Brentford v Fulham predictions

Where to watch

Sky Sports Main Event & Premier League, 8pm Monday

Best bet

Brentford
2pts Evs Coral, Hills, Ladbrokes

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Team news

Brentford
Frank Onyeka and Thomas Strakosha could feature but the game is likely to come too soon for Pontus Jansson

Fulham
Midfielder Joao Palhinha serves the first game of a two-match ban, while Layvin Kurzawa, Neeskens Kebano and Tom Cairney are also out.

Brentford v Fulham predictions

While most of the Premier League is engulfed in the race for the title and the battle against relegation, a couple of unlikely challengers from west London meet on Monday with an eye on securing surprise invitations to European competition for next season.

Fulham stormed to Championship glory last term and few would have anticipated the Cottagers lying seventh at the beginning of March, but it looks likely that they could come unstuck when they make the short trip to Brentford.

No team are enjoying a better unbeaten run in the Premier League than the Bees, who have not lost in 11 games since a 4-0 capitulation at Aston Villa.

And while they have, along with Newcastle, posted the greatest number of draws, they look primed to strengthen their grip on ninth spot.

A potential ban for striker Ivan Toney for breaching betting rules is reported to be looming, and maybe Brentford would prefer any ban for their star player taking place this season, when it would not threaten their top-flight status.

But that situation has been hovering for a while without having a great effect on the form Thomas Frank's side are showing. However, the loss of Joao Palhinha from the Fulham midfielder - he serves the first match of a two-game ban for ten yellow cards - could be more telling.

Cottagers loyalists may not want reminding that the only game he has missed this season was a 4-1 home defeat to Newcastle, so a reshuffle in midfield against a team who can move swiftly on the break will not be a welcome issue for manager Marco Silva.

So that is a positive for the Bees and another is that despite their lofty league position, Fulham have been riding their luck at the back.

Only struggling Everton among the 20 top-flight teams went into this weekend with a poorer expected-goals-against statistic than Fulham, which could make them vulnerable.

To accompany that statistic it is worth considering that while Fulham posted an impressive 1-0 victory at Brighton in their last away game, the expected-goals (xG) match-up saw them lose 2.2-0.3, so they didn't create much.

Arsenal are the only team to have won at Brentford in the Premier League this season, and there is little to suggest we will see a strong challenge from the Cottagers.

Key stat

Brentford have lost just one of their 12 home Premier League matches this season

Probable teams

Brentford (4-3-3): Raya; Hickey, Pinnock, Mee, Henry; DaSilva, Norgaard, Jensen; Mbeumo, Toney, Wissa
Subs: Damsgaard, Schade, Janelt, Lewis-Potter, Baptiste, Cox, Rasmussen

Fulham (4-2-3-1): Leno; Tete, Diop, Ream, A. Robinson; Reed, Lukic; De Cordovia-Reid, Pereira, Willian; Mitrovic
Subs: Vinicius, Solomon, Wilson, James, Duffy, Soares, Adarabioyo