Fulham face Aston Villa at Wembley Saturday in the playoff final.
Former Fulham manager Kit Symons says Aston Villa’s big-game players are a worry, but if the Championship final goes to form then the Cottagers will triumph at Wembley this Saturday, the Sun reports.
It’s third versus fourth this weekend as last season’s playoff semi-finalists Fulham take on the pre-season promotion favourites Aston Villa in what is said the most lucrative football game in the world. Sky Sports reports that the winner will make around £170m out of the encounter.
Both teams have reason to believe they will secure a place in next season’s Premier League, and it’s without doubt one of the toughest Championship playoff finals to predict with so much quality on either side.
Symons, who recently left Sunderland as assistant manager, has faced both teams this season and he edges towards his former club Fulham winning the encounter.
“What would worry me is Villa have more big game players. They are used to the big occasion and could handle that one-off game at Wembley better with their extra experience. The enormity of the occasion is my concern but if it goes to form then I think Fulham will do it,” the former defender explained.
Symons had a brief spell in charge of Fulham after taking over from Felix Magath, and contributed quite significantly to the current set-up as he signed Tom Cairney, Ryan Fredericks and Tim Ream.
Fulham reached the final by overcoming Derby County 2-1 on aggregate in their semi-final, and they have every reason to feel confident of beating Aston Villa as they won the most recent meeting between the two 2-0.
In fact, prior to their last-day defeat at Birmingham City, Fulham oversaw a 26-game unbeaten run which included wins over fellow top six sides Cardiff City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Middlesbrough, Derby and Aston Villa.
Fulham finished on 88 points, five points clear of Aston Villa, and the bookies see them as favourites to beat the Villans. Steve Bruce, however, already has a Wembley playoff final victory on his CV, while several Aston Villa players have played in high-profile matches before, and are unlikely to be fazed by the challenge.
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