There have been a lot of good signs off the pitch in recent weeks. You can see the togetherness of this group of players, and the fans have been incredible at doing their part in backing the team as well.
Momentum is crucial heading into such a huge game, and while the positive atmosphere at the club alone cannot win us the playoff final, the feel-good factor does provide a sense of unity that is very important.
Heading to Wembley for a winner takes all one-off match means you have to have your house in order if you want to succeed. The previous 48 matches can provide an indication of how things will go, but it will be very much about who rises to the occasion on the day.
On that front, everything would suggest we are the favourites. Like Mile Jedinak last week, James Chester has emphasised the importance of the number of playoff winners in our squad:
“It’s a huge game and I have been lucky enough to have a few huge games in my career. There are a number of lads who have done the same. Hopefully, that will give us a slight advantage.”
There’s no doubting this experience could come into play on May 26th, however, you can’t take this for granted. We will be facing a team in Fulham who will be heading into the unknown. And that could be potentially dangerous or an advantage, whichever way you want to look at it.
There is a great deal of talent in Slavisa Jokanovic’s side. The likes of Ryan Sessegnon and Tom Cairney have performed exceptionally well this campaign, but how will they cope under the spotlight? They will be playing in front of 90,000 people, in a match that is worth £170m to the club.
I’m fairly sure that we’ll turn up and perform as expected at Wembley. The experience we possess in both our manager and in the team should guarantee that we won’t wilt under pressure. With that being the case, if our opponents do buckle than I’ll be very confident that we’ll have enough in our locker to punish them.
They are in untested waters, and my hope is that while they get their bearings early in the match, we can deal an early blow. They may not recover from it. Even with a team that is very capable of coming from behind, the added tension and nervous energy that comes with playing such a crucial game could lead to them making mistakes.
Even the most capable players can lose their heads and make the wrong decisions, especially when so much is on the line. With our experience and composure, and what we have shown already against Boro, I’m confident that we can secure the win. Whether things play out that way, we’ll find out in a weeks’ time.
For the latest odds on this monumental match: https://sportsbetting24.com/
