Match Preview
Brentford vrs Fulham
Championship Match Day 22 1920 at Griffin Park
Saturday 14th December 2019 KO: 15:00
Referee:
Oliver Langford (West Midlands)
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Fulham visit Brentford in a Championship London derby on Saturday as both sides looking to gain three points to boost their playoff ambitions.
Both teams have been in patchy form of late, with two losses apiece in their last four games, and will be hoping to generate some momentum with a positive result.
Brentford are just outside the Championship playoff places in seventh, but only two points separate them from third-placed Fulham.
The Bees won their last match 2-1 against Cardiff City at home to register their fourth win in six games, losing the other two.
Among those four victories was an astonishing 7-0 thumping of newly-promoted Luton Town, a game which contributed over 21% of their goals-scored tally so far.
Brentford also, surprisingly, boast the joint-second best defensive record in the division, conceding just 17 times in 21 games - level with Nottingham Forest and behind Leeds United.
It looks to be a tough task for Fulham, who have let their grip on third place slip as they succumbed to back-to-back defeats.
The Cottagers were beaten 2-1 by Bristol City at home and Preston North End away - the latter an ill-tempered game that saw one red card apiece in the first half.
The pair of losses come off the back of a four-game winning run and Scott Parker will be looking to get his side back into their groove for fear of slipping out of the hotly-contested playoff places.
Just four points separate 12th-placed Queens Park Rangers from Fulham in third, and any hint of complacency or a slump in form is easily punished by the waiting pack in this division.
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Brentford have lost only one of their past eight league matches against Fulham (W4 D3 L1), a 2-0 defeat in November 2016.
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Fulham have lost three of their past four league visits to Brentford (W1), losing most recently in December 2017 under Slavisa Jokanovic.
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Fulham will be aiming to avoid a run of three consecutive defeats, which last happened in the Championship back in January 2015.
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Aleksandar Mitrovic has scored 48.5% of Fulham's Championship goals this campaign (16/33) - the highest percentage of a team's goals scored by a player in the division.
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Fulham has lost 55% of their last 20 away league games
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Of the 11 away games Fulham has lost, they conceded first 9 times.
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Brentford have won three consecutive home league games by an aggregate scoreline of 10-1 - the Bee's last won four on the bounce at Griffin Park between January-March (a run of five).
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Of players to have scored at least three Championship goals this season, Brentford's Josh Dasilva has the highest shot conversion rate (35%), netting six of his 17 total shots.
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Brentford has won 65% of their last 20 home league games.
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Of the 13 league games Brentford has won at home, they scored first 10 times.