Brentford

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Brentford: Ian Westbrook, Beesotted podcast, external

Ivan Toney definitely deserves to be on the plane to Qatar in November - but whether or not he will be is a different story.

The Brentford striker made the step up from the Championship to the Premier League with ease in his first top-flight season and has continued his good form going into this campaign. He scored 12 times and produced five assists in 2021-22 - figures few other England-qualified players matched - and already has two goals and three assists from four league and cup games this season.

He is a penalty-box predator, with all of his 49 Bees goals coming from inside the 18-yard box.

Toney's critics argue that 11 of those goals were penalties, but that is one of his strengths - an ice-cool temperament however big the match. He has only missed one spot-kick in his entire career.

He also plays a crucial part defending set-pieces for Brentford, while he is a leader both on and off the pitch.

Toney also has an impressive fitness record, missing fewer than a dozen league games over the past four seasons.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin cannot match these appearances or goal figures, and while I don't foresee a shock World Cup selection, if it happened, Toney is in pole position.

Everton: Briony Bragg, This Fan Girl, external

Who gets the wildcard place? Dominic Calvert-Lewin has already scored the winning goal in a World Cup final.

Yes, it was the Under-20 World Cup in South Korea, but let's not forget that he's matured rapidly these past few years into a near-complete international striker.

After injury woes, he'll be even more hungry for that World Cup spot, especially given how close he was to a Euros winners' medal.

In form, Calvert-Lewin has an excellent attitude and the work-rate to go with it, as well as strength, dominance in front of goal and pace. England boss Gareth Southgate needs all these qualities to back up captain Harry Kane and there's no doubt, with Everton's attacking injury problems this season, Frank Lampard will be willing to give Calvert-Lewin all the game time possible to bring him back to his best.

Strikers aren't happy unless they're on the pitch getting their name on the scoresheet - and Calvert-Lewin will want his on it in Qatar.

Southgate will undoubtedly consider him again - and he's right to. His first senior England goal was even against Wales. How about another?

Read the rest of this week's debates here

• Everton have won just one of their nine away league games against Brentford.

• Brentford have kept a clean sheet in five of their past six Premier League home games, and no top-flight side has had more shutouts at home since the start of February.

• Everton are yet to win a league game this season - only in 1994-95 and 2010-11 have they ever failed to win their opening four matches of a campaign in the competition.

Image source, Reuters

Thomas Frank says Brentford deserved their Carabao Cup win over Colchester, but praised the League Two side for their performance.

Frank made 11 changes from Saturday's Premier League defeat by Fulham, with Keane Lewis-Potter and Mads Bech Sorensen scoring the goals to send the Bees into the third round.

"It was very hard, no doubt about that," Frank said.

"Even though we changed a lot of players, I think we put a performance out there - the attitude, the concentration, the mindset is strong.

"Touch wood, we haven't had any slip-ups against opponents that are lower in in the leagues than us and I'm very proud and pleased for that.

"I want to praise Colchester, because I thought they put up a brilliant fight. I think they made it difficult for us, especially the first 30.

"Then we scored a brilliant goal and were a little bit on top of the game in the second half but couldn't score.

"But then they came in the game, invested more in long balls and were more direct - and we struggled.

"You can never be sure and they had a chance and Thomas (goalkeeper, Strakosha) made a good save. But we did a good job and we got a deserved win."

Ian Westbrook, Beesotted, external

"After the Lord Mayor’s Show" is a phrase that could sum up Saturday, as Brentford followed the memorable win over Manchester United with a west London derby defeat at Fulham.

Following an awful first-half display, as at Leicester, the Bees stepped it up in the second, and were unlucky not to draw.

Again, scoring was not a problem – two more goals making it eight in three games and leaving us as the Premier League’s third-highest scorers, behind Arsenal and Manchester City on nine.

But we have now conceded five in two away games – and if there is a concern, it is that we have gone 2-0 down in each match.

Thomas Frank is a gambler and sometimes his decisions pay off. He never settles for a draw - proved by his substitutions, which are usually attacking ones made to try to win, or save, a game.

At Everton last season, they won us the match, and at Leicester earlier this month, they earned a draw. But this time we ended up losing.

He accepts the risk and, of course, is right that a win and a defeat are worth more than two draws, and Bees fans will continue to back him.

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Thomas Frank says he will field a strong side against Colchester in Tuesday's Carabao Cup tie, as Brentford look to continue their impressive recent form in the competition.

Frank also confirmed that new signing Mikkel Damsgaard will make his Bees debut.

When asked about the Denmark midfielder, Frank said: "He will start, so we’re looking forward to that. That’s part of a bigger plan for him.

"Obviously we will make some changes, but we will put a very strong team out there. I think it's very clear how serious we've been [in this competition] over the last two years.

"The thing you need to look into is how you make sure that your team perform in every competition - the Premier League, the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup.

"It's a combination of freshness, putting the best possible team out there, and putting some players out who need minutes to perform. But the end goal is to get to the next round.

"I could easily choose the first XI, but I don't think that will benefit us in the other competitions."

Watch all the highlights from Saturday's six matches in the Premier League on BBC iPlayer here.

And if you missed Match of the Day 2 with Mark Chapman on Sunday, it's right here.

Want to have your say on today's match at Craven Cottage?

Send us your comments here

Mantej Mann, BBC Sport

Brentford had started the season brilliantly and found themselves in fourth place after beating Manchester United in their previous game.

They made the short trip to Craven Cottage in confident mood but their resolve was quickly tested as they conceded twice in the opening 20 minutes.

Brentford's spirit after going behind, which they also showed to secure a point from a losing position against Leicester on the opening day, will please Thomas Frank.

They looked on course to recover again at Craven Cottage as Ivan Toney fired an equaliser but the impressive David Raya could not keep out Aleksandar Mitrovic's late header.

The confirmed Fulham and Brentford team news is now in, with kick-off at Craven Cottage less than an hour away.

Follow the action, plus the rest of Saturday's Premier League matches here

It's the third week of Chris Sutton predicting the Premier League results and he is hoping to earn his first win against Bad Boy Chiller Crew's GK after losses to Alistair Bruce-Ball and Serge Pizzorno.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

I really like what Brentford are doing, and I almost made the prediction of the century when I said they would beat United 3-0 last week. I was so unlucky that they actually scored four.

Fulham will have a real go at them, like they did against Liverpool in their last home game, so this is a much bigger test than United offered and it should be a good game.

It will be close, too. The Cottagers have drawn both their games so far, and I can see the points being shared again.

GK's prediction: 1-0

Find out how GK and Sutton think the rest of the weekend's fixtures will go and vote here

Fulham head coach Marco Silva will be hoping Andreas Pereira can recover from a minor injury sustained last week.

Harry Wilson and Manor Solomon are both ruled out with knee injuries, while Bobby Decordova-Reid is a fitness doubt.

Brentford may be able to name Kristoffer Ajer and Sergio Canos in their squad for the first time this season.

However, central defender Ethan Pinnock remains out with a knee problem.

Who makes your Fulham XI?

Would Ajer or Canos make your Brentford line-up?

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Thomas Frank says he knows the quality Mikkel Damsgaard possesses, but won't rush the Denmark winger if he is not fully fit.

The 22-year-old was on the bench for the Bees' win over Manchester United and Frank confirmed he will be on the bench again for Saturday's game at Fulham.

He said: "It’s been a good week for Damsgaard but he’s not yet fit to start a Premier League game.

"I’m very aware that he is a player I’m impatient to play and get him on the pitch.

"But, for me, he’s the type of player we need to make sure is looking good in the long run. Not that he can’t look very good in the short run or the short-term, but he needs to be built correctly.

"It’s not only with Damsgaard. We experienced it last year with Ajer coming in from a different club and a lot of players when they come to us, they need to adapt to the intensity we train with.

"That’s Aaron Hickey, that’s Keane, even Ben Mee who has played in the Premier League. We train with a different intensity so the body needs to get used to that and we’re very aware of that.

"It’s about having them fit but not injuring them, that fine balance."

Thomas Frank has been speaking to the media before Brentford's match against Fulham on Saturday.

Here are the key lines from the Bees boss:

• Kristoffer Ajer and Sergi Canos are both unavailable.

• He confirmed Mikkel Damsgaard won't start, but could feature from the bench.

• There is a "fine balance" in having players fit but not injuring them again with training intensity.

• Frank said there is no reason why Halil Dervisoglu can't be involved against Fulham.

• He added that the forward didn't make the bench last week because "unfortunately I can only have 20 players involved and I try to find the balance between having enough defenders, midfielders and offensive players".

Follow Friday's Premier League manager news conferences here

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Defender Mathias Jorgensen has signed a new one-year contract with Brentford, with an option for an extra year.

The 32-year-old centre-back, who is also known as 'Zanka', joined the Bees last September on a deal until the end of the 2021-22 season, during which he made 10 appearances in total.

He was injured for long periods of the campaign, which included being sidelined from April until the end of the season.

“We always wanted to extend Zanka’s contract and are happy that we have now done so," said Bees manager Thomas Frank. "He did very well for us last season in the games he played and was fantastic around the group as an experienced player.

"He is unique in what he gives off the pitch. He gives the group a lot when he is playing and when he isn’t, with small pieces of advice to younger players and pushing everyone in training.

“He picked up quite a big injury in April and we needed to make sure he was back to his fitness level. We have been assured of that in pre-season.

"He played around 75 minutes in a behind-closed-doors game earlier this week against Premier League opposition. He is in a good place and we have signed him.”

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• This is the first meeting between Fulham and Brentford in the English top flight.

• Brentford have only lost one of their past 19 away games against Fulham in all competitions.

• Fulham are on a run of 24 Premier League London derbies without a win since a 2-1 home victory over West Ham United in January 2014.

• Brentford have won eight of their 13 Premier League games since the start of March, with only Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham averaging more points per game in the top flight in that time than the Bees.

• Only Bournemouth (33.8%) have had a lower average possession figure than Fulham (36.6%) in the Premier League this season.

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Brentford have confirmed Tariqe Fosu has joined Stoke City on a season-long loan.

The winger, 26, joined the Bees from Oxford United in January 2020 and helped Thomas Frank's side win promotion to the Premier League.

Injuries meant Fosu only made three appearances last season, with his top-flight debut coming against Leicester City in March.

Director of football Phil Giles said: "Tariqe made a big contribution during our promotion season but hasn't played enough during the past 12 months.

"Therefore, a loan to Stoke is the perfect solution to get him back playing regular minutes at a level where we know he can excel."

Ian Westbrook, Beesotted, external

Saturday was another of those 'pinch me, I’m dreaming' moments which have become more and more common for Brentford supporters in recent years.

To think that we would beat Manchester United at home in the Premier League, let alone scoring four and keeping a clean sheet, is something many of us would never have realistically imagined happening.

But happen it did – and boy did we deserve it.

It was pleasing to see many reports focus on what the Bees did right, not just what United did wrong, and realise that the visitors’ mistakes were caused by our spot-on tactics and huge desire.

The fourth goal was quality and if isn’t in Goal of the Month, alongside Josh Dasilva’s strike at Leicester, then something is wrong!

The match was a triumph in particular for two people – Thomas Frank and Mathias Jensen.

Frank out-thought his opposite number Erik ten Hag to deliver the win, while Jensen, often criticised by a section of Bees fans, possibly had his finest performance in a Brentford shirt.

The fact he dispossessed Christian Eriksen, whose return became insignificant, for the second goal was a delicious irony. The pupil outwitting the master put the seal on a perfect day.