Dean Smith knows Brentford fans will be looking forward to facing Arsenal in the Carabao Cup but insists his focus is firmly on the Sky Bet Championship.
Smith, who has built a reputation for attacking football at Griffin Park, saw his side lose 3-1 to Derby on Saturday to drop to seventh in the table after dropping five points in their last two games.
They have a glamorous trip to face the Gunners in the cup on Wednesday, but the Brentford boss is refusing to get carried away with the prospect of an upset.
Smith joked: “I’m still hoping it was going to be Macclesfield at home but unfortunately we’ve got to travel to the Emirates which I’m sure all our supporters will be looking forward to.”
Despite the daunting task of facing Unai Emery’s expensively-assembled team, Smith is trying to stay grounded and will not think about the occasion until he arrives in north London.
He added: “I will when we get there but at the moment it’s concentration fully on the league.”
The Brentford manager has the option to make changes against Arsenal but is unlikely to reveal what they are ahead of such a big game.
He said: “I will have a look at the lads to see how they are (in the wake of the Derby defeat).”
Smith must decide whether to stick with Lewis MacLeod who came in as captain to replace Kamohelo Mokotjo in defence but was replaced after 75 minutes against the Rams.
Rico Henry is sidelined with a serious knee injury but has resumed training but fellow defender Moses Odubajo could make a belated debut following his own knee problem.
