Prediction: Brentford vs Fulham

Verdict: Brentford win

Best odds: 11/10

Bookmaker: Unibet

Having ended in places three and four in the 2019/20 English Championship final standings, Brentford and Fulham saw of Swansea City and Cardiff City, respectively, in the semifinals of the promotion play-offs, and they’re now set to do battle in the final, seeking that last place which leads into the Premier League next season.

The two teams will face each other behind the closed doors of the Wembley Stadium on Tuesday evening.

Brentford

Brentford won 24 of their 46 league games of the season, more than West Bromwich Albion (22) who finished second, and it was the 13 defeats, compared to the Baggies’ mere seven, that saw miss out on that second place and direct promotion.

The play-offs didn’t start too well for Thomas Frank’s team. Left back Rico Henry got sent off after 62 minutes of the first semifinal leg, and Andre Ayew dealt them a severe blow with an 82nd minute winner for the Swans. However, they successfully bounced back in the second leg at their Griffin Park as goals from Ollie Watkins, Emiliano Marcondes and Bryan Mbeumo proved just enough to make the late strike by Liverpool loanee Rhian Brewster no more than consolation for the visitors.

Team News

Frank will have the full squad to choose from, but he’s not very likely to deviate from the winning formula of the second leg against Swansea. It means Marcondes, who came into the team instead of Josh DaSilva for that match and scored a very important goal, is likely to keep his place for the final.

Fulham

Fulham faced another Welsh side in the semifinal in the form of Cardiff City, and their path to the final, though similar in terms of suspense, was exactly the opposite of the one Brentford took. Fulham won the first leg at the Cardiff City Stadium comfortably by 0-2, courtesy of two fantastic goals from Josh Onomah and Neeskens Kebano, and then they had to work hard to avoid dropping that advantage at the Craven Cottage. Curtis Nelson gave Cardiff the lead early and Kebano equalized immediately, but it was a nervy second half for Scott Parker and his team after Lee Tomlin scored another one for the visitors in the 47th minute. But Fulham held out and got through.

The Cottagers finished the regular part of the season behind Brentford merely on goal-diffrence, though the gap in that respect was vast indeed.

Team News

Championship Golden Boot winner Aleksandar Mitrovic, with 26 goals in 40 league games, missed both legs of the semifinal through injury and Parker was deeply concerned about his potential absence in the final, but he eventually confirmed that the Serbia international will be ready to fight for his team’s place in the Premier League on Tuesday. The same goes for the rest of the squad.

Conclusion

It’s worth bearing in mind that Fulham failed to win either of the two encounters between these teams in the regular part of the season. Brentford won both, 1-0 at home in December, and 0-2 away after the restart. In fact, Fulham are winless in their last five encounters with this particular opponent. On the other hand, Parker’s men are looking to get back to the Premier League after just one year of absence, while Brentford haven’t played in the English top flight for 73 years, not since 1946/47.

Another thing that Parker will likely keep in mind is the fact that Brentford have scored 80 goals in the regular season, more than any other side in the Championship. It remains to be seen whether he’ll find the right antidote for that particular poison this time, but it seems Frank and his team might just pull off a historic result in this one.

Verdict: Brentford win

Best odds: 11/10

Bookmaker: Unibet