Aston Villa v Brentford: Thomas Frank refusing to get carried away by strong start

The Bees are just three points outside the Premier League's top four thanks to their stunning home form which has produced six wins and a draw in seven matches.

But on the road they have struggled, losing five out of six ahead of Wednesday night's visit to Villa. History has taught Frank to be wary of getting carried away.

"I'm the optimistic guy, always very positive," said Frank, who confirmed that Mathias Jensen will miss the trip to the Midlands because of a minor hamstring injury.

"But I have a few good guys in my coaching team in Claus Norgaard and Kevin O'Connor, who are a little bit more levelled, let's put it that way.

"It's very important for the fans to dream. And of course me and the players always need to dream, but we need to focus on the next game and what's just ahead of us because so many things can change.

"In our third year in the Premier League (last season) we had 16 points after 11 games, which was the same amount of points we had the year before, but everything fell apart with injuries and all that.

"So that was a good example of dream but don't get too far ahead of yourself. Focus, stay in the moment and enjoy it."

Liverpool, Manchester City, Tottenham and Manchester United have been among Brentford's opponents on the road, partly explaining a series of results that has kept them out of the Champions League places.

"We don't do too much different when we play away from home. It's not like we're going super-offensive or super-defensive, less high pressure. We try to do more or less the same," Frank said.

"I'd like us to have a little bit of an unbeaten run, that would be nice. Otherwise we'll keep performing in every game. My players are very motivated for Wednesday night.

"I'm convinced Villa will be the same. They probably know Brentford at home, on paper, is a task where they should do everything they can to get three points. We'll be ready and we believe we can get the result there."