Villa, Fulham eye big bucks

– Fulham and Aston Villa clash in the English Championship play-off final at Wembley Stadium today knowing either unrestrained joy and financial riches or crushing heartache await.

No other game in world club football has quite as much riding on the outcome in the winnertakes-all clash to decide who will be the 20th club in next season’s Premier League.

Wolverhampton Wanderers and Cardiff City claimed the automatic promotion places from the second tier – Cardiff pipped Fulham to second place after the London club, marshalled by veteran former Chelsea captain John Terry (above), suffered a 3-1 defeat to Birmingham City on the final day of the regular season.

It left Slavisa Jokanovic’s side two points behind Cardiff and quite how costly that defeat, their first in the Championship since December, will be will only become apparent after the final whistle.

The winning team will guarantee themselves a minimum windfall of £160 million – their share of the Premier League’s eye-watering broadcasting rights deal.

That does not even reflect the increase in merchandising, potential sponsorship deals and inevitable spike in social media followers, so the real prize is almost immeasurable.

Yet despite all the talk of the world’s “richest game” it will boil down to a match between two proud old clubs.

“When I arrived here two-anda-half years ago we were fighting relegation, so I believe we’ve made great steps to have the opportunity to bring this club back and be a promoted team,” Serb Jokanovic told the club’s website.

“We have an important chance in front of us, and we expect we are going to find our best performance, follow our style, be confident, and cross this important line.”

While a free-flowing Fulham side featuring sensational teenage prodigy Ryan Sessegnon – a target for Tottenham – and prolific Serbia striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, on loan from Newcastle United, are slight favourites, Villa are managed by Steve Bruce who holds the joint record for taking sides into the top-flight from the second tier. – Reuters

London

When I arrived here two-and-a-half years ago we were fighting relegation.

Slavisa Jokanovic Fulham manager