Good evening! Thank you very much for joining
Sports Mole for tonight's Championship playoff semi-final second leg between Fulham and
Derby County at Craven Cottage!
One of these sides are just one match away from the richest game in football, and it is Derby who come into tonight's fixture with the slight advantage following their 1-0 triumph in the first leg on Friday. Fulham are still very much in the tie, though, so it promises to be a very intriguing night ahead.
Let's start with a look at the team news...
FULHAM STARTING XI: Bettinelli; Fredericks, Odoi, Ream, Targett; McDonald, Cairney, Johansen; Kamara, Mitrovic, Sessegnon
FULHAM SUBS: Button, Kalas, Christie, Norwood, Piazon, Ayite, Fonte
DERBY STARTING XI: Carson; Keogh, Davies, Forsyth; Wisdom, Huddlestone, Johnson, Weimann; Anya, Jerome, Lawrence
DERBY SUBS: Roos, Palmer, Pearce, Vydra, Hanson, Nugent, Ledley
What can we make of those two teams, then?
Well, we'll start with the home side, who have made just the one change to their starting lineup from the first leg despite losing that match on Friday night.
Aboubakar Kamara is the man to come into the side for Jokanovic, slotting straight into the front three in place of Ayite, who made his return from a hamstring injury in the first leg.
Aside from that, it is as you were for the Cottagers tonight, which means that the dangerous Mitrovic leads the line again.
Mitrovic has been a large part of Fulham's success during the second half of this season, and he has been particularly dangerous here at Craven Cottage in recent months. Indeed, the Newcastle loanee has been directly involved in seven of Fulham's last 12 league goals at this ground, scoring six of those and assisting one more.
© Offside
Mitrovic may well have topped the Fulham scoring charts had he been at the club all season, but it is the prodigiously talented
Ryan Sessegnon who leads the way in that respect this term, with the left-back-turned-left-winger notching 15 goals in the Championship alone.
Sessegnon's performances were recognised with the Championship Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards, and Fulham will be expecting plenty of interest in him this summer. Promotion to the Premier League may be their best hope of keeping him at the club.
There is quality throughout this Fulham team, with Tom Cairney also among the league's best players yet again this season, having topped the club's scoring charts from midfield last term.
There is a relative lack of Premier League experience in their ranks - particularly in their starting XI tonight - which may be something Slavisa Jokanovic looks at should his side make it that far, but for now the players need to be fully focused on simply making it to Wembley.
Cameron Jerome is the reason why Derby have the slight edge over Fulham heading into tonight's match, with the striker maintaining his recent purple patch in front of goal with a powerful header in the reverse fixture on Friday.
Jerome has not been a prolific goalscorer throughout his career, but that header was his fifth strike in his last four games for Derby - having only netted once in his first 15 league outings for the club. Should he score again tonight then it would be the first time in his league career that he has scored in five successive games.
Interestingly, Matej Vydra drops out of the starting lineup tonight, despite being Derby's top scorer this season with 21 Championship goals.
That tally left Vydra just one goal off the Championship Golden Boot - which went to Diogo Jota of Wolves - but he was taken off in the first leg and misses out on a place in the starting lineup altogether tonight - although if Derby find themselves needing a goal then there are worse players to be able to bring on.
Vydra omission is the only change made by Derby boss
Gary Rowett from the victorious first leg last Friday, with Ikechi Anya being brought in in the striker's place.
Anya, who slots straight into the front three, is making his first start since March 11 after coming off the bench in the first leg having spent time on the sidelines with an unspecified injury. He may not be able to see out the whole game, but his importance to Rowett is highlighted by the fact that he has been brought back in for such a big game.
Derby will once again play a 3-4-3 system tonight, and unlike Fulham they have plenty of Premier League experience in their ranks, which could make their players all the more keen to taste it again.
The vast majority of their starting lineup tonight has featured in the top flight and they certainly edge Fulham when it comes to experience, but both managers will tell you that it is all about who shows up on the night, and Derby still have plenty of work to do tonight despite leading the tie 1-0.
Fulham as a club have been in the Premier League more recently than Derby, but they have spent the last four seasons in the Championship and for half of that time relegation to League One seemed more likely than a return to the big time.
The Cottagers finished 17th and then 20th in their first two seasons back in the second tier following a 13-year stay in the Premier League, but since the arrival of Slavisa Jokanovic they have really begun to turn things around.
Jokanovic led Fulham to a sixth-placed finish during his first full season in charge of the club, and while he saw his side beaten by Reading in the playoff semi-finals last year, the Cottagers certainly looked to be heading in the right direction.
So it has proved to be this year, with Fulham finishing the regular campaign eight points and three places better off than last term, only missing out on automatic qualification by two points.
© Offside
Fulham's season actually began relatively poorly, with only four wins from their opening 17 league games of the season, but the second half of their campaign catapulted into the race for a top-two spot.
Jokanovic's side won 21 of their subsequent 29 league games in the regular season, drawing five and losing just three to race up the table. Cardiff held on to second place behind champions Wolves to condemn Fulham to the playoffs, but the Cottagers went into the post-season as favourites to win promotion.
However, defeat to Birmingham on the final day of the regular season and their subsequent loss in the first leg of this tie means that they have now lost back-to-back matches in the Championship following a run of 23 games unbeaten prior to that - a streak which stretched back as far as December 16.
Fulham have never lost three Championship games in a row under Jokanovic, last doing so in January 2015 when Kit Symons was in charge of the club.
Fulham may trail Derby at the halfway stage of this tie, but many will still fancy their chances of going through to the final, thanks largely to their home record in recent months.
The Cottagers have won 12 and lost none of their last 15 league games in front of their own fans, last tasting defeat back in October when Bristol City ran out 2-0 winners. Indeed, throughout the entire campaign they have lost just twice at home, with only three teams picking up more home points and only Cardiff conceding fewer home goals.
If Fulham are to turn this one around tonight, though, they will need to end a remarkably poor record in the playoffs. Incredibly, the club are still looking for their first ever win in the Football League playoffs, having drawn two and lost five of their previous seven such matches.
Indeed, their blank in the first leg means that they have only ever scored two goals in their seven previous playoff matches, and none of their three past home playoff games have yielded a result which would send them through tonight - a 4-0 defeat to Bristol Rovers in 1989, a 1-1 draw with Grimsby in 1998 and a 1-1 draw with Reading last season.
Fulham certainly have the firepower to turn this one around - indeed they have scored more league goals than any other Championship team in 2018, with 61% of those coming at home - but they have given themselves plenty to do.
The last second-tier team to win the playoffs after a first-leg defeat in the semi-final was Bolton Wanderers, who beat Wolves 3-2 on aggregate after losing the first leg 2-1 and then went on to overcome Reading in the 1995 final.
History seems to be on the side of Derby tonight, then, but they will know all too well that a 1-0 lead is not a particularly safe one when travelling to a place like Craven Cottage, and it will take another big performance tonight if they are to complete the job.
Gary Rowett has said in the buildup to this match that his side need to arrive in West London aiming to win the game, but it will be interesting to see just how adventurous they are with the onus on the hosts.
Derby are bidding to return to the Premier League after a 10-year absence, although their most recent memories of the top flight are not exactly happy ones as they were relegated after just one season in 2007-08.
Not only were they relegated, but they also posted the worst-ever Premier League points tally of just 11, winning only one match all season and losing 29 times to write their names in the page of the history books which every team wants to avoid.
The Rams will hope that they are much better prepared for the Premier League should they make it this time around, and they are coming off the back of a regular season which has seen them make more progress under Gary Rowett, who continues to forge a good reputation in the second tier.
Derby finished the regular season eight points and - crucially - three places better off than last season, filling the final playoff spot ahead of Preston North End.
Derby did almost let that playoff spot slip out of their grasp during the closing stages of the season, though, and it took a three-game unbeaten run at the end of the regular campaign to see them over the line, eventually finished two points clear of seventh.
That finale followed a run of three consecutive defeats in April, while including the first leg of this tie they have now won as many of their last four Championship games as they had in their previous 16.
Another victory tonight would see them win three consecutive league games for the first time since before Christmas, but they have not been at their best away from home in recent months.
The Rams have won just one of their last nine Championship away games stretching back to January 13 and are winless in their last three since a 1-0 triumph over Preston at the start of April. That represents a huge dip in form during the closing months of the season following a run which had seen them unbeaten in 10 away games prior to that run of just one win in nine.
Despite that dip, no team lost fewer matches on the road than Derby this season, and only four teams - Wolves, Fulham, Cardiff and Preston - picked up more points.
The majority of Derby's dropped points on the road came in draws - a league-high 10 on their travels - but that another one of those would do for them tonight. The Rams have been notoriously difficult to beat away from home, and if they can avoid that fate tonight then they will be in the final.
While Fulham's playoff record is dire, Derby have progressed to the playoff final on each of the previous three occasions in which they have won the semi-final first leg.
All of those occasions have come in the second tier too, doing so in 1994, 2007 and 2014. Should they keep up that record then they will face either Aston Villa or Middlesbrough in the final at Wembley on May 26.
PREDICTION! Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at Craven Cottage, which means that it is time for a prediction!
This is a difficult one to call considering Fulham have been so strong at home but Derby have been so hard to beat away. It really is hanging in the balance, but I would still make Fulham slight favourites to progress and I think the Cottagers will just edge into the final.
SPORTS MOLE SAYS: Fulham 2-0 Derby
Derby have had the better of this fixture in recent years, losing just one of the last seven meetings across all competitions, with three draws and three victories in that time too.
Indeed, looking even further back Fulham have won only two of their last 12 meetings with the Rams, although one of those did come at the iPro Stadium in March when they ran out 2-1 victors.
The Craven Cottage meeting between these two sides ended in a 1-1 draw, although neither of the goalscorers in that match - Norwood and Vydra - have made the respective starting lineups tonight.
Derby have now lost just one of their last six games at Craven Cottage, although four of those have ended in draws, including all three meetings since Jokanovic took over as Fulham boss. Once again, another draw would suit Derby just fine tonight.
We're edging towards kickoff now, but before we get started allow me to point you in the direction of our annual Sports Mole Reader Awards for 2017-18.
The voting is now open, and you can have your say on everything from Player of the Season to Goal of the Season by clicking here.
Right, the players are out and we're almost ready to go at Craven Cottage. A reminder of tonight's team news...
FULHAM STARTING XI: Bettinelli; Fredericks, Odoi, Ream, Targett; McDonald, Cairney, Johansen; Kamara, Mitrovic, Sessegnon
DERBY STARTING XI: Carson; Keogh, Davies, Forsyth; Wisdom, Huddlestone, Johnson, Weimann; Anya, Jerome, Lawrence
KICKOFF: Here we go, then! Derby County get us underway at a noisy Craven Cottage!
SAVE! Fulham have made a quick start to this match, and they draw Carson into a comfortable early save here as Cairney's tame effort from range rolls into the arms of the keeper.
The hosts are very much on top in the opening exchanges here. The crowd are roaring them on as Fulham go in search of an early opener.
Derby are keeping their cool here and trying to play their own game. They would have expected a quick start from Fulham, and they are so far holding out fairly comfortably.
Derby make their first break down the right and a cross into the box almost finds Weimann, who slides in for it. Bettinelli comes and claims it bravely, though, and refuses to make a fuss when he is caught late by the sliding Weimann.
CHANCE! Big chance for Fulham as they make a lightning break forward following a Derby corner. The ball breaks kindly for Kamara down the right and he picks out Sessegnon, whose first touch in space on the edge of the box just gets the ball caught under his own feet. He does manage to dig a shot out, but Carson makes a good stop.
Sloppy defending from Fulham as they allow Keogh to ghost into the box unmarked from a corner, beating the offside trap and lifting a cross into the middle. It doesn't come to anything, but Fulham were very slow to react then.
This match has started at a really good tempo, with no quarter being given nor asked from either team so far. This one will be a hard-fought encounter for sure.
Huddlestone is too lax in possession and gives the ball away in a dangerous position, but Derby's defence scramble back and eventually bail their midfielder out.
SHOT! A free kick is only cleared as far as Weimann, but his attempted volley from a good 30 yards out is never troubling Bettinelli.
McDonald is fuming at Cairney here as the Fulham skipper takes the ball off his toes right on the edge of the box. McDonald did have another bite at the cherry moments later, but this time his effort is blocked.
Derby are working really hard off the ball with their high press, which is causing Fulham one or two problems. Whether they can keep it up for the full 90 minutes remains to be seen.
SAVE! Mitrovic has his first sight of goal as he exchanges passes with Sessegnon, but he doesn't catch his effort right and it is comfortable again for Carson.
Weimann whips a devilish ball into the box which Fredericks needs to clear over his own bar with a very good piece of defending. Anya was waiting behind him to turn that home at the back post.
This time it is Anya himself who sends a really good low ball into the box from the opposite flank and it almost finds
Cameron Jerome, but Fulham are able to clear their lines following a tangle in the box.
CHANCE! Lovely football from Fulham as Cairney slides a pass in to Mitrovic, who in turn lays it off to Johansen on the edge of the box. Johansen goes for goal, but he slices his effort off target.
Craven Cottage erupts in calls for a penalty as Cairney's shot deflects against Davies, but it was clearly off his torso rather than his arm and the referee is right to ignore the appeals.
CHANCE! Another half-chance for Fulham as Mitrovic meets a cross into the box with a glancing header, but he puts it wide of the target and even if it was on target, it didn't have enough power to really trouble the keeper.
We've reached the half-hour mark in this semi-final second leg and this tie is still very finely poised. Both sides have looked capable of scoring, and the first goal in this match could well be crucial.
SHOT! Good break from Weimann as he gets forward down the right flank before linking up with Lawrence and Johnson. The latter tries to steer his effort towards the far bottom corner, but his effort is wide of the target.
SHOT! Another quick break from Fulham as Sessegnon carries it forward before finding Mitrovic, who drags a long-range strike wide of the target.
CLOSE! Fulham and Mitrovic are getting closer here! Kamara feeds the ball in to Mitrovic, who collects the ball with his back to goal on the edge of the box but escapes the attentions of Davies with a lovely turn. From there you are waiting for the net to bulge, but he fires his effort just wide of the target.
Anya skips past Fredericks down the left flank before delivering a cross into the box which makes it all the way through to Wisdom. The ball arrives at him at a difficult height, though, and he blazes it well over the bar.
Just five minutes left of this first half now and both managers will be fairly content with how their teams have played so far.
SAVE! Carson has been the busier of the two keepers in this first half and he needs to make another here after some really good work from Kamara. Bettinelli's long throw picks out the winger on the left, and he cuts inside before unleashes a powerful dipping strike which Carson saves.
SHOT! This time it is Derby who break quickly and Jerome tries his luck from range after cutting inside, but he fires it high and wide of the target.
SAVE! This is end-to-end stuff now! Fredericks lines up Anya inside the box and moves the ball left and right before unleashing a powerful snapshot which Carson tips over the crossbar.
CHANCE! Carson is keeping his side level in this game! Mitrovic really should open the scoring here as he meets a cross in the middle with a firm header, but Carson pulls off a superb reaction stop to deny the striker. Mitrovic put it too central, though, and should have left Carson with no chance.
There will be one minute of added time at the end of this first half.
HALF TIME: Fulham 0-0 Derby County (Derby lead 1-0 on aggregate)
The first half comes to an end at Craven Cottage, and it was an opening 45 minutes which was very pleasing on the eye despite no goals arrived between Fulham and Derby County.
Derby have more than held their own for the most part in open play, but the better chances have all arrived for Fulham and the Cottagers go into the break having had six shots on target compared to none for the visitors.
Fulham's best chances have fallen to the men they would want them too, but neither Sessegnon nor Mitrovic have been able to make the most of their sights of goal.
Sessegnon was the first to miss when he latched on to Kamara's pass at the end of the lightning quick counter-attack, only to get the ball caught under his feet before seeing his effort saved by Carson.
Mitrovic was denied by a fine reaction save from Carson right at the end of the half, although the striker should have left the keeper with no chance after climbing highest inside the area to meet a floated cross from the left.
Carson was beaten by Mitrovic with around 10 minutes remaining in the half only for his effort to flash inches past the post from the edge of the box, while the busy Derby keeper has also made saves to deny Fredericks and Cairney.
Derby have not managed to register a single shot on target so far, but they have looked threatening when coming forward regardless, particularly with crosses into the box.
The visitors have delivered a number of dangerous crosses, but Fulham have so far avoided any damage via that avenue - although they may need to defend them better if they are to keep that up.
It's almost time for the second half to get underway here, but first allow me to give you another nudge in the direction of our Sports Mole Reader Awards. You can have your say by
clicking here.
KICKOFF: Fulham get us back underway at Craven Cottage!
GOAL! Fulham 1-0 Derby (Ryan Sessegnon)
What a start to this second half for Fulham, and it is the teenage sensation who does it again!
Targett swings a cross into the box which Johansen chests down into the path of an unmarked Sessegnon. The 17-year-old does not panic despite his tender years, chesting the ball down himself before lashing it beyond the keeper when three Derby defenders closing him down. We're all level on aggregate!
CHANCE! Almost an immediate response from Derby as Huddlestone picks out a clever ball towards the right side of the area, but it bounces awkwardly for Anya who can only head the ball into the ground and wide.
Fredericks has the pace to burst beyond his marker down the right flank before playing a low ball into the box which goes into the arms of the keeper.
Keogh is on the end of a nasty collision with his teammate Davies and needs a couple of minutes of treatment, but he is a tough one and it looks as though he will be able to continue.
Kamara swings a dangerous cross to the back post and Mitrovic climbs above Davies, but the ball is just too high for him.
CHANCE! Derby finally register their first shot on target as Lawrence hooks the ball over the defence for Johnson, who shrugs off the challenge of Odoi but cannot beat Bettinelli from a tight angle.
CLOSE! Quite how Mitrovic hasn't scored tonight I'm not sure. The striker is again too hot to handle on the edge of the box following a mistake from Forsyth, using his body to spin past Davies before feeding an effort narrowly wide of the far post.
YELLOW CARD! Johansen picks up as clear a yellow card as you are likely to see as he trips Jerome with a nasty challenge to prevent an attack.
Mitrovic has yet another shot at goal, but this one is not one of his best and is never troubling Carson in the Derby goal.
SHOT! Kamara collects the ball on the right channel before blasting an effort into the side-netting from a tight angle. It took a nick on the way through, though, so Fulham will have a corner.
GOAL! Fulham 2-0 Derby (Denis Odoi)
Oh my word, where on earth has this come from?! Fulham have been poor from corners all season, but
Denis Odoi has just produced a header right out of the top drawer.
Odoi makes the run to the front post before meeting the delivery with a perfect glancing header which nestles into the top corner. Carson was rooted to the spot!
FULHAM SUBS: Gary Rowett immediately turns to his bench after that goal, with Kasey Palmer and Matej Vydra replacing Lawrence and Anya.
Just 20 minutes remaining now, and unsurprisingly Derby's urgency has increased a lot now. They are crashing out as things stand!
CHANCE! Big chance for the visitors as Weimann is picked out in space by Palmer, only to send his header over the crossbar when he should have done a lot better.
Derby have enjoyed almost 60% possession in the last 10 minutes, which goes to show the level of their response since the goal. It is Fulham who are in control right now, but Ream has not helped his side out with a dreadful back-pass which concedes a corner from about 40 yards out.
YELLOW CARD! Fulham have a great chance to make it three as Kamara races through on the break, with Carson finding himself in no-man's land. Kamara lifts the ball over the keeper before going to ground when trying to race past him, but the referee rightly shows the winger a yellow card. Carson is incandescent with rage at that dive.
DERBY SUB: A third and final change from the visitors sees David Nugent replace Jerome.
FULHAM SUB: Fulham respond with a change of their own as Targett is replaced by Tomas Kalas.
YELLOW CARD! Huddlestone is the latest player in the book for a cynical trip on Mitrovic.
YELLOW CARDS! McDonald and Palmer quickly follow him into the book. McDonald went to the touchline for a drink, and Palmer was unhappy with his time-wasting and so threw the ball at him.
SAVE! Fulham register another shot on target, but this one is easy for Carson as he collects a shot from Johansen comfortably.
SAVE! Yet another save for Carson to make as he gathers another strike from Johansen, this time a dipping strike from range.
Here is that stunning headed finish from Odoi which as things stand is sending Fulham through to the Championship playoff final...
Just five minutes remaining here and this one is still very finely poised. Derby just need one goal to force extra time here, and Fulham are by no means holding back here.
Fulham are still pressing high up the pitch and getting men forward when they have possession too. They aren't a team to sit back and invite pressure onto them!
Weimann is still working his socks off here as he battles with Sessegnon, only to then concede a free kick after nicking the ball back.
FULHAM SUB: Another change from the hosts as Cairney is replaced by Oliver Norwood.
There will be SIX minutes of added time at the end of this match!
SHOT! Palmer feeds a pass into the box for Vydra, but he cannot wrap his foot around the ball enough and his powerful effort flashes past the near post.
YELLOW CARD! Bettinelli goes into the book for time-wasting.
FULL TIME: Fulham 2-0 Derby County (Fulham win 2-1 on aggregate)
FULHAM REACH THE CHAMPIONSHIP PLAYOFF FINAL!
It is ecstasy for Fulham and despair for Derby at Craven Cottage as the Cottagers book their place in the Championship playoff final!
Goals from Ryan Sessegnon and Denis Odoi proved to be enough to turn things around after a 1-0 defeat in the first leg on Friday, with Fulham picking up their first ever win in the Football League playoffs! They will face either Aston Villa or Middlesbrough in the final at Wembley on May 26!
Right, that is all we have time for this evening!
Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's match as Fulham book their place in the Championship playoff final at the expense of Derby! I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too. We will also have live coverage of the second semi-final between Aston Villa and Middlesbrough tomorrow night, so check back in with us for that from 6.45pm!
From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
