Fulham - Brentford: Team news is in with the two West London sides set to do battle for a place in the Premier League in the Football League Championship promotion playoff final at Wembley Stadium.
We can hardly wait to find out who’ll claim the 20th berth in the 2020-21 Premier League season in the richest game on earth.
[ MORE: Predictions, Odds for Europe ]
Kickoff is at 2:45 pm ET Tuesday at Wembley Stadium.
Team news
🚨 TEAM NEWS 🚨@joshdasilva_ comes back into the starting XI
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) August 4, 2020
Teams presented by @EcoWorldLondon
#BrentfordFC #BREFUL pic.twitter.com/pfPwGjBleP
Your Fulham at Wembley.
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) August 4, 2020
It’s in the hands of this XI today! 🤲#EFLPlayOffs pic.twitter.com/KNVPBYfLZx
Key players
Fulham leading scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic’s 26 goals were the joint-most in the Championship and more than three times as many as Tom Cairney, second amongst the Cottagers. He’s healthy for the first time after missing the semis with a hamstring injury.
Brentford’s Ollie Watkins scored the same amount of goals as Mitrovic, tying for the league lead, and he’s joined by Said Benrahma’s 17 goals (fifth in the league) and Bryan Mbeumo (eighth). The latter have combined for 16 assists, too. The Bees can sting.
Their seasons
Brentford won a even-straight league games to surge into the mix for automatic promotion but lost their last two, meeting Fulham on 81 points.
As for the Cottagers, Fulham finished the season on a seven-match unbeaten run which included five wins
Their playoffs
Brentford overcame a 1-0 first-leg deficit to oust Swansea City in the semifinal, while Fulham’s first leg win was enough to outlast Cardiff City’s strong second leg in their semi.
Odds and ends
Brentford beat Fulham twice, 1-0 at Griffin Park and 2-0 at Craven Cottage.
The Bees are favored to win the match at +108 odds, while Fulham carries +265 odds of a win.
Prediction
Mitrovic’s availability is huge for a Fulham side hoping to break down the league’s second-stingiest defense. Brentford feels like it’s the superior side but Fulham has been here and Cairney even scored the goal to beat Aston Villa in the 2017-18 playoff final. That experience is an X-factor, but we’ll still call Brentford 2-1 winners.
How to watch Fulham - Brentford
Kickoff: 2:45 pm ET Tuesday
Stream: ESPN+
