Keith Andrews has warned Brentford not to be fooled by the Premier League table as the Dubliner’s side prepare to host struggling Nottingham Forest on Saturday, and he will have to do it without one of his most in-form attackers.
The former Republic of Ireland midfielder confirmed on Friday that Fabio Carvalho will miss the game and is not expected back until after the November international break.
Carvalho blow
Carvalho picked up a knock around ten days to two weeks ago, Andrews explained on the club’s official website. It is an unwelcome setback for a player who has scored in both of his competitive appearances this season, against Chelsea and Reading, but who has not been included in the last two matchday squads.
His goal against Chelsea came in a 3-0 Premier League win in September, according to Sports Mole, one of the high points of Andrews’ time in charge so far.
Rico Henry is also ruled out until after the break with hip and quad problems. Josh Dasilva, Kaye Furo and Antoni Milambo are unavailable but making progress in their recoveries, and Yehor Yarmolyuk serves the final game of a three-match ban, Sports Mole reported. Otherwise, Andrews said everybody came through Wednesday night’s game against Sunderland without problems, with some players featuring for the first time in a while.
‘A false sense’ of Forest
Forest arrive in the relegation zone, but Andrews was adamant that their position does not reflect how well they have played under Oliver Glasner. He said his side should expect their toughest game in more than a week, and that Forest have some magnificent players who can hurt any team given the chance.
“If you look at the table, you would get a false sense of where they’re at,” he told Brentford’s website.
Forest have shown what they are capable of with a recent away win at Aston Villa, a reminder that their league position does not tell the whole story.
Strong start, but a sticky patch
Brentford have been one of the surprise packages of the season. They sit sixth with 11 points from eight matches, according to Sports Mole, and have lost only once in the league, at home to Liverpool two weeks ago, the club noted.
However, they are currently on a four-game winless run in all competitions, and a home game against a side in the bottom three is exactly the sort of fixture they will see as an opportunity to get back to winning ways.
Andrews will want a sharper edge in the final third. Without Carvalho, the burden falls on the rest of the forward line to turn Brentford’s solid performances back into victories, and home advantage in west London has been an important part of their early-season success.
The Irishman’s tone on Friday was measured rather than alarmed. He pointed to the fact that his players had all come through midweek unscathed, and he will hope that a near-full squad, minus the long-term absentees, can deliver against opponents fighting for their lives.
For Irish supporters, Andrews’ progress is being followed closely. A former Republic of Ireland international who later worked on the coaching staff before stepping up at Brentford, he is one of the few Irish head coaches in the top flight, and a strong first season would cement his reputation.
What happens next
Brentford host Nottingham Forest at the Gtech Community Stadium at 3pm on Saturday 31 October. A win would keep the Bees in the European conversation heading into the international break.
Defeat, against a side in the relegation zone, would extend the winless run to five games and raise questions about whether the early-season momentum is fading. Carvalho and Henry should then be back in contention after the break.
Sources
- Brentford FC: Brentford v Nottingham Forest team news: Fabio Carvalho out until after international break (30 October 2026)
- Sports Mole: Brentford injury news: Keith Andrews rules out attacker until after international break (30 October 2026)
- Last Word on Sports: Premier League GW9 predictions (30 October 2026)
Featured image: Brentford Community Stadium 2020.jpg by AndyScott, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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