Brentford vs Fulham

Gtech Community Stadium forms the backdrop for an all-London Premier League match-up between Brentford and Fulham.

Despite off-field turmoil surrounding star man Ivan Toney’s gambling breaches, Brentford will take the field in high spirits after assembling a club-record 11-game unbeaten run in the Premier League (W5, D6), spanning back to late October. But back-to-back 1-1 draws against Arsenal and Crystal Palace in the build-up to this fixture contributed to Brentford’s slim chances of securing a first-ever European finish as they start this round six points adrift of fifth-placed Newcastle United. However, the ‘Bees’ have developed a habit of faltering in the London derbies in the Premier League, going winless in their last six such match-ups (D4, L2). Scoring first should be a catalyst to help Brentford finally buck that trend, as they’ve never lost a Premier League game in which they’ve broken the deadlock (W17, D4).

On the other hand, visiting Fulham fought back to hold Wolverhampton Wanderers to a 1-1 home draw last time out, extending their unbeaten run in the Premier League to four matches (W2, D2). With only two points separating them from Newcastle at the beginning of this round, the ‘Cottagers’ are firmly in the race for a first European finish since 2010/11. After a 3-2 victory in the reverse fixture at Craven Cottage, they could register a top-flight double over fellow London opposition for only the fourth time in the club’s history. But after blowing hot and cold across their last three Premier League travels (W1, D1, L1), Marco Silva’s men must be doubting their bid to defy an underwhelming five-game away record against Brentford in league football (W1, L4).