90min

Cardiff City vs Fulham Preview: How to Watch on TV, Live Stream, Kick Off Time & Team News

By Ross Jackson

Neil Harris will need to improve on Cardiff's poor form against the Cottagers if they are to progress
Neil Harris will need to improve on Cardiff's poor form against the Cottagers if they are to progress / Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
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Cardiff host Fulham on Monday night at the Cardiff City Stadium in the first leg of their Championship play-off semi-final.

Both sides come into this one in great form, with Cardiff winning their last three games of the season by an aggregate score of 8-1, however, their last defeat was at the hands of Monday's opponents.

Aleksandar Mitrovic has been in fine form this season
Aleksandar Mitrovic has been in fine form this season / Catherine Ivill/Getty Images

Meanwhile, Fulham's only dropped points since the restart have come at in-form Wigan and West Bromwich Albion, with Scott Parker's side picking up maximum points from their other five outings.

In the last ten meetings between these two sides Cardiff have emerged victorious just once, and with Fulham boasting one of the strongest home records in the league, Neil Harris' side will need to stop the rot if they're to have any chance of booking their place at Wembley.

Here's 90min's preview of the upcoming clash.

How to Watch on TV

When is Kick Off? Monday 27 June
What Time is Kick Off? 19:45 (BST)
Where is it Played? Cardiff City Stadium
TV Channel/Live Stream: Sky Sports Football
Referee: Geoff Eltringham

Team News

Harrison Reed returns for the Cottagers
Harrison Reed returns for the Cottagers / Alex Davidson/Getty Images

Both teams are able to boast near-fully fit squads ahead of Monday's clash, with Neil Harris confirming in his press conference earlier this week that he had no injury doubts ahead of the game with Fulham.

Meanwhile, the Cottagers welcome back midfielder Harrison Reed after the Southampton loanee sat out the draw with Wigan following his red card in the 5-3 win over Sheffield Wednesday.

Predicted Lineups

Cardiff: Smithies; Bacuna, Morrison, Nelson, Bennett; Pack, Ralls; Mendez-Laing, Tomlin, Hoilett; Glatezel.

Fulham: Rodak; Odoi, Hector, Ream, Bryan; Arter, Cairney; Knockaert, Onomah, Kebano; Mitrovic.

Recent Form

Lee Tomlin's guile and creativity could be the difference for Cardiff
Lee Tomlin's guile and creativity could be the difference for Cardiff / Athena Pictures/Getty Images

Cardiff had looked like being set for another season in the Championship, spending the majority of the latter part of the season loitering outside of the play-off places.

However, their fine end-of-season form saw them make a late climb up the table and they fully deserve their fifth-placed finish.

Fulham have produced some brilliant displays this campaign, though lapses in concentration against sides around the bottom of the table have ultimately proved costly.

However, Parker's men have looked good of late and with Mitrovic scoring goals again after a relatively barren spell, Fulham look a real threat again.

Cardiff

Cardiff 3-0 Hull (22/7)
Middlesbrough 1-3 Cardiff (18/7)
Cardiff 2-1 Derby (14/7)
Fulham 2-0 Cardiff (10/7)
Cardiff 2-0 Blackburn (07/7)

Fulham

Wigan 1-1 Fulham (22/7)
Fulham 5-3 Sheffield Wednesday (18/7)
West Brom 0-0 Fulham (14/7)
Fulham 2-0 Cardiff (10/7)
Nottingham Forest 0-1 Fulham (07/7)

Prediction

Parker's men are at their best when on the front foot
Parker's men are at their best when on the front foot / Nathan Stirk/Getty Images

The first leg of any tie is always difficult to call, with both sides placing more emphasis on not getting beat than actually winning the game.

That being said, both these sides can look suspect defensively at times, and their main asset is undoubtedly their forward players.

There should be goals, and with both sides gaining momentum late on in the season it's tough to see either side holding a massive advantage at the halfway point.

Prediction: Cardiff 2-2 Fulham