Fulham vs Brentford
Only six miles separate Premier League clubs Fulham and Brentford… but their fans have the chance to make a 3,500 mile trip to see them meet at the Lincoln Financial Field Stadium in Philadelphia for a club friendly on Sunday!
Surely only those English fans who are already there on holiday, or those who have made it their holiday, will be there, but the stadium will be packed by MLS soccer fans hoping to see two of England’s finest teams put on a show. Brentford finished ninth in the 2022/23 Premier League race while Fulham ended up a place behind. Both top ten finishers landed above the other West London club…Chelsea. Of course, the Premier League 2023 betting odds insist that the Blues will be the West London top dogs next season but right now, these two have the bragging rights.
Both teams will hope to repeat their top ten performances in the coming campaign and will look to start with some strong Premier League 2023 results, and pre-season is vital to set the course.
Talking Points
Is it time for Fulham to say goodbye to Mitrovic?
The Cottagers’ cult hero, Aleksandar Mitrovic, has been reported to say he won’t play for Fulham again after the owners put a huge price tag on his head, following an offer from Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal. The Serbian would join the likes of Ruben Neves and Kalidou Koulibaly if he went to Al-Hilal and the Saudi club has already offered £35m. The Cottagers are holding out for £52m and that has enraged the scoring machine, who could be set to earn £400k a week if the deal goes through.
Mitrovic is rumoured to have told family he will never play for Fulham again and it’s a situation his team-mates will want to see resolved sooner rather than later.
Fulham are yet to make a signing this summer though they seem close to bringing Benfica defender Morata to the club. The 22-year-old Brazilian would cost in the region of £25m and he is apparently keen to move to London. While there are other areas to address, Fulham will have to move quickly should Mitrovic go. Marco Silva is a fine manager and Fulham, SBOTOP’ s principal partner in the Premier League are ambitious.
This clash against Brentford will be a good test of where the current squad is.
Brentford’s new boys ready to impress
The Bees too will have their top scorer from 2023 missing as Ivan Toney is serving an eight-month ban for breaking betting rules. But their fans will get the chance to see some new recruits, and a loan deal made permanent.
Winger Kevin Schade, who was on loan with the Bees in the second half of last season, has completed a £20m move from SC Freiburg. He impressed in the Premier League last term and he has become Brentford’s most expensive signing. And he has been joined by another Freiburg man as keeper Mark Flekken has arrived for a fee of £11m.
The 29-year-old Netherlands keeper has joined on a four-year contract after keeping 13 clean sheets in 34 matches for Freiburg last term. Flekken is a good shot stopper and a superb player with his feet, able to distribute long or short balls with accuracy and, with four international caps he has good pedigree and a calm approach to the game.
In defence, the Bees have also brought in Irish centre back Nathan Collins in a £23m move from Wolverhampton Wanderers. Collins had only been at Molineux for a season, following a £20.5m move from Burnley, so the 22-year-old is ready to settle at a club. And he’ll meet an old face at the heart of defence as former Burnley skipper Ben Mee was the Bees’ player of the year last season.
Like Fulham, Brentford have a fine manager in Thomas Frank and it will be fascinating to see who comes out on top in 2024.
History
Over the 64 meetings between these two teams, it has been a close contest with the Bees currently edging it at 24 victories to the Cottagers’ 23, and three have been 17 draws.
Both games last year resulted in a 3-2 win for the hosts, Fulham winning in August as Mitrovic scored a last-minute winner. The Bees exacted their revenge as Ivan Toney scored a penalty and Mathias Jensen scored the late winner.
Prediction
Pre-season friendlies are always tough to call as players search for fitness and managers do some shuffling in the pack. Brentford are a little further on in terms of recruits and may have the edge, particularly with the Mitrovic saga unsettling the Cottagers.
Another 3-2? Maybe, but this game is definitely an entertaining prospect.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
