LONDON (REUTERS) - Aston Villa face Derby County in the Championship play-off final on Monday (May 27) with both clubs desperate for a return to the Premier League in a game billed as the richest in world football with at least £170 million (S$297 million) on the line.
Villa have been out of the top flight for three seasons while Derby have been stuck in the second tier of English football since relegation in 2008.
A 10-match winning streak during the run-in propelled Dean Smith's Villa into the playoffs where they got past West Midlands rivals West Bromwich Albion.
"The key thing is momentum," said former Brentford manager Smith, who took over from Steve Bruce at Villa Park in October. "I feel we have a lot of that going into it (the final), given our run towards the end of the season and our two dominant play-off games. We can take it into the final."
Derby produced a brilliant performance with a 4-2 win over Leeds United in their play-off second leg at Elland Road earning them a place at Wembley.
Derby manager Frank Lampard, the former Chelsea and England midfielder who is in his first season as a manager, believes his team are well suited for the high-pressure encounter.
"The 'Cup' football feeling has been good for us. We've had to get results for a while now, going back to probably the QPR game (a 2-0 home win on April 22). We'll need big game mentality on Monday," he said.
Lampard is up against his former club and international team-mate John Terry, who is Smith's assistant at Villa.
The two clubs have proud histories. Seven-time English champions Villa were European Cup winners in 1982, while Derby were twice English champions in the 1970s.
Champions Norwich City and runners-up Sheffield United have already secured promotion to the top flight and the rewards for Villa and Derby joining them are eye-watering.
According to analysis from Deloitte's Sports Business Group, promotion will bring an increase in revenue of at least £170 million, rising to a minimum of £300 million if the play-off winners avoid relegation in their first season.
The £170 million includes £95 million in revenue from playing in the Premier League in 2019-20, mostly from broadcast and commercial revenue, and a total of £75 million in parachute payments in 2020-21 and 2021-22 if they go straight down.
However, the £170 million rises to at least £300 million if they survive their first season in the top flight.
Lions Clubs International (LCI) is a 501(c)(4) tax-exempt social welfare organization and is not eligible to accept or solicit charitable donations. All donations accepted on lionsclubs.org support Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF), which is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public charitable organization. LCI and LCIF are EEO providers.
New Singapore football coach Tatsuma Yoshida and players
usasportsradar.com/soccer/new-singapore-football-coach-tatsuma-yoshida-and-players-must-be-on-same-page/
New Singapore football coach Tatsuma Yoshida and players 'must be on same page' for the Lions to succeed. "Fans in Singapore will want the new coach to
Lions stutter to narrow 4-3 victory over Solomon Islands
Solskjaer 'confident' of Manchester United miracle in Paris Solskjaer's side will be aiming to overturn a 2-0 deficit at PSG in the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday. Share Via Email
Premier League » News » Solskjaer 'confident' of Man Utd
The victory, which followed Barca's 3-0 win over Real in a Copa del Rey semi-final on Wednesday, gave them a 10-point lead at the top over Atletico Madrid, who visit Real Sociedad on Sunday, and
Manchester United sacked Jose Mourinho as manager on Tuesday morning and are expected to appoint Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as caretaker boss for the remainder of the season. The Premier League giants
Manchester United set to appoint Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as
PARIS (AFP) - Gianluigi Buffon will leave Paris Saint-Germain this summer after it was agreed to not renew the former Italy captain's contract, the French champions announced on Wednesday (June 5)..
World Cup winner Buffon to leave Paris Saint-Germain * 10z Soccer
Difficult match for both but Chelsea must not lose: Sarri LONDON • Chelsea cannot afford to lose at Manchester United tomorrow in what will be a "difficult match" for both teams looking to finish in the Premier League's top four, Maurizio Sarri said at his pre-match press conference.
Maurizio Sarri says Chelsea must not lose to Manchester
♡OPEN FOR MORE INFO♡ Thank you for watching. Don't forget to rate, comment and subscribe ♡ Where to find me- ♡ - Twitter -
London: Cardiff claim they are shocked by a report that the pilot in the plane crash that killed Emiliano Sala was not qualified to fly at night. The Premier League club said they remain "deeply concerned" that the pilot David Ibbotson and those who arranged the flight "seemingly completely disregarded the rules of flying and put Mr Sala's life in such danger".
Cardiff 'shocked' by Sala pilot report : The Standard
Chelsea transfer news: Maurizio Sarri told to replace THIS star with Callum Hudson-Odoi. That's the verdict of Martin Keown. Pedro has featured in 19 of Chelsea's 23 Premier League matches
Chelsea line up potential Maurizio Sarri replacement
'Happy' Morata slays Malta. Spain striker Alvaro Morata (in white) playing the ball past Malta defender Zach Muscat to score during the Euro 2020 Group F victory on Tuesday. He also netted the
Latest EUROPEAN FOOTBALL | The Straits Times
Solskjaer: United don't fear Camp Nou test Manchester United's Norwegian head coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer walks on the pitch at the end of their English Premier League match against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in London on March 10, 2019.
Champions League: Solskjaer insists Man United don't fear
0 comments:
Post a Comment