Fulham boss Scott Parker has revealed that he expects star striker Aleksander Mitrovic to be fit for their play-off final clash against Brentford on Tuesday.
The Serbian striker was the Championship's joint-top scorer in the 2019/20 campaign, having found the net 26 times in the division, but missed both legs of the play-off semi-final against Cardiff City.
Fulham won the tie 3-2 on aggregate after holding off the Bluebirds in a 2-1 second-leg defeat at Craven Cottage last night.
The London club won the first leg 2-0 through goals from Josh Onomah and Neeskens Kebano but conceded inside the first 10 minutes of the return fixture.
Kebano grabbed an equaliser moments later and despite Lee Tomlin's goal shortly after half-time, Fulham were able to hold on and secure a place at Wembley.
They'll face west London rivals Brentford with a place in the Premier League on the line and, speaking to West London Sport, Parker has indicated he expects Mitrovic to be fit.
He said: "I’m hopeful.
"He was close tonight, but not good enough. It would have been a massive risk.
“We pushed and pushed, the medical team had done everything they could, but he just wasn’t ready.
“Now we have some time, so we’re going to do what we can to get him out there. He’ll be working now, get treatment, and be out on the grass."
It looks set to be a difficult test for Fulham, with Brentford coming off the back of a 3-1 win against Swansea City in midweek.
The Bees have won both of the meetings between the two sides this season, Parker will be hoping that pattern is broken on Tuesday.
Quiz: Do you remember which club Fulham signed these 15 players from?
The Verdict
This looks a huge boost for Fulham.
Mitrovic has been fantastic for them this season – not only is he the Championship's top scorer but his hold-up play could prove vital against a Brentford side that conceded the second-fewest goals in the division last season.
Big games like this can so often be settled by the tightest margins and Mitrovic is a player capable of producing the spectacular when his side need it – they'll be hoping he can do just that at Wembley.