So we now know which 4 clubs will be fighting for a place in the Premier League next month. West Ham, Birmingham, Blackpool and Cardiff City will be taking part in the playoffs to decide the final promotion spot in the Premier League.
It's a bit of a lottery the playoffs meaning that even if you finished 3rd, 10 points clear of the 4th placed team, you're not necessarily the favourites to go through. Nottingham Forest, Ipswich, Sheffield United amongst many comfortable 3rd placed teams to have suffered disappointment in the playoffs.
Cardiff and Blackpool will host West Ham and Birmingham respectively first on 3/4 May and those fixtures are reversed for 7/9 May. The million dollar final will be played on 19 May, the day after the Champions League final in Munich.
On paper - which really is irrelevant to say but is worth saying nevertheless - West Ham and Birmingham are the strongest teams in the playoffs but Blackpool and Cardiff have the ability to surprise and will be tough to beat away from home.
West Ham did finish 10 points clear of Birmingham in the league but their form up until their win against Leicester was patchy to say the least. Having said that, Allardyce's men might have found form at the right end of the season and Big Sam does have experience at this level.
So does Ian Holloway too who of course took Blackpool to the Premier League in 2010 via the playoffs. The Tangerines have remained as entertaining and elusive as they were in the Premier League and shouldn't be taken lightly. However, they still do have their worries at the back, made up by that irresistible attack force.
So my tip for the play-off final at Wembley? West Ham v Blackpool with the Hammers winning on penalties.
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