MATCH THREAD: " CARDIFF CITY v FULHAM " MATCH THREAD

CARDIFF CITY v FULHAM
Monday 27th July, 7.45pm
Championship Play-Off Semi Final 1st Leg
Cardiff City Stadium 


Match to be played in front of no supporters, for information on how to watch the match on TV or to stream it - see below

Cardiff City XI: Smithies; Bacuna, Morrison, Nelson, Bennett; Pack, Ralls; Mendez-Laing, Tomlin, Hoilett; Glatzel.

Subs: Etheridge, Sanderson, Flint, Bamba, Smith, Vaulks, Murphy, Paterson, Ward.

Fulham XI: Rodak; Christie, Hector, Ream, Bryan; Reed, Cairney; Onomah, Decordova-Reid, Kebano; Knockaert.

Subs: Betinelli, Mawson, Sessegnon, Odoi, Le Marchand, McDonald, Johansen, Kamara, Jasper.




TEAM NEWS:

No new injuries

Greg Cunningham is still a little way off at the moment.
He is back in full training with the first team.

Isaac Vassell is still out injured.





How can I watch this match on TV?

Match is live on Sky Sports.

About Fulham

Fulham Football Club is a professional association football club based in Fulham, London, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded in 1879, they are the oldest football club from London to play in the Football League.

The club has spent 26 seasons in English football's top division, the majority of these in two spells during the 1960s and 2000s. The latter spell was associated with former chairman Mohamed Al-Fayed, after the club had climbed up from the fourth tier in the 1990s. Fulham have reached two major finals: in 1975, as a Second Division team, they contested the FA Cup Final for the only time in their history, losing 2–0 to West Ham United, and in 2010 they reached the final of the UEFA Europa League, which they contested with Atlético Madrid in Hamburg, losing 2–1 after extra time.

Fulham's main rivalries are with fellow West London clubs Chelsea, Queens Park Rangers and Brentford. The club adopted a white shirt and black socks as the kit in 1903, which has been used ever since.

Previous Meeting 

We lost 2-0 at Fulham a few weeks ago.

Team News - Predicted Line-Ups

Cardiff City: Smithies, Bacuna, Nelson, Morrison, Bennett, Pack, Ralls, Tomlin, Hoilett, Mendez-Laing, Glatzel

Fulham: Rodak, Odoi, Hector, Ream, Bryan, Arter, Cairney, Knockaert, Onomah, Kebano, Mitrovic

Form - Last Three Games 

Cardiff City 3-0 Hull City
Middlesbrough 1-3 Cardiff City
Cardiff City 2-1 Derby County

Wigan Athletic 1-1 Fulham
Fulham 5-3 Sheffield Wednesday
West Bromwich Albion 0-0 Fulham

Match Odds

Cardiff City - 6/4
Fulham - 9/5
Draw - 9/4

Predictions

Post your predictions below 

Draw the home leg and win away,we are the in form team.
Come on City.

This is probably the game nobody wanted . Much prefer to play West Brom or Brentford.

The winner of this game goes on to win the play offs and promotion in my opinion.
Brentford are spent and Swansea are beatable.

We need to attack them this time, if we play like a few weeks ago it will be over first leg

More than happy to have these posh Tory wannabes. Let's give it to them

Neil Harris says the pressure is on Fulham ahead of their play-off semi-final clash with his Cardiff City side.

Cardiff finished fifth in the Championship after a 3-0 win over Hull and will face Fulham in the play-offs with the first leg in Cardiff.

Harris says the money taken to assemble Scott Parker's squad means Fulham must handle the weight of expectation.

"We are the form side in the play-offs, but the league table doesn't lie," he told BBC Sport Wales.

"The message is clear now. We get into the play-offs and extend our season when everyone else is on holiday and you do that for one reason only and that's to win. No other reason.

"There is a little bit of pressure on us but there is huge pressure on Fulham, a team that should be in the Premier League with the money that they have spent and even now are spending. We will go and enjoy it."

I think a very tough 2-0 win on Monday night with a scrappy 1-1 draw at their place. Blooooobirds !!!

Fulham boss Scott Parker believes that it will be his side who have the momentum over Cardiff City heading into the play-off semi-final.

The Bluebirds romped to victory against Hull City last night with a 3-0 win and, in doing so, secured fifth place.

Fulham, meanwhile, limped to a draw against relegation-battling Wigan Athletic, meaning they missed their chance to seal an automatic promotion spot and will now face Cardiff next week.

Asked how he was feeling after the draw against the Latics, Parker said after the game: "Positive, a real positive because we were realistic and certainly the way we framed it was realistic.

"We knew what we had to do tonight and to bring the season to the last game was a massive positive for us. We took it to the wire, it's not happened for us, we knew it was well out of our hands tonight.

"We all understood it was likely we were going to the playoffs. We lost two games out of lockdown and since then we've been in very good form, that's seven unbeaten now. When you're close there's an element of 'can we do it' but you're relying on other teams to slip up.

2-1 first leg then grind out 0-0 second leg

City all the way. Scottie will miss the beam up opportunity

Tough Game - But they all are now

TEAM NEWS:

No new injuries

Greg Cunningham is still a little way off at the moment.
He is back in full training with the first team.

Isaac Vassell is still out injured.

TEAM NEWS:

No new injuries

Greg Cunningham is still a little way off at the moment.
He is back in full training with the first team.

Isaac Vassell is still out injured.

Just out of interest Annis, but do you think that Neil Harris has any faith in IV Being fit, and playing an integral part in our Future teams?

2-0, then 1-1

Neil Harris faced the media this afternoon ahead of Cardiff City's play-off tie with Fulham.

The first leg of the clash is at Cardiff City Stadium on Monday, before Harris and his men travel to West London for the second half of the tie next Thursday.

The Bluebirds booked their spot in the play-offs on a chaotic final night of the regular season on Wednesday, thrashing Hull City 3-0 at home to secure fifth place.

City are certainly carrying momentum into the play-offs, that's for sure, having won their last three matches.

Harris offered updates on the team's fitness as well as the prospect of facing Scott Parker's Fulham next week.

"The players who played haven’t done a lot on the grass. We look like we are in good health."

Neil Harris on the play-offs:


‘I’ve done it four times as a player, so I have a player’s perspective. I’ve also done it twice in the last four years as a manager, with two finals. I feel I can pass on my experiences to the group. There’s no pressure from me, I want them to enjoy it.’

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Lets batter the Jeremy's and then batter the jacks.

Lets batter the Jeremy's and then batter the jacks.

Absolutely

Fulham boss Scott Parker has dismissed Neil Harris' claim that the Cottagers are under more pressure than Cardiff City heading into the play-offs.

In the wake of Wednesday's win over Hull, Bluebirds boss Harris started the mind games early by saying there was "huge pressure" on Fulham given the money they've spent.

He had said: "There is a bit of pressure on us, but there is huge pressure on Fulham playing against us - a team that should be in the Premier League, given the money they have spent and are now spending .

And former England midfielder Parker couldn't resist denying those claims when asked about it during a press conference on Friday.

"I think there’s been pressure on both," Parker said.

"Cardiff were in the Premier League with us last year and they were eight points better off than us to be honest with you. They finished above us in the Premier League, they’re in the same position as I understand."

The Fulham boss added: "Look, it’s a massive game for both of us, expectations on both clubs are huge, so I think we understand the expectation from the outside and the expectation from the inside is always going to be great.

"Two games against a very, very good Cardiff team, you have no doubt about that, we understand what we face. But like I say, we’ll embrace that and we look forward to it."

Junior Hoilett previewed the upcoming play-off semi-final first leg with Fulham on Friday afternoon.
City's No.33 has scored three goals in nine appearances since football restarted in late June.

“I did absolutely nothing," Junior began, discussing lockdown. "I just used the moment to relax.

"I'd been playing a lot of football recently with the club and national team. It was good to get that time to recoup, relax and get ready to get the ball rolling.

"I think it helped me to get back into the form that I'm used to. It would be great if I can bring that form into the next two games and get the team to Wembley – that would be perfect.”

The Bluebirds finished the regular campaign in fifth place - and go into next week's two legged tie against Fulham having recently played the Whites. Junior continued: “We have fresh memories of the mistakes we made in that match. But also thoughts about the better sides of it. It can benefit us going into the game Monday.

“The boys are ready. We have a good momentum going into the game with three wins on the bounce.

"There are a few changes to the side that last went up but we have the same brotherhood as a squad. The same brotherhood and atmosphere around the building.

“We have the mentality to want to be in the Premier League again. We had that experience - and we think we have unfinished business. It is where the club and the city belongs.

“We’ve got a good spirit and everyone is ready and raring to go and put everything on the line to get to Wembley."

2-1 to city at home,and a 1-1 draw at theirs,and for added edge,Smithies saves a penalty from Mitrovic in the last minutes of the game!! c'mon boys!!

Cardiff host Fulham on Monday night at the Cardiff City Stadium in the first leg of their Championship play-off semi-final.

Both sides come into this one in great form, with Cardiff winning their last three games of the season by an aggregate score of 8-1, however, their last defeat was at the hands of Monday's opponents.

Meanwhile, Fulham's only dropped points since the restart have come at in-form Wigan and West Bromwich Albion, with Scott Parker's side picking up maximum points from their other five outings.

In the last ten meetings between these two sides Cardiff have emerged victorious just once, and with Fulham boasting one of the strongest home records in the league, Neil Harris' side will need to stop the rot if they're to have any chance of booking their place at Wembley.

Both teams are able to boast near-fully fit squads ahead of Monday's clash, with Neil Harris confirming in his press conference earlier this week that he had no injury doubts ahead of the game with Fulham.

Meanwhile, the Cottagers welcome back midfielder Harrison Reed after the Southampton loanee sat out the draw with Wigan following his red card in the 5-3 win over Sheffield Wednesday.

Scott Parker insists Fulham are not under more pressure than Cardiff

The Bluebirds boss started the mind games on Wednesday night and Parker has now responded


Sunday 26th July 2020



Fulham boss Scott Parker has dismissed Neil Harris' claim that the Cottagers are under more pressure than Cardiff City heading into the play-offs.

In the wake of Wednesday's win over Hull, Bluebirds boss Harris started the mind games early by saying there was "huge pressure" on Fulham given the money they've spent.

He had said: "There is a bit of pressure on us, but there is huge pressure on Fulham playing against us - a team that should be in the Premier League, given the money they have spent and are now spending .

And former England midfielder Parker couldn't resist denying those claims when asked about it during a press conference on Friday.

"I think there’s been pressure on both," Parker said.

"Cardiff were in the Premier League with us last year and they were eight points better off than us to be honest with you. They finished above us in the Premier League, they’re in the same position as I understand."

The Fulham boss added: "Look, it’s a massive game for both of us, expectations on both clubs are huge, so I think we understand the expectation from the outside and the expectation from the inside is always going to be great.

"Two games against a very, very good Cardiff team, you have no doubt about that, we understand what we face. But like I say, we’ll embrace that and we look forward to it."



The Cottagers boast the Championship's top-scorer in Aleksandar Mitrovic, who has proven to be a thorn in the side of many a team in the division - including Cardiff during their recent 2-0 defeat at Craven Cottage earlier this month.

And Parker admitted Fulham have probably relied on the Serbian's goals more than they would have liked this season.

"Obviously Mitrovic has scored a large part of the goals this year, and has been a focal point to what we’ve done and where we are," he added.

"We said we needed goals from elsewhere in the pitch, we probably lacked that a little bit this year and it’s certainly an area we need to improve on because there’s certainly been a lot of attention on Mitrovic and his goals have been vitally important."

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Championship promotion odds

Here are the latest Championship promotion odds after Swansea's first leg win over Brentford.

Fulham - 2/1

Brentford - 9/4

Swansea City - 10/3

Cardiff City - 7/2

Championship promotion odds

Here are the latest Championship promotion odds after Swansea's first leg win over Brentford.

Fulham - 2/1

Brentford - 9/4

Swansea City - 10/3

Cardiff City - 7/2

Not very generous considering we are the outsiders!

Teams announced and no Mitrovic for Fulham if its correct

Cardiff City XI: Smithies; Bacuna, Morrison, Nelson, Bennett; Pack, Ralls; Mendez-Laing, Tomlin, Hoilett; Glatzel.

Subs: Etheridge, Sanderson, Flint, Bamba, Smith, Vaulks, Murphy, Paterson, Ward.




Fulham XI: Rodak; Christie, Hector, Ream, Bryan; Reed, Cairney; Onomah, Decordova-Reid, Kebano; Knockaert.

Subs: Betinelli, Mawson, Sessegnon, Odoi, Le Marchand, McDonald, Johansen, Kamara, Jasper.

Both stride out to the centre...

BLUEBIRDS

Sloppy from Fulham and Cardiff capitalise. Hoilett lays off Tomlin, whose shot is blocked, before Mendez-Laing crosses to Glatzel at the far post.

He is hauled down and it's a free-kick to Cardiff in a dangerous area.

Cleared. Hoilett's shot from the edge of the box is then blocked