Brentford vs Fulham - Brentford boss Dean Smith on alert ahead of west London derby
Posted Thursday, November 03, 2016 by PA
Brentford go in search of a derby double on Friday but boss Dean Smith is wary of a revitalised Fulham.
The Bees beat neighbours QPR 2-0 at Loftus Road seven days earlier, but now host their other west London rivals who are buoyed by a big result of their own.
"Winning away against your big rivals gives you a boost, and the whole week has been one full of confidence," Smith told Bees Player.
"The confidence that I had was certainly dented a little bit when I went to Fulham on Saturday and saw them beat Huddersfield 5-0!
"We beat them 3-0 in our home game last season but their possession style was evident. Seeing them on Saturday it was similar. They maybe don't attack as quickly as other teams that we have played against but they were very patient on it.
"Every player can handle the ball and they have recruited well. They have got a lot of really good, technical footballers so we have to make sure that our game plan beats theirs."
Brentford will be without midfielder Lewis Macleod, who looks set to miss the rest of the season with the knee injury he suffered last Friday.
Callum Elder is still out with a knee problem, Rico Henry remains sidelined by a shoulder injury and Alan Judge is recovering from a broken leg.
Fulham could be unchanged following their five-star display on Saturday.
Defender Tomas Kalas is fit after a recent hamstring problem and Floyd Ayite has recovered from an ankle injury.
Manager Slavisa Jokanovic said at his pre-match press conference: "It's a derby. I understand it's a very important day for us and our supporters.
"We have good confidence, but Brentford are in good form too."
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