Dan Bentley knows that Brentford face a season defining period over the festive fixtures.

The Bees face a trip to Norwich tonight before hosting Aston Villa on Boxing Day and Sheffield Wednesday on December 30 with the Christmas period rounding off with a trip to Wolves on January 2.

The Bees are a mid-table side but a strong 12 days could see them climb into the play-off picture. A poor period could see them looking over their shoulder.

Bentley said: “If we're coming out of the period with full points or as many points as possible that sets us up for the new year.

“I think there's a great opportunity for this group and the club and there's a chance to climb the table.

“Teams can win a couple of games and be amongst the leaders. Lose a couple and they're fighting for their lives.

Dan Bentley

“Everyone is fairly close in terms of quality. It's such an inconsistent league. We need to get three points from every game.”

Last year's trip to Norwich was a chastening one for Bentley and his team-mates as the Bees suffered their worst result in the league in nine years as they were beaten 5-0.

He added: “I don't like conceding one, let alone five. I saved a penalty and then he put the rebound in which I think summed the day up.

“Getting hit for five is not something that I accept whether that be from a personal point of view or the team's perspective.

“The performance was unacceptable. A couple of individuals made their feelings clear.

Dan Bentley

“Coming into January, we were strong. We're not aiming to be beat five, I can tell you that much. I hope we can go there and get back to our best and we want three points.”

Norwich will pose similar problems this time and Bentley knows they have players that deserve respect.

He explained: “They've got players that can hurt you. (Nelson) Oliveira, (Josh) Murphy. Alex Pritchard has come back into the fold.

“Let's not forget that two, three years ago they were a Premier League team. That deserves to be respected. They were there for a reason. We have to show them respect.”