Premier League preview: Brentford host Fulham in West London showdown
Brentford are preparing for what is surely their most important game remaining- a West London derby against Fulham in the Premier League at the Gtech Community Stadium.
In August’s reverse fixture, Brentford emerged 3-0 victors at Craven Cottage.
Yoanne Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo (2) scored the goals on a memorable day for Bees fans, with Brentford looking to complete a league double over Fulham for the first time since 2020.
Final few games
Brentford will aim to finish the season strongly, just as they did last year.
Five wins in their six games- including notable victories against Man City, Spurs and Chelsea ensured a 9th place finish.
This season has been dictated by an injury crisis and key players missing, with Premier League survival mathematically secured as late as last week.
A 1-0 defeat against Everton last week perhaps highlighted a lack of concentration, with Bees boss Thomas Frank keen to keep his team focused.
“I had to speak to a few players after the Luton game,” said Frank.
“It’s important that we keep training well because if we start lacking in training, it’s natural to take that into the game.
“I’ve spoken to a few of the senior players to ensure the whole squad is training well. High intensity and high quality.”
Toney talk
The 3-0 victory at Fulham was Brentford’s first away game of the season, where the question about the squad was how they could cope without the suspended Ivan Toney.
Toney has been available since late January, but interestingly, the Bees haven’t won any of the last ten games he has featured in.
Despite this factor, and the fact Toney didn’t feature in the successful reverse fixture in August, Frank is sticking by his star man, who is set to receive plenty of attention in the summer transfer window.
When asked if he considered switching back to the system that was successful in August, Frank replied: “No, not really.
“I think our style of play doesn’t change if it’s Neil (Maupay) or Ivan (Toney) as the nine.
“It’s more individual bits because they’re different players.
“We will still try to take control of the game, try to press high, and try to be aggressive.”
Players knocking on the door
Toney was missing for Brentford’s 5-1 demolition of Luton Town at Kenilworth Road two weeks ago, a game where there were plenty of standout performances.
Mikkel Damsgaard played 71 minutes, with Kevin Schade also coming off the bench to score.
Both players found themselves benched for the defeat against Everton, with Frank ensuring minutes will be allocated as evenly as possible.
“Kevin (Schade) is looking better and better.
“He’s been out for six months, which is a long time without any football. He’s building and looking sharper, so I’m pleased with what I’m seeing.
“Dams (Damsgaard) has also been progressing well and is definitely pushing for a start.
“He did well in that run of three starts, but there have been three consistent starters in midfield for me this season: Christian (Nørgaard), Vitaly (Janelt) and Mathias (Jensen).
