Andreas Bjelland is preparing for a special evening on Friday as he builds-up for his first taste of a West London derby between Brentford and Queens Park Rangers. The defender missed last season’s encounters with The R’s through injury but said that just being in the ground made him realise how much the occasion meant to both sets of players and fans. Now, ahead of his first involvement in one of these derbies, Andreas told Bees Player that he can’t wait to experience that derby day atmosphere.
“A derby is always special for the players and for the fans,” said Andreas, speaking to Bees Player ahead of the match. “I experienced West London derbies a couple of times last year and you feel the vibe for the players. It is just something special because you are so close. I was involved in derbies at FC Twente against Heracles Almelo and the vibe around the game, and the expectations for the crowd are just special. The first 15 minutes is a bit kick and rush and everyone wants to get into the game. You need to find the right balance as a team and as an individual. It is important to get a good start, especially when you play away in a derby with the crowd and the players jumping all over you.”
The Bees head to Loftus Road on Friday night, live in front of the Sky Sports Cameras, looking for a first away win against Rangers in more than 50 years. Andreas believes it is important that Dean Smith’s side use the added edge to the game as a positive but don’t get caught up in the occasion and abandon their gameplan, especially in the early stages.
“We won’t prepare any differently as it is still 90 minutes and there’s a goal at each end,” said Andreas. “For the fans and for everybody it is a big game. For us the last month hasn’t been so good so we need some points and to bounce back. I experienced what the derby was like last season from the stands so I am looking forward to the extra thing that atmosphere gives you. When you are away you have to try and lock the atmosphere away as it is going to be tough, especially the first 15 or 20 minutes. Their crowd expects a lot so they are going to put full pressure on us.”
Brentford go into the game without a win in four matches but still remain just four points outside the top six with almost a third of the season played. Andreas wants to see a reaction from Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Barnsley against The Hoops on Friday night and then again when Fulham visit Griffin Park in a week’s time to send the squad into the next international break on a high.
“Against Barnsley at the weekend we did well on the ball but didn’t create the chances that we wanted to and gave some stupid goals away,” said Andreas. “We need to score goals and we need to bounce back on Friday and win the game for sure. We can’t let two goals in and expect to win the game so we need to be more solid as a team and get back to scoring goals. The points will be important to us especially after the last two weeks. We need to bounce back, get the points and get up the table again. Getting some wins before the international break will help give us confidence and that is the game plan for the next eight days. Hopefully we can get six points.”