The last encounter of Premier League gameweek 10 sees Fulham square off with neighbors Brentford in a West London derby at Craven Cottage on Monday night. A solitary point and a single position is all that comes between the mid-table combatants after nine matches, both of whom boast a neutral goal difference at this early juncture.
Match Preview
Fulham boss Marco Silva faced his old club Everton last weekend and was seemingly on course to seal the three points courtesy of Alex Iwobi’s strike. However, a 94-minute strike by Beto ensured the Toffees grasped a draw as the Cottagers have picked up just one point in their last three league outings following back-to-back losses to Aston Villa and Manchester City. Currently in 12th place, the Cottagers will hope to benefit from a return to Craven Cottage, where they’ve scored in all four home matches this season but have not kept a Premier League clean sheet on home turf since March.
Recent form on London derbies favours Fulham, who have lost just once in eight and are unbeaten in their last five Premier League matches against other capital clubs.
At the other end of the pitch, Brentford boss Thomas Frank ensured entertainment between his charges and Ipswich Town. Bryan Mbeumo’s injury-time cross sealed the Bees’ comeback from 2-0 down and after taking a 3-2 lead in a pulsating 4-3 victory. The mediocre 11th place Brentford have succeeded in earning their only victories of the season at home, struggling on the road where they have lost all four of their league away trips to top-six teams. However, they will travel to Craven Cottage feeling confident after a 3-0 win over Fulham at the same ground last season.
Fulham’s Recent Form:
Premier League: DWWLLD
All Competitions: LWWLLD
Brentford’s Recent Form:
Premier League: LLDWLW
All Competitions: LDWLWW
Team News
Fulham’s Andreas Pereira, who was withdrawn in the latter stages of the match because of a slight knock in the 0-0 draw with Everton, wasn’t mentioned by Silva during the pre-match press conference, so he’s more than likely ok. Having created the second most chances in the league this term, Pereira will look to be the main man in breaching Brentford’s backline for Fulham. Joachim Andersen will also return for Silva after suspension while Timothy Castagne should be available following a thigh problem. However, Sasa Lukic remains out with a shoulder injury.
For Brentford, Thomas Frank gave an update on the injured Kristoffer Ajer. The defender is back in training following a foot problem and might be fit. The Bees will be without Aaron Hickey, Gustavo Nunes, Igor Thiago, Josh Dasilva and Rico Henry. Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa will be tasked with leading Brentford’s attack. Wissa comes into this in good form, netting nine goals across his last ten league starts.
Predicted Lineups
FULHAM
Leno; Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Berge, Pereira; Traore, Smith Rowe, Iwobi; Jimenez
Brentford
Flekken; Van den Berg, Collins, Pinnock, Ajer; Damsgaard, Janelt, Norgaard; Mbeumo, Wissa, Lewis-Potter
Prediction
Fulham 2-2 Brentford
Despite Brentford having struggled on their travels, they are a high-scoring team that should give Fulham’s backline some cause for concern. Frank’s team has already dropped 11 points from winning positions this term, so Fulham might still find a way to equalize if the Bees go ahead. Their impressive London derby record should stand the Cottagers in good stead to at least get a draw in an entertaining match.
