For both Fulham and Brentford, positive pre-season forecasts were in short supply. After the Cottagers' fifth consecutive promotion or relegation between the top two divisions in May, few gave them hope of preventing a sixth this term.
Brentford, meanwhile, were deemed prime candidates for ‘second season syndrome’, having lost the element of surprise from their debut Premier League campaign, as well as star man Christian Eriksen.
Optimism, however, now abounds in West London, as both sides have shaken off those predictions of doom to make unbeaten starts. Marco Silva’s Fulham already look a more resilient outfit than their recent top-flight iterations and have claimed impressive draws from Liverpool and away at Wolves, while the Bees have four points in the bag and are coming off that scarcely believable 4-0 mauling of Manchester United.
There are only about four miles of Thameside path between these two, and they don’t like each other much. After a long period without playing each other – they had not met this century until 2014 - several big clashes at the top of the Championship have reignited their latent rivalry.
Most notably, Fulham’s Play-off Final victory in 2020 left a bitter taste in Brentford mouths that was only partly washed away by the Bees’ subsequent promotion (and Fulham’s inevitable relegation). They will relish the opportunity to avenge that defeat on Saturday, in what is the clubs’ first ever top-flight meeting.
Team News
Fulham
Boss Marco Silva has confirmed there are no new injury doubts this week for the home side. Harry Wilson and Manor Soloman are still ruled out, and Silva must decide whether to bring any of summer signings Shane Duffy, Issa Diop or Kevin Mbabu into his back line.
Brentford
Kristoffer Ajer and Sergi Canos remain unavailable for the next couple of weeks at least. Thomas Frank confirmed that new signing Mikkel Damsgaard won’t start, but may feature from the bench. The smart money is on an unchanged line-up for the Bees after their historic victory last weekend.
Likely Lineups
Fulham
Rodak; Tete, Tosin, Ream, Robinson; Reed, Palhinha; Decordova-Reed, Pereira, Kebano; Mitrovic
Brentford
Raya; Hickey, Roerslev, Jansson, Mee, Henry; Dasilva, Norgaard, Jensen; Mbuemo, Toney
Key Players
Fulham – Andreas Pereira
After eight frustrating years at Manchester United, in which he made just 45 league appearances and had four long loan spells away, Brazilian international Pereira may have finally found a permanent home at Craven Cottage.
The diminutive number 10 has started both games so far for the Cottagers and though he is yet to make any big contributions, he does have serious pedigree. Of all those loans away from United, perhaps the most successful was his spell at Lazio in 2020-21, where he established himself as one of the most creative players in Serie A.
As Christian Eriksen found out last week, Brentford are highly adept at compressing the space in midfield and if Fulham are to get their passing game going, they will need their new boy's agility and speed of thought to beat the press. A derby would be a good time to for him to kick start his Fulham career.
Brentford – Ivan Toney
With a goal and two assists to his name already this season, Toney is looking as sharp as ever. Primarily thought of as a powerful target man, his sublime first-time ball to Bryan Mbuemo for Brentford’s fourth goal last weekend showed he has more strings to his bow.
Assuming Fulham do not bring in either of their new centre-backs Duffy and Diop, Toney will surely be looking forward to facing Tim Ream. The American, not known for his physical presence, has performed well in both Fulham’s matches so far, but is yet to face a striker who enjoys a tussle quite so much as Brentford’s number 17.
If Toney can bully the Fulham backline the way he did against Manchester United, it could be a long afternoon for the Cottagers.
Match Details
Where is the game being played?
The match is being played at Craven Cottage, West London.
What time is kick-off?
The game kicks off at 3PM on Saturday, 20 August.
How can I watch?
As a 3PM Saturday match, the game won’t be broadcast anywhere on television in the UK.