Previewing Fulham’s push for the Championship play-offs

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As the Championship season enters its final weeks, the race for the coveted playoff positions are heating up.

Fulham’s battle to grab sixth position looks set to go down to the wire, with a sumptuous fixture away at Sheffield Wednesday on the last day of the season that will serve as a play-in game of sorts.

The Cottagers currently sit seventh, just two points off sixth-placed Wednesday.

Let’s take a look at the Whites’ final four matches.

Aston Villa (H), 4/17 

Fulham play host to Aston Villa on Easter Monday, coming off a brilliant 3-1 away victory against Norwich.

Villa sit 12th on 58 points, 12 points and five places behind Fulham.

Their hopes for making an improbable late push at the playoffs were dashed last week, as even if Villa win all four of their remaining matches they will fail to break into the top six.

Even though Villa have nothing to play for, they are on a superb run of form. Over the last ten matches, no team in the league has picked up more points than the Midlands outfit (22 points from a possible 30).

This fearsome form will raise worries for Fulham, yet the Whites will be high on confidence after their remarkable feat at Carrow Road on Friday.

The last time the Whites played Aston Villa at home, they gained a 2-0 victory in the 2013/14 relegation campaign; Fulham will need to hope for the same result this year.

Huddersfield (A), 4/22

Arguably the toughest of Fulham’s last four fixtures, the Cottagers have to travel to third-placed Huddersfield.

Fulham thrashed Huddersfield 5-0 at Craven Cottage back in October, but the John Smith’s Stadium is not an easy place to travel to.

Premier League high-flyers Manchester City could only manage a 0-0 draw there in an FA Cup tie early this year, and the Terriers have also beaten the likes of Brighton and Leeds at home this season.

Any points gained from this away match would be vital; a win would be massive if Fulham hope to grab sixth position.

Brentford (H), 4/29

Fulham then face off against their in-form West London rivals in their final home match of the season. Brentford currently sit 11th, one place and one point ahead of Aston Villa, and are also on a rich vein of form.

The Bees have been the third-best team in the league over the past ten matches, gaining 19 points from a possible 30 on offer.

Fulham defeated Brentford 2-0 in their first encounter at Griffin Park this season, and will hope to exorcise the demons of Brentford’s 4-1 win at the Cottage a couple of seasons ago.

This match is a must-win for the Cottagers if they are to remain within touching distance of Sheffield Wednesday before their encounter on the last day of the season.

Sheffield Wednesday (A), 5/7

This is the big one. Simply put, Fulham’s entire season rests on this match.

All 45 of the year’s fixtures will come down to one Sunday afternoon at Hillsborough, where the winner will most likely take sixth place and a treasured spot in the play-offs.

For the vast majority of the season, Fulham have trailed the Owls, yet overtook them for a brief moment after the win away at Rotherham. Yet their stay in sixth place was short-lived, and after the loss away at Derby, the gap has stayed constant at two points.

The relative softness of Sheffield Wednesday’s schedule (they play QPR, Derby, and Ipswich) means the Whites will need a victory at Hillsborough in order to leapfrog the Owls and claim sixth.

As long as Fulham keep the gap between them and Wednesday at three points leading up to May 7, a win will be enough for Fulham. Crucially, the Whites have a far superior goal difference, which could well be the decider if the sides are level on points.

Fulham have had some famous away victories this season: the wins at Newcastle and Norwich spring to mind. Here’s hoping that they can add another at Hillsborough to reach the playoffs and elongate a brilliant year.

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