Brentford and Fulham will compete tonight to see who is currently the best Premier League team in west London.
Mid-table Chelsea lag behind both after a dismal season so far, with high-flying Fulham a full five points above them in seventh place after smashing pre-season predictions all year under Marco Silva.
The Cottagers - among the favourites for the drop before a ball was kicked - are dreaming of European football having finally broken the constant cycle of relegation and promotion, having gone seven matches unbeaten across all competitions and with an FA Cup quarter-final against Manchester United to look forward to later this month.
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Two spots and four points behind (with two games in hand) are Brentford, who are certainly not suffering from the cliched second-season syndrome under Thomas Frank.
The Bees will be confident of a top-half finish after taking on their good work from last term, boasting a five-game unbeaten streak themselves. After late draws against Crystal Palace and Arsenal, their last loss in the top-flight came all the way back before the World Cup break on October 23.
The only concern for Brentford at the moment surrounds top scorer Ivan Toney, who wants an investigation into leaks following reports that he could face a six-month ban from football after admitting gambling-related charges from the FA.
Date, kick-off time and venue
Brentford vs Fulham is scheduled for a 8pm GMT kick-off tonight on Monday March 6, 2023.
The match will take place at the Gtech Community Stadium in west London.
Where to watch Brentford vs Fulham
TV channel: In the UK, tonight’s game will be televised live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, with coverage of Monday Night Football beginning at 7pm.
Live stream: Subscribers can also catch the contest live online via the Sky Go app.
Live blog: You can also follow all of the action via Standard Sport’s up-to-the-minute match blog!
Brentford vs Fulham team news
Brentford XI: Raya; Hickey, Pinnock, Mee, Henry; Damsgaard, Norgaard, Jensen; Mbeumo, Toney, Wissa.
Subs: Cox, Schade, Dasilva, Jansson, Onyeka, Ajer, Baptiste, Janelt, Roerslev.
Fulham XI: Leno; Tete, Diop, Ream, Robinson; Reed, Lukic; Solomon, Pereira, Willian; Mitrovic.
Subs: Rodak, Wickens, Cedric, Tosin, Harris, Wilson, James, Decordova-Reid, Vinicius.
Brentford vs Fulham prediction
This is a tasty derby showdown under the lights between two sides that continue to confound modest expectations.
Brentford tend to be a force to be reckoned with when that unique home stadium is packed and rocking, though Fulham fear no one this season and have the excellent Mitrovic back leading the line.
An entertaining draw not short on goals, incident and pacy attacking football is what we’re forecasting.
Brentford 2-2 Fulham.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
Fulham famously beat Brentford in the 2020 Championship play-off final, since when they have only met twice.
Brentford exacted a measure of revenge with a 3-0 Carabao Cup success in October of that same year, though Fulham won the first-ever Premier League meeting between the rivals 3-2 at the Cottage in August thanks to a late Mitrovic effort.
Brentford wins: 23
Fulham wins: 23
Draws: 17
Brentford vs Fulham match odds
Brentford to win: Evens
Fulham to win: 14/5
Draw: 5/2
