The teams that finished third through to sixth in the English Championship missed out on automatic promotion to the Premier League. While it’s not all doom and gloom for all of them, the four now have to fight it out for the final promotion slot available.
Brentford, Fulham, Cardiff, and Swansea are the four teams vying for a chance to appear in that final at Wembley Stadium. With the first leg of games done and dusted with, it’s now or never for all sides involved.
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On the final day, Brentford missed out on a chance to leapfrog West Bromich Albion in second place by losing to Barnsley. It was the second of a two-game losing streak that undid the nine-game unbeaten run Brentford had managed in the games before.
With yet another loss – this time to Swansea in the playoffs semi-final and a third in a row – the tale next season might be one of how they came close to Premier League football but fell agonizingly short. Brentford trail the Swans by a lone goal going into the second leg. They have to go big or endure yet another Championship season.
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In their last five home games against Swansea, they have lost three. Only one of their last seven home games against this opposition has ended without a goal. Brentford’s three clean sheets in their last five home games will serve as a huge boost for them going into this fixture.
The other clash is a game between two sides that finished the regular season just one spot above each other.
Although there were no first-half goals when Cardiff City welcomed Fulham, the game ended with two goals scored by Scott Parker’s men. That’s two away goals and a huge advantage Fulham now have going into the second leg of their Championship Playoff encounter.
Having lost their first two games of the post-pandemic season – to Leeds and Brentford – Fulham have not looked back since. They’re unbeaten in eight since, keeping a clean sheet in five.
Their home record?
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Three wins in the last three, with eight goals scored and three conceded. It’s an uphill climb for Cardiff to climb if they’re to overturn this deficit. But Cardiff can also bank on their similar away record and head into this game with confidence.
They have also won three of their last four away games, scoring seven and conceding four times. It’s not the best away record. But it’s a formidable one enough to take to a ground where they have only won once in their last eight visits.
Which of these two teams will be playing in the highly-coveted Championship final? Drop your conversation below and join the conversation.
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