Five Facts: The must-know stats ahead of Brentford vs Fulham

The Championship Playoff Final is upon and it's a West London Derby to whet the appetite. Brentford take on Fulham at Wembley as the Bees look to secure a Premier League spot for the first time in their history. Having missed the chance to go up automatically, Brentford overcame Swansea in their semi-final meeting to set up a final clash with Fulham, who got the better of Cardiff in their two-legged affair. 

Ahead of the meeting that determines who joins Leeds and West Brom, we pick out five facts worth making a note of ahead the fixture at Wembley... 

Brentford to get the better of Fulham on the counter-attack? 

In Said Benrahma, Ollie Watkins and Bryan Mbeumo, Thomas Frank has three intelligent, speedy forwards able to get the better of any side on their day. Indeed, the trio between them have netted 59 league goals this season and will be looking to add to that record against Fulham. One of the best ways to do so will be to maximise the pace of the three players to get in behind the Whites backline, something that Brentford are capable of doing where required. 

Only Leeds and Hull (both 6) have scored more counter-attacking goals than Brentford (5) in the Championship this season, while only Swansea (7) and Bristol (5) have conceded more counter-attacking goals than Fulham (4) in 2019/20. The WhoScored match forecast suggests it is Very Likely that Brentford 'will score from a fast break situation' and Frank and Brentford will be hoping this rings true at Wembley tonight. 

Bees to maintain away day dominance at rivals Fulham's expense? 

Only Leeds (6.86) have earned a better away day rating than Brentford (6.85) in the Championship this season. A trip to Wembley may be a daunting proposition one for the Bees as they seek to end a five-match losing run at the national stadium, yet they have been one of the best teams on the road in the Championship this season. 

What's more, they are unbeaten in nine of their last 10 meetings with Fulham, including a 2-0 win at Craven Cottage when these two clashed in June. While their record at Wembley may be a mental block that needs overcoming, they can take solace from their record with Fulham to secure a Premier League spot for next season. 

Fulham to punish Brentford's lapses in concentration? 

It was a massive mistake that almost cost Brentford their place in the Championship Playoff Final, but Pontus Jansson's error in their second leg win over Swansea, while punished at the time by Rhian Brewster, didn't prove fatal for their promotion hopes. Yet it's these lapses in concentration that Fulham have to expose. 

One of Brentford's statistically calculated WhoScored weaknesses happens to be 'Avoiding individual errors' and it's for good reason too. Only Derby (21) have committed more errors leading to an opposition shot than the Bees (19) in the Championship this season. While just seven of these were punished by opponents, Fulham have the personnel on hand to put Brentford to the sword if needed. 

The impact of Mitrovic's potential absence 

Aleksandar Mitrovic finished the regular Championship season with 26 league goals to his name, that enough to secure the Golden Boot. However, Mitrovic missed both semi-final leg meetings with Cardiff, though his absence clearly didn't hinder Fulham so much that it cost them a trip to Wembley. 

Fulham's record without Mitrovic isn't too bad, all things considered, with Scott Parker overseeing six wins from the eight league matches he has missed this season. Yet, no player has scored more away goals than the 25-year-old (12) in the Championship this season and for a Fulham side that has scored just 26 away league goals this season, his absence could be decisive. 

Goals to be at a premium? 

While the two teams are more than capable of hurting one another on their day - they have scored 140 league goals between them this season - the most recent west London clashes have been tetchy affairs. Indeed, five of the last six meetings between Brentford and Fulham have seen two or fewer goals scored. 

Factor in that seven of the league eight Championship Playoff Finals have seen two or fewer goals scored and tonight's clash could well prove to be a close-run affair.