Race for Premier League promotion hots up, Juve, Inter in action

After a gruelling Championship season, the race for the third promotion place has reached its nail-biting conclusion.

Champions Leeds United and West Bromwich Albion have already booked their places in the Premier League for next season after fine campaigns, but now Brentford, Swansea City, Cardiff City and Fulham have the opportunity to join them.

The playoffs are typically testing and dramatic affairs, where teams—already ravaged from the demands of a long 46-game season—put everything on the line in order to reach the big time.

Heading into the mini-tournament, Brentford appeared to be the strongest of the four teams, having recently enjoyed a remarkable eight-game winning streak, inspired by the outstanding work of Said Benrahma.

The Algeria international has been linked with a move to Arsenal, Chelsea and Leicester City in recent weeks after an excellent campaign in the second tier in which he scored 17 goals and contributed a further eight assists.

However, consecutive defeats in their final two matches allowed The Albion to take the second automatic spot, and Brentford—now shorn of the vigour and dynamism that characterised their winning run—appear flat as they entered the playoffs.

They were duly defeated by an Andre Ayew-inspired Swansea City in the first semi-final on Sunday, with the Ghana international making up for missing a penalty by slamming home a delightful left-footed effort after excellent interplay on the edge of the box.

Dede, now 30, surely didn’t anticipate he’d be playing in the Championship at this stage of his career, but to his credit, he’s been an influential presence for the Swans this term.

The Welsh side enjoyed a remarkable final day turnaround to oust Nottingham Forest from the final playoff spot, and, unlike Brentford, have momentum on their side.

The two sides meet on Wednesday evening in the second leg of their semi, looking to reach the Wembley final.

In the other half of the draw are Cardiff City and Fulham, both freshly relegated sides who are looking to bounce back at the first attempt.

Scott Parker’s Cottagers were in the running for automatic promotion until the final day, but ultimately fell just short, and they’ll be hoping that the striking prowess of Aleksandar Mitrovic—surely too good for this level—sees them past Cardiff.

The Serb will be supported by a talented cast including Neeskens Kebano, Anthony Knockaert, Tom Cairney and Josh Onomah—all of whom have tasted the Premier League in the past—and Cardiff will have to find a way to keep these talents at bay.

For Neil Harris, the likes of Sean Morrison and Joe Ralls will be key, although he’ll have to do without Isaac Vassell and Greg Cunningham.

Cardiff and Fulham meet in the first leg on Monday, before the second leg of their semi on Thursday evening, with both matches set to be broadcast live on SuperSport.

SuperSport Fixtures

Monday 27 July – Cardiff City vs Fulham (EFL Championship Playoffs)

Tuesday 28 July – Parma vs Atalanta (Serie A)

Tuesday 28 July – Inter Milan vs Napoli (Serie A)

Wednesday 29 July – Brentford vs Swansea (EFL Championship Playoffs)

Wednesday 29 July – Lazio vs Brescia (Serie A)

Wednesday 29 July – Sampdoria vs AC Milan (Serie A)

Wednesday 29 July – Cagliari vs Juventus (Serie A)

Thursday 30 July – Fulham vs Cardiff City (EFL Championship Playoffs)

While the Premier League, La Liga and the Bundesliga have all drawn to a close, we still have two matchdays to look forward to in Serie A, with all of Italy’s biggest sides in action in midweek.

Juventus, fresh from their title triumph at the weekend, are away at Cagliari on Wednesday, as the islanders look to expose some of the brittleness the Old Lady have shown recently.

However, while they’ve stuttered during the run-in, they got the job done against Sampdoria on Sunday, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Federico Bernadeschi scoring the goals to get them over the line.

The task of Maurizio Sarri and his team now is to underpin their latest title success with consistently convincing performances, as the victory over Samp was only their second win in six.

In truth, Juve’s failings have not been capitalised upon by the chasing back, with the like of Lazio and Internazionale struggling to find their rhythm following the restart.

The Rome heavyweights were only one point off Juve when football was suspended, but after the pause, their limited squad struggled to cope with injuries and they avoided defeat in only three of their next eight matches.

They at last have the chance to sign off at home with all three points—and are still in the running for second place—at home against Brescia on Wednesday.

Inter, currently in second, have also seen too many promising leads slip away, which means work to do for Antonio Conte over the coming months as they look to become bona fide title contenders next season.

They threw away three points that appeared almost guaranteed against the likes of Hellas Verona and Sassuolo, and face a stern test when they host Napoli on Tuesday.

Gennaro Gattuso’s side are still in the hunt for Europa League qualification—they’re on 59 points with two to play, one behind sixth-placed AC Milan—and could overtake the Rossoneri if Stefano Pioli’s side drop points away at Samp on Wednesday.

Finally, Atalanta are away at Parma on Tuesday as they come to the end of another fantastic campaign, having finished third last term—their highest league position.

They could still break that record if they can unseat Inter (currently one point ahead) and finish the season in second place, while Gian Piero Gasperini may be wary that a fourth-place finish may not guarantee Champions League football if Napoli and AS Roma win the UCL and Europa League, respectively, this season.