Brentford: Thomas Frank wants to get back the winning feeling against Stoke City in EFL Cup

Brentford manager Thomas Frank will field a strong team in an attempt to get back to winning ways against Stoke City in the Carabao Cup.

The Bees have lost their last two games against Chelsea and Leicester in the Premier League.

The defeat against Leicester was the first back-to-back defeat they have suffered since February 2021, and you’ll have to go back to the beginning of 2020 to see when they lost three games on the spin.

A section of the fan base want the manager to go soft against Stoke, with the primary target this season being Premier League survival, but coach Thomas Frank doesn’t want the team to get used to losing games.

He said: “If you asked me which tournament is the most important then it’s the Premier League, but for me the next game is always the most important.

“We want to do everything we can and try to win the Carabao Cup.

“We are going to face a very good team in Stoke City, where Michael O’Neill has done a top job in stabilising the club.

“Now they can really compete for the top six.

“The top six in the Championship and the bottom 10 in the Premier League are not very different, especially over 90 minutes.

“It is going to be a very tough game, but we are going strong.

“I want us to do everything we can to try and win the Carabao Cup.

I love the cup tournaments; the longer that I stay in this country and learn more about the culture and the history, the more I love the cup tournaments.

“It is a good thing that it is only 90 minutes, not extra time.”

The Bees will be missing some key players including the irrepressible Bryan Mbeumo.

The 22-year-forward has been sensational alongside Ivan Toney this season and has two goals from nine league games.

He was replaced early against Leicester due to a hamstring issue and won’t be risked tomorrow night.

Brentford coach Thomas Frank added: “Bryan Mbeumo and Ethan Pinnock will be out for Wednesday.

“Hopefully they are available for Saturday, it is too early to say yet. Bryan has a minor hamstring issue.

“It is not a big one because that would rule him out for the next couple of weeks. We took him off [on Sunday] as it was the early stages so, hopefully, he can be available for Saturday.”