1 in their own back yards.

They actually come into tonight's contest on the back of no victory in three, drawing against Leeds, Birmingham and Blackburn, to just halt their automatic challenge slightly, still in fourth, but now six points behind second placed Leeds United.

They have only lost once in 2020 though, at home to Nottingham Forest, although away from Griffin Park is where they are marginally weaker, with seven of their 10 defeats coming on the road.

Crucially, the transfer window came and went with Brentford keeping hold of their trio of prized attacking talents who have scored 43 of their 56 league goals this term.

Ollie Watkins with 21 is the clear stand-out, but as Luton can well testify Bryan Mbeumo (12) and Said Benrahma (10) both know where the net is, as does midfielder Josh Da Silva (6) as well.

There were some incomings during January too, Halil Dervisoglu from Sparta Rotterdam, while Oxford duo Tarique Fosu-Henryand Shandon Baptiste both joined up too.

The only exits were fringe players, Tom Field (Dundee), Patrik Gunnarsson (Southend), Mads Bech Sorensen (AFC Wimbledon) and Canice Carroll (Stevenage) all allowed to find pastures news in the search of first team football.

Team news: Luton boss Graeme Jones is without goalkeeper James Shea who has broken his finger, while doubts remain over Izzy Brown (virus), Sonny Bradley (hip) and Kazenga LuaLua (thigh).

Eunan O'Kane and Brendan Galloway remained sidelined too.

For the Bees, Mathias Jensen is out with a hamstring injury, while Pontus Pontus Jansson (hip) is also missing.

The pair join long-term absentees Sergi Canos, Nikos Karelis, Kamohelo Mokotjo, Marcus Forss and Ellery Balcombe in the treatment room.

Top scorers: Hatters: James Collins (10). Bees: Ollie Watkins (21).

Man in the middle: Darren England - Third Luton game of the season for the official who took the 2-1 win over Charlton back in November, plus Town's 4-0 FA Cup loss at Bournemouth in January.

Officiated 25 games so far this term, with 66 yellows and just one red, that in his last outing, West Bromwich Albion's 3-0 win at Bristol City.

Had two Luton matches last season, the 5-1 win over Plymouth and 1-1 draw at Wycombe.

Prior to that, England had the whistle for the 1-0 win at Barnet in April 2017 and a 2-0 triumph over the same side the year before.

James Mainwaring and Rob Smith are the linesmen with Adam Crysell the fourth official.

In charge: Thomas Frank – 46-year-old from Denmark, who had a short playing career in amateur football, moving into youth team coaching in his home country, with roles at Frederiksværk BK.

Moved on to Hvidovre IF and Lyngby, as he was appointed manager of the Danish national U16s and U17s in 2008, leading the U17s to European U17 Championship semi-finals and U17 World Cup group stages.

Promoted to the U19s in 2012 and then took his maiden job in senior football when named manager of Danish Superliga club Brøndby IF in June 2013.

Resigned in March 2016 as he headed to England to join Brentford as assistant head coach in December 2016.

Once manager Dean Smith left for Aston Villa in October 2018, Frank was promoted to the role of head coach, leading the Bees to 11th in the Championship, before turning them into serious promotion contenders this term.

View from the opposition: Head coach Thomas Frank - “I said to the players that one thing is for sure, it is going to be a totally different game (to the 7-0 victory).

"They are fighting for their lives at the bottom of the league, they lost big last time and they didn't perform well"

One to watch: Said Benrahma – 24-year-old forward is an important part of the Bees' excellent front-line who have blown teams away this year.

Started out at Nice in 2013, he played for Angers, GFC Ajaccio and Chateauroux before moving to Griffin Park in July 2018.

Managed 11 goals last term and although he scored in the 7-0 win over Luton, only had three before the turn of the year.

However, his last nine games have seen him bag seven goals, including a hat-trick in the 5-1 win at Hull earlier this month to make it 10 for the season.

Friendly faces: Town's goalkeeper coach Kevin Dearden headed to Brentford in September 1993 from Spurs, spending six years with the Bees, making over 200 appearances, becoming a firm fans favourite.

Went to Wrexham in February 1999 and then finished his playing career at Torquay, as he went into coaching in 2006, having spells with Brentford, Milllwall and Leyton Orient, joining hometown club Luton in 2014.

Played for both: Michael Leary – midfielder who came through the ranks at Luton, turning pro for the Hatters in 2002, playing 32 games and scoring three goals, including a brace as Town lost 4-3 at Hartlepool in April 2004.

Had loans at Bristol Rovers, Walsall and Torquay in his time at Kenilworth Road before heading to Brentford in January 2007, going on to make 17 appearances for the Bees.

Left Luton for Barnet in the summer of 2007, as he went to Grimsby, Gainsborough and then Spalding United, making over 300 appearances in his career.

We've got form: Luton have a proud home record in their clashes with Brentford, since the first meeting, a 1-1 Southern League draw back in September 1901.

Town's first win was a 2-0 success in 1903, as although they were beaten in 1905, the Hatters had the upper hand in those days and carried it on to the Football League as well, with 12 clean sheets from their opening 18 matches.

They managed 27 games unbeaten at one stage with 21 wins, including a 5-2 triumph August 1926 and 5-5 draw in February 1933, until losing a Division Two contest 2-0 in October 1951,

That saw Bees unbeaten in four games, until Luton picked up a 7-1 thrashing in the Southern Professional Floodlit Cup replay in January 1958.

Another defeat followed, but Town then won six out of the next seven, before Bees started to have some success in the when 2000 rolled around.

Enoch Showunmi did grab a treble for Hatters in a 4-1 win back in February 2004, but Town haven't won any of the last three fixtures, with two draws and one defeat.

Overall, Town have picked up 34 victories from their 54 encounters on home soil, drawing 12 and losing eight, with 104 goals to their name, conceding 51.

Last time out: Luton were beaten 1-0 by Brentford in their last meeting at Kenilworth Road, a League Two contest back in November 2008.

The visitors led through Nathan Elder's goal on 29 minutes as Town finished with 10 men once Keith Keane was sent off with four to go.

Hatters: Conrad Logan, Claude Gnakpa, Michael Spillane, Sol Davis (Wayne Andrews 60), Drew Talbot (Rossi Jarvis 72), Ian Roper, Keith Keane, Asa Hall, Jake Howells, Paul McVeigh, Kevin Gallen.

Subs not used: Dean Brill, George Beavan, Garreth O'Connor.

Referee: Jonathan Moss.

Attendance: 5,248.