FULHAM v CARDIFF CITY: ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ....
CARDIFF City travel to West London to take on Fulham in the second leg of their Championship play-off semi-final contest tonight.
The Bluebirds lost 2-0 at home on Monday evening, meaning they have a mountain to climb if they are to reach the final at Wembley on August 4.
Here’s everything you need to know about the match at Craven Cottage.
What time does Fulham v Cardiff City kick-off?
Fulham v Cardiff City kicks off at 7.45pm on Thursday, July 30.
Is Fulham v Cardiff City on TV?
Yes, the match will be shown exclusively live on Sky Sports.
Coverage on their Football and Main Event channels begins 45 minutes before kick-off.
iFollow or equivalent streaming packages purchased by season ticket holders only included regular season games and not play-off fixtures.
As a result of Sky’s deal, none of the play-off games will be shown live on CardiffCityTV, apart from in dark market countries where there is no overseas TV agreement in place.
Alternatively, you can follow live updates on our match blog which will be on WalesOnline’s Cardiff City page.
What is the latest team news?
Neil Harris spoke of having to juggle fitness with a quick turnaround, but it doesn’t look as though the Bluebirds will have any fresh injury concerns.
He did, however, hint that there would be changes to the team which took the pitch on Monday night.
“Quite possibly,” he said when asked about switching things up. “A lot of things go through your mind as a manager – personnel, shape, what’s the best way to go. Tactically, what’s the best way to go to get back in the game.
“I’ll say no more.”
As for Fulham, their big injury concern is Aleksandar Mitrovic, who missed Monday’s clash with a slight hamstring issue. It is as yet unknown whether he will be ready for tonight.
“It was his first day back training,” said Parker. “We had to make a decision the other day because of the dynamic of where we are in the season and the game is going to be played over two legs.”
Elsewhere, ex-Bluebird Harry Arter was also absent from the squad in the first leg and he did not train on Wednesday, so he is unlikely to return.
Ivan Cavaleiro, meanwhile, is in the same boat as Mitrovic and will be assessed on the day of the match owing to a hamstring problem.
What have the managers said? Cardiff City’s Neil Harris
“I am a massive play-off fan, I think they are brilliant.
“Going into the game I’m trying to take the pressure off my game a little and stick it on Fulham.
“We have our backs to the wall with a mountain to climb. Pressure on us? A little bit because we want to give a good account of ourselves and win the game.
“Pressure on Fulham? I think so as well because the first goal is crucial.
“We are the biggest underdog in the four teams because we have the most to do. But you have to embrace that underdog statement sometimes and provide that miracle.”
Fulham’s Scott Parker
“This tie is only halfway through. There’s still a lot of football to be played.
“I also understand that what got us the result on Monday was a team that worked their socks off, a team that was organised out of possession and nullified them to very few chances.”
Referee: Paul Tierney (Lancashire) Tierney has been plying his trade mostly in the Premier League this season, but did referee Cardiff’s 3-2 win over Barnsley in December, when he handed out six yellow cards – five to Barnsley. He will be assisted by Ian
Hussin and Darren Cann. Graham Scott is the fourth official Semi-final first leg odds Fulham 21/10; Draw 23/10; Cardiff 11/4.
(Odds courtesy of The Pools, correct at time of publishing) Match facts
■No team have ever failed to reach the Championship playofffinal after winning the semi-final first leg by 2+ goals (15 previous instances).
■Fulham are unbeaten in their last six home games against Cardiff (W3 D3), including 2-0 victory as recently as July 10th.
■Cardiff have won six of their last eight games on the road (L2), with four of those victories coming by a two-goal margin or larger.
■Fulham are unbeaten in their last eight games, winning six and drawing two whilst keeping five clean sheets during this run.
■During the regular Championship season, Fulham made 588 sequences of 10+ passes from open play; 139 more than any other side in the division. In contrast, Cardiff City made just 88 – the fewest of any side.
■Cardiff City had the oldest average starting XI during the regular Championship season, with an average age of 28 years and 143 days old.
■Fulham’s Josh Onomah has been directly involved in five goals in nine games since the restart (3 goals, 2 assists), after just two in 23 league appearances in 2019-20 before the break (1 goal, 1 assist).
■Cardiff City scored 28 setpiece goals during the 2019-20 Championship season; two more than any other side. In contrast, only Barnsley (12) score fewer such goals than Fulham (15).
■Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic has scored 14 goals in 20 Championship home games this season, netting three in his last two games at Craven Cottage.
■Lee Tomlin has had a hand in 18 Championship goals this season (8 goals, 10 assists); eight more than any other Cardiff City player.