Dean Smith believes Brentford face a defining period of their season with the festive fixtures upon them.
The Bees travel to Norwich on Friday night before hosting Aston Villa on Boxing Day and Sheffield Wednesday on December 30. A trip to Wolves on January 2 ends the congestion.
And Smith believes that a strong Christmas can be a springboard for a big push in the second half of the season.
He said: “I think it can be a defining period. If you go and get nine points then you're looking up the table.
“If you don't you're always playing catch up. We picked up three points in seven games and then 25 from the next 15.
“We've only had two defeats and left a lot of points out there. We can't leave many more points as it'll be too big a job to catch up.”
The fact that all four sides are big clubs in their own right gives Smith further excitement and he is relatively happy with how they are scheduled.
He added: “I'm really looking forward to the games as they're mouthwatering fixtures. I believe they've fallen quite well with bringing the Norwich game forward. It gives us extra recovery.
“The kick of being late gives us a chance to come in on Boxing Day. The January game at Wolves goes back a bit because of their commitments. The players and staff are looking forward to them.”
