Cardiff City vs Fulham Championship play-off preview: Prediction, team news & tips
Fulham travel to Cardiff City for the first leg of their Championship play-off semi-final tie on Monday evening.
Both respective clubs were relegated from the English Premier League last season and both will be desperate to bounce back to the top-flight at the first time of asking.
Eight points separated the two sides at the end of the regular season, with Fulham finishing fourth and Cardiff securing fifth spot on the final day.
After Fulham eventually finished fourth behind west London rivals Brentford, fifth-placed Cardiff now stand between the Whites and a date at Wembley next month.
Reason for Fulham vs. Cardiff predictions:
- Cardiff have won six times since the Championship restarted
- No side has lost fewer games than Cardiff since Neil Harris arrived in November
- Cardiff were unbeaten at home to top-six sides this term, with Fulham failing to win at each of the top five
- The Bluebirds have scored twice or more in five of their last six home games.
Only Leeds and Brentford (7) won more matches since the Championship restarted than Cardiff City (6), who come into the playoffs on the back of a three-game winning run. Since he took over in November Cardiff have lost just six times in 30 matches, so other side has fewer defeats in that time.
They’ve only lost three of 23 matches here this season, with a strong record in big matches. Fulham failed to win any of their visits to the top five, scoring just once in that run.
Both sides enter the play-offs in strong post-lockdown form, with Cardiff having won six of their last nine matches and Fulham boasting five victories in seven.
These two clubs have met on 66 previous occasions, with Fulham leading the way in terms of wins, 28-25. There have been 13 draws.
Both clubs enjoyed strong finishes to the regular season and will both be stepping out onto the pitch feeling capable of gaining the upper hand before next Thursday’s second leg.
In 88% of their head to head meetings here, both of them managed to get in the score sheet as well. So we can expect goals at both ends of the field in this upcoming game.
Cardiff 2-1 @ 10/1
