Marco Silva knows exactly what to expect when Fulham take on Brentford in the first Premier League clash between the two sides.
The Head Coach is fully aware of the West London rivalry, although says the derby will be treated like any other game.
“Derbies are really special,” he said. “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.”
After beginning the season with draws against Liverpool and Wolves, Silva is keen to build on his side’s positive start.
“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.”
Saturday will be the first game at Craven Cottage since the season opener against Liverpool, and Silva is relishing a return.
“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.”
