Fulham will host Brentford at Craven Cottage on Monday night, looking to get back to winning ways and end their recent winless run.
Fulham are coming into the game against Brentford on the back of two defeats and a draw from their last three Premier League games. The Cottagers will be thoroughly disappointed with their performances in recent weeks, and the home team will be desperate to bounce back.
The Fulham fans will certainly expect a strong reaction from the player, and it will be interesting to see if they can step up and deliver. Meanwhile, Brentford are coming into this game on the back of a win over Sheffield Wednesday in the EFL Cup.
The Bees picked up a win over Ipswich Town prior to that. Brentford are unbeaten in four of their last five matches in all competitions, and they will look to exploit Fulham’s vulnerabilities. It will be interesting to see if they can grind out a positive result away from home.
The last time these two sides met at Craven Cottage, Brentford picked up a 3-0 win and they will be hoping for more of the same here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Fulham
Fulham will be without Sasa Lukic who has a shoulder injury, and Timothy Castagne misses out with a thigh injury.
Fulham are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Bernd Leno in goal.
Kenny Tete and Antonee Robinson will be deployed as the full-backs. They will look to protect the side defensively and help out counter-attacking opportunities. Joachim Andersen will start alongside Calvin Bassey at the heart of the defence.
Tom Cairney and Andreas Pereira will start in the midfield pivot, and they will add creativity and control from the deep. Emile Smith Rowe will start in the number ten role and he will look to create goalscoring chances for his teammates.
Adama Traore will start on the flanks along with Alex Iwobi. They will add pace and flair to the side. Raul Jimenez will lead the line for Fulham.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Leno; Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Cairney, Pereira; Traore, Rowe, Iwobi; Jimenez
Brentford
Brentford will be without Joshua Dasilva due to a knee injury, Gustavo Nunes due to a back injury, Rico Henry due to a knee injury, Aaron Hickey due to a thigh injury, and Igor Thiago because of a knee injury.
The Bees will shape up in a 4-3-3 formation, with Mark Flekken in goal.
Mads Roerslev and Kristoffer Ajer will be deployed as the full-backs here. They will look to help out defensively and provide support during transitions. Nathan Collins will start at the heart of the defence alongside Ethan Pinnock.
Vitaly Janelt will start as the defensive midfielder alongside Christian Norgaard and Mikkel Damsgaard. Janelt and Norgaard will look to provide defensive cover and break down opposition attacks. Damsgaard will add creativity and drive to the side.
Kevin Schade will lead the line for Brentford, with Bryan Mbeumo and Keane Lewis-Potter on the flanks.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Flekken; Roerslev, Collins, Pinnock, Ajer; Norgaard, Janelt, Damsgaard; Mbeumo, Schade, Lewis-Potter
Key Stats
- Brentford have scored at least 2 goals in their last 4 away matches against Fulham in all competitions.
- Brentford are unbeaten in 4 of their last 6 matches against Fulham.
- Fulham are winless in 4 of their last 6 matches in all competitions.
- Brentford are unbeaten in 4 of their last 5 matches in all competitions.
Player to watch out for
Bryan Mbeumo
Fulham have looked quite vulnerable defensively in recent weeks, and they will have to be careful against Brentford. The likes of Bryan Mbeumo could cause all sorts of problems for them with his pace and trickery. The Brentford attacker is our key to watch out for. He will look to create openings in the Fulham home defence with his technical ability, and he will look to add to his goal tally for the season as well.
Prediction
Fulham 1-2 Brentford
Fulham are in disappointing form right now and they could struggle against Brentford. The away side have the confidence and momentum with them, and they will look to pull off an upset. This is likely to be a close contest and it will be difficult to separate the two teams. However, the visitors have more quality in the attack and they should be able to find a way for him. A narrow win for Brentford is on the cards.
