Marco Silva says Fulham are ready to take on Brentford tomorrow in the first Premier League meeting between the two west London clubs – and he wants his side to show the confidence they have displayed in their first two fixtures.
The Whites surprised plenty of points by taking the lead twice in a 2-2 draw with Liverpool on the opening weekend and followed that up with a scorching stalemate at Wolves last time out. Silva told his pre-match press conference that he was fully aware of just how important tomorrow’s game was:
“Derbies are really special. We have experience in our careers playing in so many different derbies. I cannot say this is just another game because a derby’s always a derby, but we’ll prepare in the same way as the others. The rivalry doesn’t surprise me. I think it’s something natural, it’s something that has increased in the last few seasons and it will be fantastic for us to play in, to enjoy the moment and to do our best to win the match.
Of course the emotion and the passion will be even higher around the stadium. On the pitch, you have to have a good balance and emotional control to play as well as you can and to control the moments in the game to win the match.”
Silva is pleased with how his side have adjusted to life in the top flight.
“It has been a solid start from ourselves, matching our opposition sides, being competitive like we want to be always. We probably could get more points from both games, but it’s part of football. Sometimes you get what you deserve, sometimes you don’t get the points.
Of course it’s always better to win, definitely. I think in the first game we should be clear that we wanted more than a draw, even against one of the strongest teams in this country, maybe one of the best teams in the world. We could have more points but we have to go onto the next one.”
The Fulham head coach emphasised how comfortable the Whites are at Craven Cottage – and Silva wants to end a 27 year wait for a home win over Brentford tomorrow.
“I think we showed in the first game against Liverpool, it was important for us to start on the front foot, to start well, to involve our fans and I think we did it. Our fans did their part as well in the game, and it’s everything that we should do tomorrow again.
“We know our fans can create the noise and atmosphere in our stadium that will help us create a different scenario for our opponents. We feel really confident playing at home and I hope we can show it again tomorrow.”
