Brentford still on course despite injury setback
Pontus Jansson’s injury is a blow for Brentford but they remain among the favourites for promotion from the Championship this season.
Jansson has been ruled out for a significant spell after undergoing surgery on an ankle injury.
A look at Championship odds shows Brentford are still much-fancied to finish in the top two and win promotion to the Premier League.
A sign of this is the fact that the Bees are currently 11/19 to beat Luton in their upcoming home game.
Luton are a decent team – they were unbeaten in seven home matches prior to the recent defeat against QPR – but Brentford have been so impressive in recent weeks it’s hard to look beyond them at the moment.
Jansson is expected to miss most of the rest of the season and the Sweden defender could even be a doubt for the European Championships being played in the summer.
His influence on the Brentford side has been clear and their results without him have not been as impressive as they have been with him.
It’s little wonder then that Jansson carried on trying to play despite the ongoing problem before reluctantly admitting that surgery would be required.
Bees still strong
Even so, Brentford have enough quality in their squad to succeed where they missed out last season – when of course defeats in their final two matches of the regular season and losing to Fulham in the play-offs cost them promotion.
Ethan Pinnock is clearly more comfortable alongside Jansson but is a capable defender in his own right and the likes of Henrik Dalsgaard and Rico Henry also bring experience and quality to the back line.
And of course, Brentford have plenty of ability in other areas of the pitch, with Ivan Toney scoring plenty of goals and the likes of Bryan Mbeumo and Josh Dasilva among those catching the eye this season.
Thomas Frank’s side should be OK without their influential captain, who in any case is aiming to be back in time for the all-important run-in.
Other contenders
Not that it will be plain sailing – there are other Championship teams in with a strong chance and they will no doubt be buoyed by news of an injury to a rival’s key player.
Norwich are currently top of the table – six points clear of the Bees – and look very likely to go back to the top flight at the first time of asking.
Bournemouth are also looking to win immediate promotion back to the Premier League and have been tipped to make signings during this month’s transfer window, which might strengthen their cause significantly.
Swansea, currently third, are also strong contenders, as are Watford, Middlesbrough and Reading, who will all be looking to achieve more consistent results during the second half of the season.
