Match Preview
Fulham v Brentford
Premier League Match Day 10 2425 at Craven Cottage
Monday 4th November 2024 KO: 20:00
Referee:
Stuart Attwell (Warwickshire)
Live on Sky Sports
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Fulham and Brentford scrap it out at Craven Cottage on Monday night in a mouthwatering West London derby that draws the curtain on Premier League gameweek 10.
Only one point and one place separates the two near neighbours in the mid-table pack after nine matches of the 2024-25 campaign, while they are also the only two sides in the division with a goal difference of zero at this fledgling stage.
Following a fair few last-minute surprises in the 3pm kickoffs last Saturday, Fulham sought to avoid suffering the same fate as the likes of Aston Villa, Ipswich Town and Brighton & Hove Albion when Marco Silva returned to his old stomping ground.
The erstwhile Everton head coach would seemingly have the last laugh against the Toffees thanks to a fine finish from another former Goodison Park flame in Alex Iwobi, but with no fewer than 94 minutes in the top left-hand corner, Beto made himself a Merseyside hero.
The only miniscule positive that Fulham can take from last weekend's 1-1 heartache, that point was the first that the Cottagers had achieved in three Premier League games; they had previously succumbed to Aston Villa and Manchester City's superiority in October.
Lying 12th in the standings after Saturday's fixtures, a return to home comforts may or may not be welcomed by the Craven Cottage faithful, whose side have scored in all four top-flight home games this season but have also gone without a Premier League clean sheet on familiar turf since March.
Clashes with fellow capital sides have been something of a speciality for Fulham in recent times, though, as they are unbeaten in each of their last five Premier League London derbies and have only lost one of their last eight top-flight games against close rivals from the city.
Momentarily linked with the vacant Manchester United role in between Erik ten Hag's sacking and Ruben Amorim's appointment, much-adored Brentford boss Thomas Frank was quick to reiterate his commitment to the Bees, who continue to show a commitment to entertainment at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Indeed, Brentford and Ipswich submitted their application for the 2024-25 Premier League Game of the Season last weekend, where the Bees trailed 2-0, led 3-2 and had ostensibly let two points slip from their grasp in the 86th minute when Liam Delap made it a six-goal spectacular.
However, the travelling Tractor Boys did not bank on Bryan Mbeumo's injury-time cross evading all bodies in a crowded penalty area, as well as goalkeeper Arijanet Muric, to seal an astonishing 4-3 triumph for the men in red and white, whose two top-flight home games in October produced an incredible 15 goals.
Frank's 11th-placed troops were only able to scrape past Sheffield Wednesday on penalties in the last 16 of the EFL Cup, though, and they have lost all four Premier League away games in 2024-25, but no team has had a more difficult start on the road.
Brentford have already had to travel to Liverpool, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United in 2024-25 and should welcome a jaunt to Craven Cottage, where they crushed Fulham 3-0 in the 2023-24 campaign before a low-key goalless draw at the Gtech in May.
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Fulham’s only win in their last nine league games against Brentford came in their first Premier League meeting in August 2022.
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The Cottagers have secured just two victories in their last 21 home matches against the Bees in all competitions.
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Both sides have won 19 matches each in their 54 previous league encounters.
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Fulham are looking to avoid going four league matches without a win.
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Their record after nine top-flight games this season is W3, D3, L3. They had a record of W3, D3, L4 after 10 league matches in each of the last two campaigns.
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The Cottagers have only lost one of their last eight top-flight London derbies, and none of the last five.
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They have lost six of their last seven league games played on a Monday night.
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Only Arsenal's Bukayo Saka (27) has created more chances in the Premier League this season than Andreas Pereira, who has 26. However, none of the Brazilian's chances have been converted.
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Raul Jimenez has scored 10 goals in his last 13 league starts.
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Brentford's four league wins this season came in home games against the teams that begin this matchround 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th in the table.
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They have lost their opening four away matches of a league campaign for the fourth time in their history after the 1924-25, 1947-48 and 1961-62 campaigns.
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The Bees have failed to keep a clean sheet in 11 consecutive league matches dating back to a 0-0 home draw against Fulham on 4 May.
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They have let in eight goals in their last three league fixtures, but have won two of those games despite conceding three times in each match.
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The 18 goals they have conceded in the top flight so far this season is their most after nine league games since the 1961-62 campaign.
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Brentford have dropped 11 points from a winning position this season, the most of any top-flight side.
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The Bees have lost their last five away league London derbies.
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Bryan Mbeumo has scored eight goals in nine league games this campaign, while Yoane Wissa has scored nine goals in his last 10 Premier League starts.
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Source Ben Knapton at SportsMole/BBCSports