Fulham are angling for consecutive victories in the Premier League, as they host a Brentford side who are having a mixed campaign so far.
Marco Silva would have been relieved, more than being happy, last weekend as he saw his side limp over the finishing line at Craven Cottage against Leeds United. It took a late own goal from Gabriel Gudmundsson to consolidate a late win on home soil, which will have helped boost confidence at Fulham ahead of the game against Brentford.
The Cottagers have drawn their other two games and lost to Chelsea, and Silva would want back-to-back wins for the first time since February. They are in for a tricky encounter with Brentford in this version of their West London Derby, and the Fulham boss would want a better performance that is more inclined to the quality they have at their disposal.
Brentford are growing their confidence and building momentum under Keith Andrews following another result at the G-Tech Community Stadium last time out. Last Sunday, the Bees faced Chelsea as the underdogs, but they came out of the game as the happier team of the two.
Having taken the lead against the run of play, Brentford were pegged back by Chelsea in the second half through Cole Palmer and Moises Caicedo. The latter’s thunderous strike seemed like the winner, only for the Blues to be pegged back this time with a late equaliser through Fabio Carvalho, although on further inspection, there were suggestions that the goal should have been ruled out for offside.
In the end, Brentford took two points off Chelsea, and that result will help build confidence ahead of a visit to another West London side, Fulham. They did lose both their encounters to the Cottagers last season, as the main objective would be to avoid another such result and get a big win under their belt to keep moving forward.
Team News & Tactics
Fulham
In what might be a rarity across the league, Fulham have a clean bill of health heading into the weekend, with Marco Silva having an entire squad at his disposal. The Fulham manager might prefer to have continuity rather than hand the onus to new signings, meaning the Portuguese tactician could go with a familiar lineup he has fielded this season when the Cottagers take on Brentford.
However, the Fulham boss could be tempted to bring in Kevin on the left wing, and probably shift Alex Iwobi to the right-hand side to give his side something different. The other temptation might be to swap Rodrigo Muniz, without a goal in his last three starts, for the experienced Raul Jimenez, although he might continue with the Brazilian for this one.
Calvin Bassey and Joachim Andersen are set to retain their spots at the heart of the defence, and the same could be said about the central midfield pairing of Sasa Lukic and Sander Berge. Joshua King will once again take a place in the attacking midfield role against Brentford, as he continues to rise within the ranks at Fulham as one of their most talented stars.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Leno; Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Berge, Lukic; Iwobi, King, Kevin; Muniz
Brentford
Keith Andrews would have seen elements of his game plan being implemented and executed by his players, as he could look to exploit Fulham similarly.
The manager rested key stars like Igor Thiago, Ethan Pinnock, and Jordan Henderson for the midweek cup win over Aston Villa, as they would be expected in the starting lineup. There were concerns over Kristoffer Ajer after he was taken off against Aston Villa in the midweek tie, but he is reportedly fit and available for selection.
Vitaly Janelt, Paris Maghoma, and Gustavo Nunes are the ones in doubt to feature, as they are not expected to start even if they make the matchday squad. Andrews will name a similar lineup to the one against Chelsea, barring a major change in midfield, as he has Mikkel Damsgaard available again.
Damsgaard could come in place of Mathias Jensen in the middle of the park. Igor Thiago and Kevin Schade will once again lead the line in a two-prong attacking setup, with Keane Lewis-Potter and Michael Kayode preferred in the wing-back roles.
Probable Lineup (4-5-2): Kelleher; Collins, van den Berg, Pinnock; Kayode, Damsgaard, Yarmoliuk, Henderson, Lewis-Potter; Thiago, Schade
Key Stats
- Fulham are aiming to achieve consecutive Premier League wins for the first time since February.
- Fulham have seen over 2.5 goals in seven of their last eight matches against Brentford in all competitions
- Brentford have lost both their away games this season.
- Brentford have lost two of their last three away trips to Fulham.
- Brentford are winless in their last three away Premier League games (D1 L2), losing both of the last two, having won seven of their nine league games on the road beforehand (D1 L1).
Player to Watch
Rodrigo Muniz
The Brazilian striker has been a surprise pick to lead the line for Fulham this season despite the presence of Raul Jimenez in the squad. Muniz has not been great so far, as he was unable to score in his last three starts, and Marco Silva will hope that run stops on Saturday.
Moreover, there is also the pressure of losing his starting spot, and unless he puts in a top performance while leading the line. Jimenez will be breathing down his neck in the coming period. Hence, Muniz must come out big, and the game against the Bees will probably offer him a good enough platform to get going.
Prediction
Fulham 2-1 Brentford
Brentford could potentially deploy a similar strategy they had against Chelsea when they play Fulham, but the circumstances will be completely different. While the Bees can come into the game with some level of confidence, they are expected to struggle to get something out of the clash.
As for Fulham, the hosts are equipped with quality players across the pitch, and while their levels are nowhere close to the top-six sides, they can get something against Brentford. Marco Silva is widely expected to engineer a win over Brentford and continue building their momentum heading into a crucial period of the season.
