Sky Sports EFL pundit David Prutton has predicted that Brentford will beat QPR in a "cracking" five-goal thriller in tonight's west London derby.
Three points and four places separate the two sides in the Championship table but on the back of an upturn in recent form, Mark Warburton's men may feel the momentum is with them when they travel to the Brentford Community Stadium this evening.
The Bees are unbeaten in their last six but despite having goal-machine Ivan Toney have been unable to find the killer blow all too often this season, winning just five of their 13 league games so far.
In his predictions for Sky Sports, Prutton has suggested Thomas Frank's side will claim their sixth win by beating their local rivals this evening.
He explained: "It's looking like a nicely-poised west London derby on Friday night. Given where these two teams are it's got all the makings of a cracking game.
"Given QPR's penchant for conceding goals, and the form Ivan Toney - who made the difference again for Brentford in midweek - is in, I think this will be an entertaining game. Plenty of goals and a home win."
A win for the Bees could catapult them into the top six, should results elsewhere go their way, while given the congestion of the table the R's would likely drop down a few places.
West London Sport has reported that Rob Dickie is expected to be back, which would be a huge boost for the R's as they prepare to face the Championship's second-highest scorer.
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The Verdict
This looks set to be an enthralling clash, so it's no surprise to see Prutton predicting a five-goal thriller.
Brentford still seem to still be feeling the effects of last season's play-off final disappointment, which will likely mean Warburton's men feel this is a fantastic time to claim their first win over the Bees since 2018.
The quality in Frank's side means the hosts have to be the favourites but if it's as open as Prutton suggests then anything could happen.