For teams in the Championship, a place in the Premier League is their ultimate aim at the start of the season. While a cup win may be nice, if a little far-fetched, simply earning your right for a season in the top flight offers more than just the prestige of being called a top flight team. In terms of cash value, it is the richest prize in football with tonight’s Championship Playoff Final at Wembley reckoned to be worth over £130 million.
Should Fulham gain promotion a year after coming down, that would be worth £135 million to the Cottagers, however should Brentford gain promotion to the top flight for the first time in their history, then it would be worth a massive £160 million to the club (the difference caused by Fulham having been in the Premier League recently and thus receiving parachute payments).
Of course, the richest single game in football history is always going to attract plenty of attention from punters, especially with the final place in next season’s Premier League on the line too, so you can bet it will be more than fans of Brentford and Fulham that will be tuning in tonight and enjoying a bet on the outcome of the game. If you want to join in and need somewhere to bet, check out the latest bet365 New Player Offer to help get you started.
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Let’s now preview tonight’s clash between the two London rivals, separated by just four miles, who are battling it out to be the 20th confirmed team in the Premier League next season.
Championship Playoff Final
Brentford v Fulham
League Records Comparison
- Brentford – 3rd Place Finish – 81 Points +42 Goal Difference.
- Fulham – 4th Place Finish – 81 Points +16 Goal Difference
While Fulham finished the season strongly to claim fourth place in the table, Brentford had been in line to pip West Bromwich Albion to the second automatic promotion place in the table behind Leeds United, but successive defeats to Stoke City and Barnsley, when a win in either game would have seen them promoted, saw the Bees just miss out on automatic promotion.
Historical Records
- Games Played – 60
- Brentford Wins – 22
- Fulham Wins – 21
- Draws – 17
It should be noted here that Fulham’s performance in this fixture in recent times has been very poor. Scott Parker’s men have won just one of the last 10 between the two teams (a 2-0 win back in November 2016) but Brentford have won six of those clashes (including both games in the league when the teams met this season) with three of the past ten finishing as draws.
In those ten games Brentford have scored 19 goals to Fulham’s nine and Fulham did not manage a goal in either game against Brentford this season.
Playoff Performances
Brentford
- Semifinal 1st Leg – V Swansea City (A)– L 0-1
- Semifinal 2nd Leg – V Swansea City (H) – W 3-1 (Watkins 11, Marcondes 15, Mbuemo 46)
Brentford win 3-2 on aggregate
Fulham
- Semifinal 1st Leg – V Cardiff City (A) – W 2-0 (Onomah 49, Kebano 90)
- Semifinal 2nd Leg – V Cardiff City (H) – L 1-2 (Kebano 9)
Fulham win 3-2 on aggregate
Brentford Factfile
Founded in 1889, this season is their last season at their current Griffin Park ground before they move to a new stadium in time for next season. Nicknamed The Bees, Although never having played in the Premier League they have played in the top flight previously when promoted in 1935, where they finished in the top six three times in a row. However a decline saw them drop down the divisions and mainly play out their time in the bottom two divisions.
However when Matthew Benham, a long-time Bees fan, took over as chairman in the 2009-10 season, he promised to invest in the team over five years. Promotion from League One followed in 2014 and six year’s later, the club now stand on a brink of a return to the topflight of English football for the first time since the late 1930s.
Brentford Squad
Manager – Thomas Frank
Goalkeepers – David Raya, Patrik Gunnarsson, Luke Daniels
Defenders – Dom Thompson, Rico Henry, Ethan Pinnock, Pontus Janssen, Henrik Dalsgaard, Julien Janvier, Mads Bech Sorensen, Luka Racic, Mads Roerslev
Midfielders – Dru Yearwood, Christian Norgaard, Sergi Canos, Mathias Jensen, Said Benrahma, Kamohelo Mokotjo, Josh DaSilva, Joel Valencia, Emiliano Marcondes, Bryan Mbuemo, Tariq Fosu, Shandon Baptiste, Jan Zamburek
Attackers – Nikos Karelis, Ollie Watkins, Marcus Forss, Halil Dervisoglu
Ollie Watkins was the top scorer for the team with 25 goals this year. Pontus Janssen is the captain.
Fulham Factfile
Fulham were a regular in the top flight of English football for many years, but after falling outside of the top flight in 1970, it took them 31 years and a trip through the divisions to get back. It was only after the Al Fayed takeover in 1997, that Fulham moved through the divisions under the guidance of Kevin Keegan and Jean Tigana.
Since then they have flitted between the Premier League and the Championship, winning promotion and then being relegated a number of times and also along the way reaching the Europa League final, where they were beaten by Atletico Madrid in May 2010. Since Shahid Khan took over the club, the team has had just one season in the Premier League, last season, but could be back again after just one year out of the top flight with a win at Wembley.
Fulham Squad
Manager – Scott Parker
Goalkeepers – Marcus Bettinelli, Marek Rodak, Jordan Archer
Defenders – Michael Hector, Denis Odoi, Alfie Mawson, Tim Ream, Maxime Le Marchand, Cyrus Christie, Joe Bryan, Steven Sessegnon
Midfielders – Kevin McDonald, Neeskens Kabano, Stefan Johansen, Tom Cairney, Harry Arter, Harrison Reed, Josh Onomah, Luca de la Torre
Attackers – Aleksandar Mitrovic, Bobby Decordova-Reid, Ivan Cavaleiro, Antony Knockaert, Aboubakar Kamara
Our Tips for the Game
Most of the stats point the way of Brentford here when you look at recent form between the two teams and recent history. I also feel the Bees have more goalscoring power, but where Fulham do have the edge is in big game experience and that could be key.
I can’t see this being a gung-ho battle, but there is no doubt Brentford’s return to form after three defeats in a row was timed perfectly against Swansea and I’m backing them to land the win here. I am backing Brentford to win 2-1 which is a 17/2 shot with bet365.
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