Thiago chasing the Golden Boot
Brentford lost first-choice forwards Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa last summer, but Igor Thiago has proven to be the perfect replacement.
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The Brazilian’s 21 goals in the Premier League so far this season are a club record in the competition, surpassing the 20 in one campaign scored by Mbeumo and Ivan Toney.
Thiago did not score in any of his eight games for Brentford in an injury-interrupted 2024-25 season, seven of which came from the bench. But he has made the most of his new starting role in 2025-26, in which he has started all but one of Brentford’s 32 league games.
The 24-year-old, who scored in the Bees’ first game of the season, has only had one dry spell, failing to score in a six-game stretch from early December to early January.
But that New Year’s Day blank against Tottenham was followed by five goals in his next two games and he has scored more Premier League goals in 2026 than any other player.
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His form was rewarded with his first cap last month and last weekend he became the first Brazilian to score 20 Premier League goals in a season.
Now just one goal behind Erling Haaland this season, could he become the first man from his country to win the Premier League Golden Boot?
Fulham impress against west London rivals
This week marked the 25th anniversary of Fulham’s first promotion to the Premier League; There have been ups and downs since then, but three consecutive mid-table finishes have firmly established Fulham as a top-flight club.
There have also been ups and downs in 2025-26, in which the Cottagers have been inconsistent, but a strong finish to the season could mean a new club record in total points for the second consecutive campaign and possible qualification for Europe.
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Fulham have struggled away from home recently, winning just one of their seven Premier League away games in 2026. Only Tottenham and Wolves have collected fewer points away from home since the turn of the year than the Cottagers’ five.
But while it is an away game, it is also quite close to home, with less than five miles separating Craven Cottage from the Gtech Community Stadium.
So rather than dwell on their poor away form, Fulham might prefer to focus on their recent good record against their west London neighbors – they have won their last three meetings.
