Bluebirds v Swans for a place in Prem... crazy, but it might happen!

WHAT a crazy end to the Championship season – and what a mouthwatering few days we have in store with Cardiff City versus Fulham and Swansea against Brentford in the play-offs.

Wow, the prospect of a Bluebirds versus Swans Wembley final is suddenly very real.

I have a sneaky feeling it will actually happen too – the two Welsh archrivals locking horns at the home of English football for a place in the Premier League.

What odds would you have been given on that during lockdown, let alone the start of the season?

In fact, what odds before kick-off on Wednesday night, would you have got for the Nottingham Forest implosion that suddenly let Swansea in through the back door at the last minute.

Crazy, crazy, crazy how everything has turned out, but I’m anticipating another gigantic twist which enthralls us with that Welsh shoot-out at Wembley.

How do I see the two semi-finals going?

I think if Fulham could have handpicked opponents out of the three other sides in the play-offs, they’d have actually chosen Cardiff.

Why? Because they know they have a good record against us, only one Bluebirds triumph in 11 games, comfortably won the recent encounter 2-0 and know they are better at playing football.

Brentford, on their day, can thrash any team in the division; Swansea have always had the reputation of being a good footballing side. Fulham might not have fancied those, but will feel they have the edge on Cardiff in that department. But, of course, that doesn’t mean they’ll win. No way. I’ve watched lots of these Cardiff v Fulham games down the years, in the Championship and the Premier League, and I feel pretty much every time we approach it wrongly. Under Neil Warnock we’d go man for man and Fulham’s clever rotation would drag the Cardiff defenders around the pitch, leaving gaps for others to exploit.

Under Neil Harris more recently I felt we were trying to play them at their own footballing game – and they’re better at that than we are.

So don’t make those mistakes again, whether at Cardiff City Stadium in the first leg on Monday or in the Craven Cottage return next Thursday. Cardiff need pack the midfield, defend deep and utilise the blinding pace of Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Josh Murphy on the counter. Keep it tight, deny space – then hit Fulham on the break. That’s the way to beat them. Let’s see what made of then.

Yes, Fulham have an abundance of talent in their side. Mitrovic up top, Cairney and Arter in the midfield, Knockaert and Reid out wide. They’re a top side at this level.

But they don’t have the speed demons Harris possesses in his Cardiff armoury and they’ll be extremely wary of that.

Mendez-Laing can give defenders a four to five-yard start and still beat them over 30. Same with Murphy.

Cardiff need to sit back, have their dogs of war win the ball back in midfield when they have lost possession, and keep feeding those wingers on the break. Get Lee Tomlin and Robert Glatzel, who’ll be further advanced anyway, in the danger areas to back them up.

Don’t go toe to toe. Instead, adopt a cautious, conservative game and then use those wide strengths we have to break out at blinding speed. And I say that for the first leg at home, too, something I wouldn’t normally advocate when we’re at Cardiff City Stadium.

Don’t get impatient, just because we’re at home first up. Remember that it’s a two-legged tie. You can’t win it in the first match, but you can pretty much lose it if you go too gung-ho, suddenly see Fulham pick you off and they’re race into a two or three-goal lead. Cardiff have more than enough about them to win this tie.

As such, don’t be too worried by the fact we were outplayed just a few weeks up at Fulham.

I was at that game, it wasn’t our finest hour. But I also know Cardiff have so much more in the tank than that and, set up correctly by the manager, they have it in them to snatch the first game 1-0 and then draw the return leg. There won’t be many goals, I can guarantee you that. Never are in the play-offs, with so much at stake. What happens in the other semi? If I were a betting man, given how things panned out on Wednesday night, I’d say Swansea will overcome Brentford.

Why? Because sometimes you have to take the football out of the equation and just go on human emotion. Brentford blew a chance to go up automatically, losing at home to Barnsley after also crashing at Stoke in their final two games.

They will have been seeking the top two, instead they’re in the play-offs. Swansea are delighted to just get in there, having hit Reading for four and seen Forest unexpectedly capitulate by the same scoreline at home to Stoke.

Swansea suddenly soared into the top six, have momentum – whose position would you rather be in?

Brentford play lovely stuff, but I’m not sure, judging by the last couple of results, that they can handle pressure.

It’ll be another tight two-legged affair. I’m going 1-1 at the Liberty, 1-1 at Griffin Park – and Swansea on penalties because I just think things are going for them at the moment.

So, that would set up the Welsh showdown at Wembley. Wow. I can’t wait – and it least we wouldn’t have to worry about crowd trouble.

Look, it’s not great playing football without fans. Watching Liverpool lift the Premier League trophy the other night was fabulous, but think of what the atmosphere would have been like inside Anfield with their supporters there.

The fans are the ones who create the atmosphere at football matches, but it’d still be Cardiff v Swansea, with everything at stake that goes with that unique fixture.

I’ve had a few Cardiff fans tell me they don’t want Swansea in the final, couldn’t bear losing to them were that to happen.

I reply ‘The winning outweighs the losing.’ Very much so, for me.

You can get over the losing when next season starts – but beating Swansea at Wembley would be the greatest feeling in the world for Cardiff fans and they’d never forget it.

Give me Swansea ahead of any other team in a final. Every day.. I’d love it. And I think it’s going to happen, too..

Keep it tight, deny space - then hit them on the break. That’s the way to beat Fulham

Give me Swansea ahead of any other team in a final...I’d love it