Brentford boss Thomas Frank has warned his defence cannot afford even a fleeting lapse against Fulham frontman Aleksandar Mitrovic in Friday’s west London derby.
Mitrovic is the Championship’s leading scorer, with 23 goals to his name – just one ahead of the Bees’ Ollie Watkins – as the two promotion contenders prepare to face off at Craven Cottage.
Frank said: “Mitrovic doesn’t need a lot of chances. He is maybe out of the game for 75 minutes, then he will score the crucial goal.
“So it’s about defending for our lives and unbelievable concentration – and never for one second think we are on top, because he just needs a split second to score.
“It’s nice that we (Brentford and Fulham) have the two best strikers in the division – not only because of the goals they’ve scored, but also if you look at their abilities and qualities.
“It’s a nice little extra battle and I’m looking forward to seeing that. I hope my centre-backs can control Mitrovic and I hope Ollie will terrify the Fulham centre-backs.”
Watkins has flourished since he moved into the central striker’s role at the beginning of the campaign following Neal Maupay’s move to Brighton.
The 24-year-old’s haul of 22 goals has been backed up by healthy contributions from fellow forwards Bryan Mbeumo (14) and Said Benrahma (10), with Josh Dasilva adding eight from midfield.
“It’s good that if Ollie, for whatever reason, is not having his best day, we know we will have goals from other positions,” said Frank.
“But when we looked at him in the summer and we knew Neal Maupay would be sold, we knew he could be an option. We knew he definitely had the abilities to be a good striker.
“Then when things just get better and better, you think ‘he can do that’. He believes it and now he looks so natural as a number nine, I think he will always be a number nine.”
Frank is considering a return to the line-up for Bees captain Pontus Jansson, who has missed the past two months with a hip injury.