After drawing twice this season, Brentford and Swansea City face-off at Wembley for place in the Premier League

As the dust settles on an utterly bizarre season in many respects, the EFL play-off finals are yet to be decided. The Championship is up first, with Brentford and Swansea City facing off at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.

It is no real surprise that these two sides have made it all the way to the final, the Bees and the Swans finished third and fourth in the league standings respectively. But both teams did endure quite differing routes to make sure of their visit to Wembley.

Thomas Frank’s Brentford put their fans through something of an emotional mangle as they overturned a two-goal aggregate deficit in their semi-final ties.

Arnaut Danjuma netted the winner in the first leg as Bournemouth gave themselves a goal advantage heading to West London. The impressive Dutch winger then netted just five minutes in at the Brentford Community Stadium, and Jonathan Woodgate’s side looked set for victory.

But in true play-off style, this wasn’t to be. Largely thanks to Chris Mepham’s mad moment which saw him sent off just 28 minutes into the second leg, Brentford got themselves level on aggregate on the 50th minute and ahead on the 81st. 3-2 was the final score across the two legs, and despite some high heart rates and blood pressure, the returning Bees fans in attendance wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. The scenes were special in Brentford’s new home.

Swansea’s route to the final was somewhat more straightforward than that. A 1-0 victory in the first leg meant that they only had to draw at home to Valérien Ismaël’s Barnsley, which they did, 1-1.

It wasn’t easy viewing for Swans fans either as they suffered a late scare from the determined Tykes. In truth, Steve Cooper’s side’s performance in the second leg was underwhelming and statistically inferior to their visiting opponents. But, as is always said, the most important stat is the score, and Swansea did enough to earn their place in the final.

The final is set to be a fascinating encounter, especially as Swansea and Brentford had dealings against one another in the play-offs just last season, in the semi-finals. Over the two legs, Brentford ran out 3-2 aggregate winners to see them through to the final against rivals Fulham, of which the Cottagers reigned victorious. Bees fans will be hoping that the 3-2 aggregate scoreline isn’t a bad omen.

It must be said that Brentford have had a copious amount of quality within their squad for the last two seasons in particular. Their recruitment has been fantastic but there is a worry that it could be now or never in regards to their chances of promotion. Will they have this level of quality in their squad again and, if they are to be in the Championship again next season, will they be able to hold onto their key players?

A player who had been key for the Bees in the 19/20 campaign, Christian Norgaard, is a doubt for the final. The Danish midfielder has been hampered by injuries this season limiting him to 19 appearances for Frank’s side. His exclusion from the squad in the second leg against Bournemouth casts him as a doubt for Saturday’s huge clash.

Another doubt is left-back Rico Henry. The 23-year-old established himself as a player of real quality for Brentford in the last couple of seasons, however, he has again become unstuck by injury and has found himself playing just 33 minutes of the club’s last 17 matches. Shandon Baptiste and Jay Dasilva are also out for the Bees.

The Swans have sailed smoothly this season, sitting proudly in the upper echelons of the league table for much of the campaign. Cooper has managed to keep his key players fit, and that has helped them achieve their impressive fourth-place finish. Steven Benda, Brandon Cooper, Jordan Morris and Tivonge Rushesha are set to miss the final. They have collectively achieved six first-team appearances this season.

In the two side’s meeting’s this season, they could not be separated, both in Wales and in West London. Both were 1-1 draws with Ivan Toney and Andre Ayew on the scoresheet in November, and Tarique Fosu and Conor Hourihane on target in the January clash.

Toney and Ayew are their respective clubs’ top scorers this season, and the fact that both will be fit to take to the field at Wembley only makes the fixture more enticing.

Brentford and Swansea both suffered play-off heartbreak last season and, on Saturday evening, one will be promoted to the top tier of English football. It is a monumental occasion for both sides but they simply cannot let the pressure get to them. The play-offs never disappoint, and this is sure to follow in that vein.

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