Cardiff vs Fulham Championship Play-Off Preview (27.07.2020)

Thursday, 23 July 2020 16:44
Written by David Bet

Cardiff reached the play-offs and relegated Hull in the process on Wednesday evening, and face a difficult tie in Fulham, who had been seeking automatic promotion for much of the season.

Cardiff boss Neil Harris believes all the pressure lies on the Cottagers shoulders, as it is indeed Scott Parker’s men who are big favourites to qualify and reach the Championship Play-Off Final.

Fulham will be looking to bounce straight back into the Premier League, but face a tricky Cardiff side first. Find our full preview ahead of the play-off semi finals below...

When is Cardiff vs Fulham?

The Championship play-offs will be held over two legs, with a one legged final being held on Tuesday August 4, 2020.

As Cardiff finished lower in the table, they will take the first leg, with the second leg to be held at Craven Cottage.

The fixtures alongside kick off times can be found below:

Monday July 27, 2020, 7.45pm: Cardiff City v Fulham
Thursday July 30, 2020, 7.45pm: Fulham v Cardiff City

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Who Is Favourite to Qualify for the Play-Off Final?

Fulham are favourites to earn a place in the Play-Off final and they’re in good form having picked up some impressive results. Paddy Power are pricing them at 23/10 to be promoted, behind only Brentford, with Cardiff a 4/1 shot to return to the Premier League.

Fulham are favourites to take the first leg at 8/5 with BetVictor, which would set up a more comfortable tie at the Cottage for Scott Parker.

Cardiff have been impressive of late at the Cardiff City Stadium however, and at 17/10 could be worth a punt. The draw in the first leg can be backed at 11/5, with a BTTS draw at 7/2.

Head-to-Head This Season

Fulham enjoyed a 2-0 win over Cardiff just a few weeks ago, with Aleksandar Mitrovic and Josh Onomah getting on the scoresheet. Their tie earlier in the season, held in Cardiff, finished a 1-1 draw.

We’d look more towards that 2-0 win, particularly as Fulham proved far too strong. The Cottagers will have a firing Mitrovic towing the line and he will most certainly be good value to get on the scoresheet.

Few defences have been able to tame him this season, and he’ll be well up for Monday’s game as the side look to bounce right back to the Premier League.

Since defeat to Fulham though, Cardiff have been racking up the goals. Junior Hoilett will be key to the Bluebirds’ success and we’d also back him to bag in this one, following a solid month in front of goal.

Our Cardiff vs Fulham Predictions

We expect Scott Parker’s men to have the edge in this one and we can see them getting ahead in the first leg, taking it back to Craven Cottage for a comfortable passage into the Final.

Our bet would be a Fulham win, with 3-1 looking a rather nice price at 25/1 with BetVictor. The win and BTTS can be backed at 9/2, while it’s a safe bet putting Mitrovic on the scoresheet.

Our picks: