Jokanovic expects derby joy to keep up promotion push

Fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic expects his side to beat local rivals Brentford today and maintain their promotion push.

The Cottagers are second in the Sky Bet Championship with four matches remaining, a point ahead of Cardiff who have a game in hand.

“My target in this moment is only the Brentford game,” he said ahead of the Craven Cottage clash.

“I expect we can be successful tomorrow, we have great momentum, we trust we can perform well, and if we perform well we can expect a good result.

“They (the players) trust each other, and they trust they can win the game. This is very good news.”

Fulham are unbeaten in 20 league matches but Jokanovic – whose side entertain Sunderland on the penultimate weekend of the campaign – insists that Cardiff are still favourites to secure an automatic promotion spot.

“Cardiff is in front of us because they have played one game less, and everything is in their hands,” he added.

“If they win all their games, we can do everything but it wouldn’t be enough.

“We expect Cardiff to keep pushing. They have the opportunity to fight for 15 points, we are fighting only for 12.”

Cardiff have lost their last two games but Jokanovic says Neil Warnock’s side are “100 per cent favourites” against Norwich at Carrow Road.

Bluebirds boss Warnock said: “We’ve got to revel in these last few weeks, not fear it.

“We’ve got to walk through those doors and have a right good go and not worry about what’s behind us. “Let’s enjoy the ride. “Enjoy the moment and think where we’ve come from in the last 18 months.”

Seventh-placed Middlesbrough host Bristol City, who sit eighth, while another play-off six-pointer sees sixthplaced Millwall travel to Sheffield United, who are ninth.

Ipswich begin life without former Sunderland boss Mick McCarthy as boss with a trip to Aitor Karanka’s Nottingham Forest, while on-song Hull, almost safe from the drop, host Sheffield Wednesday at the KCOM Stadium and Alex Neil’s Preston North End travel to QPR.