Keith Andrews praises Brentford’s growth after their EFL Cup win against Aston Villa. Despite an inconsistent start, he’s confident in their progress. The team focuses on improving ball handling and capitalizing on set-piece opportunities. Fulham seeks a win, leveraging Kevin’s impact and Iwobi’s attacking prowess.
Keith Andrews has expressed his optimism regarding Brentford's progress, stating that the team is "growing as a group." This statement comes after Brentford's recent EFL Cup victory over Aston Villa.
The match at the Gtech Community Stadium saw Harvey Elliott put Brentford ahead, only for Aaron Hickey to equalize in the second half, leading to a penalty shootout between the two Premier League teams. Mikkel Damsgaard's successful penalty secured a 4-2 victory for Brentford, advancing them to the fourth round of the competition.
This victory follows their draw against Chelsea in their previous Premier League game, where Fabio Carvalho scored during stoppage time. Currently, Brentford is positioned 12th in the league with four points from their initial four matches, just below Fulham, whom they are scheduled to play this Saturday.
Andrews remains confident in the team's trajectory despite their inconsistent start. He commented after the Aston Villa game: "Even with numerous changes tonight, I feel we are developing as a unit. We are improving in our ball handling and making significant progress."
He further added, "We discussed the improvements we aimed to achieve as a team compared to our previous match against them here, where we were under pressure early on. It was still early days for us as a group then."
"After the initial 10 minutes, we began to control much of the game, creating numerous opportunities down the right flank and appearing very dangerous. I was pleased with our response, both after the initial phase and after conceding a goal. I was confident at halftime that we would get back into the game."
“I feel as though we’re growing as a group”
Keith Andrews’ thoughts post Aston Villa #BREAVL | @pensionbee pic.twitter.com/VyE6xYIECi
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) September 16, 2025
Fulham, on the other hand, secured their first Premier League victory of the season by defeating newly-promoted Leeds United 1-0. Despite the win coming from a 94th-minute own goal by Gabriel Gudmundsson, Marco Silva was impressed by the impact of summer signing Kevin off the bench.
Kevin, who entered the match in the 76th minute, recorded one shot on target (leading to the corner from which the goal was scored), created one chance, and completed two of his three dribbles.
Silva commented, "Kevin had a significant impact. I know him well. When I pushed to sign him, it was because he is a young player but with the maturity of someone who has played in the Champions League and Europa League. We have no doubts about his quality. He brings a different dynamic to our other wingers."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Fulham – Alex Iwobi
Alex Iwobi, who contributed to 15 league goals last season (nine goals, six assists), continues to be a key figure in Fulham's attack. He leads all attacking players in progressive carries in the Premier League this season with 37.
Brentford – Kevin Schade
Kevin Schade recently scored his first goal for Brentford, opening the scoring against Chelsea. Following the departures of Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa, Schade aims to build on his 11 goals and two assists from the 2024-25 campaign.
MATCH PREDICTION – FULHAM WIN
Fulham achieved a Premier League double over Brentford last season and will aim to win three consecutive league games against the Bees for the second time in their history, having won their first three encounters from 1928 to 1929.
Brentford might need to leverage their set-piece abilities, as Fulham, along with Arsenal, are the only teams yet to concede from open play in the Premier League this season, with goals against them coming from corners (two) or penalties (two).
However, Fulham have lost five of their last seven London derby games in the Premier League (winning two), after being unbeaten in their previous 10. Brentford have lost two of their three Premier League visits to Craven Cottage (winning one), more than in their previous 15 league trips to Fulham (winning six, drawing eight, losing one). They could lose twice in a row at Fulham in the league for the first time since January 1954 (four in a row).
Brentford are also winless in their last three away Premier League games (drawing one, losing two), losing the last two, after winning seven of their nine league games on the road beforehand (drawing one, losing one).
Only Burnley (30) have had fewer shots than Brentford (33) in the Premier League this season, with the Bees’ average of 8.3 shots per game their lowest in any of their five campaigns in the competition.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Fulham – 43.0%
Draw – 26.7%
Brentford – 30.2%