Leeds United v Brentford - opposition lowdown: Key players, form, transfer business and meet the referee

Key players

Pontus Jansson

All eyes will be on former Leeds defender Pontus Jansson as he returns to Elland Road for the first time since his £5.5m move to Brentford last month. A key figure in United's campaign last season, Jansson signed for the Bees after a breakdown in relationship between the club and the player.

The Swedish international has gone on to start all three Championship matches at Brentford, and will look to hold back former team-mate Patrick Bamford, who scored twice in last week's game at Wigan.

The question remains as to how the fans will react to the return of Jansson. Will he receive a hostile reception for abandoning the Whites this summer, or will he be recognised for his achievements at United?

Ollie Watkins

The in-form striker is Brentford's only goalscorer in the Championship so far, scoring twice in three games, including a vital goal to rescue a point against Hull City last weekend.

Watkins signed from Exeter City in 2017 after being named EFL Young Player of the Year, and bagged 10 goals in 41 Championship appearances last season. The 23-year-old has become Brentford's first choice number 9, and his 'striker instinct' has been praised by boss Thomas Frank.

Bryan Mbeumo

A recent addition to the squad, Mbeumo signed from French side Troyes AC on a five-year contract earlier this month. The young winger made his debut in a 1-0 victory over Middlesbrough on 10 August and went on to start against Hull last weekend.

The 20-year old made 37 appearances for Troyes AC, scoring 11 goals, and has been capped for France at U17 and U20 level. The Bees will be looking to use his pace to exploit the wing and cause trouble for Barry Douglas.

Manager - Thomas Frank

The Danish manager was assistant head coach at Brentford for two years before promotion to the top job in October 2018 after the departure of Dean Smith to Aston Villa. The 45-year-old has had spells with the Danish youth teams, taking the U17 side to the World Cup for the first time ever.

He went on to manage Danish Superliga club Brøndby IF, qualifying for the Europa League twice before moving to England in 2016.

Transfer comings and goings

The summer transfer window was busy for Brentford, with the departure of several key players.

Neal Maupay, who scored 37 goals for the club over two seasons, signed for Brighton for a reported £20m, while young centre-back and England U21 international Ezri Konsa joined Aston Villa for £12m.

Walking in the door, alongside Pontus Jansson and Bryan Mbeumo, was central midfielder Mathias Jensen, who signed from Spanish side Celta Vigo, and Fiorentina midfielder, Christian Nørgaard.

Current form

Brentford have had a mixed start to the season, with defeat to Cambridge United in the first round of the Carabao Cup, and four points from the first three games of the Championship.

A lack of goals, only finding the net twice so far, is a problem Frank will be looking to rectify, through in-form striker Ollie Watkins.

This goal drought comes off the back of a successful pre-season, with the Bees scoring nine goals in five matches, including coming back from 1-0 down to secure a 3-1 victory over Norwich City.

Referee

Andy Davies will take charge of Wednesday evening's game.

Davies is the only football league referee to have played professional football, with spells at Gillingham and Yeovil. Leeds fans may remember him from the 2-0 win over Derby in January, which saw Leeds go five points clear at the top of the table.

However, this season Davies has already shown eight yellow cards, including four in Barnsley's 1-0 victory over Fulham on the opening day of the season, and Leeds will be hoping he keeps his cards firmly in his pocket.