Cardiff vs Fulham Odds & Preview: EFL Championship Playoffs Leg 1
- Both clubs are fighting for a place in Wembley final and an instant return to EPL
- Fulham finished fourth in the EFL Championship while Cardiff was in fifth place
- See all odds and best bets for the EFL Championship Playoff semifinal Leg 1
Cardiff City and Fulham will battle for the chance to make an instant return to England’s Premier League when they meet in the EFL Championship playoff semifinal first leg in the Welsh capital on Monday. The first semifinal match sees Brentford playing Swansea on Sunday, with Brentford tipped as favorites to be the final promoted side to the EPL.
Fulham finished fourth in the Championship’s regular season with 81 points while Cardiff were fifth with a total of 73 points.
Both teams were relegated from the EPL last season with Cardiff finishing 18th with 34 points and Fulham one place below with 26 points.
The west London outfit Fulham are favorites for an away win in the first leg at +160 with Cardiff at +190. The tie is +200.
EFL Championship Playoff Cardiff vs Fulham Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total at FanDuel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cardiff City | +190 | +1 (-220) | Ov 2.5 (+122) |
| Fulham | +160 | -1 (+480) | Un 2.5 (-148) |
| Draw | +200 | +1 (+300) | N/A |
All odds taken July 24
After Cardiff drew nine times at home in the regular season and Fulham drew 10 times on the road, the best offer here is – you guessed it, the draw.
The game will be a clash of styles with Fulham’s possession-based game contrasting with Cardiff’s more direct approach and it will be fiercely contested. The kickoff at the Cardiff City Stadium is at 2:45 pm EST.
Fulham Win Earlier in July
The two sides met as recently as July 10 with Fulham winning 2-0 at their Craven Cottage stadium by the River Thames.
Scott Parker’s Fulham team were in with a chance of claiming the automatic second place promotion spot until the final day of the regular Championship season after a run of four wins and one draw.
But they were held 1-1 at Wigan Athletic in their last match.
When Neil Harris took charge, @CardiffCityFC were 14th 😫
They've just secured Play-Off football 😁✅
They couldn't… could they? 👀🏆 #CardiffCity pic.twitter.com/rGTduJCImD
— Sky Bet (@SkyBet) July 22, 2020
Cardiff secured their playoff place with a run of three straight victories at the end of the regular campaign – after they had endured a wobble with a 3-2 home defeat by Blackburn Rovers and the setback at Fulham.
In the end, they won 2-1 at home to Derby County and then 3-1 away at Middlesbrough before a 3-0 win at home against Hull City last Wednesday secured the fifth spot.
Fulham have the Championship’s top regular season scorer – the Serbian Alexsandr Mitrovic who scored 26 goals.
Mitrovic might have scored even more but had to serve a three-match ban after the league’s resumption of play for elbowing Ben White of Leeds United.
Three of those goals came in the final four games including a penalty strike in the defeat of Cardiff.
Mitrovic might have scored even more but had to serve a three-match ban after the league’s resumption of play for elbowing Ben White of Leeds United.
Cardiff shared their goals around with Lee Tomlin finishing as their top scorer in league games with eight goals while Robert Glatzel, Joe Ralls, Danny Ward and Junior Hoilett all scored seven goals each.
Neil Harris’ Cardiff side suffered only three defeats all season to record the fourth-best statistics in the competition on their own patch.
They won 11 times and drew on nine occasions – scoring 35 times and conceding 21 goals.
Cardiff vs Fulham Statistics
| 19 | Wins | 23 |
| 11 | Losses | 11 |
| 16 | Draws | 12 |
| 68 | Goals | 64 |
| 58 | Goals Against | 48 |
| 14 | Clean Sheets | 17 |
| 66 | Yellow Cards | 78 |
| 2 | Red Cards | 5 |
There was a 1-1 draw when they hosted Fulham at home last August.
Fulham have the sixth-best away record in the Championship with eight wins, 10 draws and five defeats – scoring 24 times and conceding 22 goals.
London or Wales Derby Final In-Store?
There is the potential for an all-London or an all-Welsh playoff final at Wembley with third-placed Brentford meeting sixth-placed Swansea City in the other tie.
As a manager, Cardiff’s Neil Harris has twice reached playoff finals while in charge of Millwall.
The second leg of the clash between Fulham and Cardiff takes place on July 30.
As a manager, Cardiff’s Neil Harris has twice reached Playoff finals while in charge of Millwall.
Danny Ward celebrates as he completes a professional performance from Cardiff City. FT: Cardiff 3 – 0 Hull. Play offs secured for the Bluebirds. Relegation for Hull. pic.twitter.com/BI9icvzK3m
— Cardiff City Mad (@cardiffcitymad) July 22, 2020
They lost the League One final 3-1 against Barnsley in 2015-16 and the following season Millwall were promoted after defeating Bradford City 1-0 at Wembley.
Parker, a former Fulham player, is in his first managerial job at the club. After taking over as caretaker-boss late last season, he was unable to avoid relegation.
Pick: Draw +200
John Dillon is a leading member of the UK's sporting media, having spent three decades as a national newspaper soccer and sports writer, broadcaster and author. He has covered five World Cups, six European Championships and was Chief Sports Writer at the Daily Express for 14 years.
