Fulham vs. Brentford: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips

The recent head-to-head meetings between these two sides have been dead even, with both sides winning two of the last five, with the other ending in a draw - which was the last meeting between the two, ending 0-0.

Both teams to score has occurred in four of Fulham's last five games and all of Brentford's last five, so we firmly expect both sides to find the back of the net here.

Only one point separates these two sides in the league and we expect this game to reflect that with a tight, even encounter that ultimately sees the spoils shared. Fulham 1-1 Brentford.

Fulham and Brentford are set to clash in a London derby on Monday night, and both teams will arrive at Craven Cottage with high expectations following positive starts to the season.

• Date: 04/11/2024
• Kick-off time: 20:00
• Location: Craven Cottage, Fulham

Fulham have enjoyed a strong start to the season, with the Cottagers currently in 10th place with 12 points from their first nine games. After a summer of investment into the squad, Fulham’s are aiming to kick on and establish themselves as a contender for the European place this season, and with Marco Silva at the helm, there's a feeling they may just be capable of doing it.

One of the club's standout additions has been Emile Smith Rowe, who has brought a touch of creativity and spark to Fulham’s midfield with his powerful ball-carrying ability from deep areas. Similarly, Sander Berge, another summer arrival, has brought a physical presence to Fulham's midfield, something that would have been sorely lacking without his acquisition following the departure of João Palhinha to Bayern Munich.

A particularly positive storyline for Fulham this season has been the resurgence of striker Raúl Jiménez, who, following a disappointing previous season where he struggled for consistency, seems to have rediscovered his scoring touch this season. The 33-year-old Mexican has netted four goals and contributed one assist across nine league games so far, making him Fulham’s main attacking threat, and if he can maintain his level throughout the season he'll likely have a very big say in just how far the Cottagers can go this season.

In contrast to their struggles last season, Brentford appear to have rediscovered their form under Thomas Frank, sitting 9th with 13 points from nine matches. For the Bees, the early signs are extremely positive and can be interpreted as signs of a team ready to challenge for Europe.

The Bees have looked exceptionally sharp going forward, with the brilliance of Bryan Mbeumo at the forefront of their attacking play. Mbeumo has eight goals in nine league games this season and, if we're being honest, looks as though he's en route to playing himself out of Brentford and to a bigger, more illustrious club.

A more unheralded component of Brentford’s attack has been Keane Lewis-Potter, who has made excellent strides this season. Having joined Brentford two years ago, Lewis-Potter is beginning to establish himself as a crucial part of Frank’s squad, which is a credit to his perseverance and mental strength given he found it hard to adapt to the environment at Brentford and the level of the Premier League initially. He's an exceptionally versatile player with great pace and directness and is becoming a more valuable asset to the Bees by the week.

However, one area of concern for Thomas Frank and Brentford’s supporters is their defence. Despite their attacking success, Brentford have appeared uncharacteristically weak at the back, conceding 18 goals in nine games - the most of any team currently outside of the relegation zone. Such defensive frailty is uncommon for Thomas Frank's side, and they'll be hoping it's nothing more than a minor blip. Considering only Manchester City have scored more goals than them in the league this season, they'll be quite some prospect if they can shore up at the back somewhat.

The Bees have also suffered from a high volume of injuries in the early months of the campaign, so there is a feeling that their best level is yet to come, which is quite an exciting train of thought from a Brentford perspective. Once they welcome back the likes of Rico Henry and Aaron Hickey from long-term absences, there is clear room for the team to go up a level, as well as the long-awaited debut for summer signing Igor Thiago, who is yet to play a competitive minute in a Brentford shirt after arriving for roughly £30m in the summer.

This game will be televised live to all subscribed UK viewers on Sky Sports Main Event.

Fulham Team News:

The Cottagers will again be without the services of Joachim Andersen, who is unavailable through suspension as he serves the second of a three-match ban.

Other absentees include Vinícius, Saša Lukić and Timothy Castagne, all of whom remain injured.

Predicted lineup: Leno; Tete, Diop, Bassey, Robinson; Pereira, Berge; Adama, Smith-Rowe, Iwobi; Jiménez.

Brentford Team News:

The Bees are still without Rico Henry, Aaron Hickey, Igor Thiago, Josh Dasilva and Gustavo Nunes. Henry and Hickey appear to be closing in on returns, but this game will likely come slightly too soon.

Thomas Frank likely won't make too many, if any, changes to the side that started the game against Ipswich last time out.

Predicted lineup: Flekken; Roerslev, Collins, Pinnock, Van den Berg; Nørgaard, Janelt; Mbeumo, Damsgaard, Lewis-Potter; Wissa.

Fulham last five games have seen them win two, draw one and lose two. Last weekend, Marco Silva's side travelled up north to take on Everton, and despite delivering a good performance and largely having the better of the game, they were forced to settle for a point after Everton equalised in the dying minutes of added time after Alex Iwobi had given them the lead with a fine goal.

Before that, Fulham lost 1-3 at home to Aston Villa, which followed a 3-2 defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad, where Fulham held their own impressively in spite of the loss, and on another day may have got something out of the game.

Those results were preceded by a 1-0 win away at Nottingham Forest and a 3-1 win over Newcastle United.

Brentford's latest game was a thriller against Ipswich Town, where the Bees ran out 4-3 winners. Brentford found themselves 0-2 down after half an hour, but a quickfire double from Yoan Wissa (one of which went down as an own goal) brought them level on the stroke of half-time. Keane Lewis-Potter was brought down early in the second half which resulted in a Brentford penalty and a sending off for Ipswich and after Bryan Mbeumo converted the spot kick, it felt like the game was over. However, Ipswich equalised in the 86th minute, only for Mbeumo to claw back the three points in the 94th minute after his cross was misjudged by Arijanet Muric before nestling into the far corner.

For Brentford, that result followed a 2-1 loss away at Manchester United, a 5-3 win over Wolves, a 1-1 draw against West Ham and a 3-1 loss away at Tottenham.

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