Barnsley v Fulham
Saturday 3rd August 1500hrs
Football – England – Championship
Pick Fulham
Bookmaker Marathon Bet
Odds: 6/5 (odds taken 22.00 GMT, Friday 2 August)
 |
1 | X | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 47/20 | 5/2 | 6/5 |
* (Betting Odds were taken from 22Bet on August 2, 2019 at 22.00)
There were two leagues between Barnsley and Fulham last season but they will be head-to-head in the Championship tomorrow. Who will get the upper hand and begin the campaign with a win?!
Championship Betting at Marathon Bet
Barnsley Preview – Will Barnsley bring last season’s promotion form into the new campaign?
It’s been an eventful couple of years for Barnsley who were relegated to League One in 2017/18 before surprising many by winning automatic promotion the very next season. The man who masterminded that revival was German Daniel Stendel. When the appointment was made there was a lot of uncertainty as this was Stendel’s first coaching job in senior football. Those doubts were quickly pushed aside as Barnsley started well and finished strong to end the campaign in second place behind Luton. This will be another test for Stendel as his team make the step up. They will have one of the smallest budgets in the league and that will make life difficult.
The manager has stayed true to his beliefs and kept a very young squad for the season ahead. That can work in two ways. On one hand it will provide plenty of energy and legs, which is crucial in such a demanding league. However, there may also be some experience lacking and that would particularly be the case if the team get off to a slow start.
Fulham Preview – Are Fulham capable of putting relegation behind them and achieve a positive start?
There was so much optimism around Fulham and their promotion a couple of seasons ago. Not only did they go up playing an attacking brand of football, but there was significant investment from the owners. That raised expectation that the Cottagers could not only survive in the Premier League, but finish in the top 10. Those expectations were quickly revised from the beginning as Fulham struggled from the off. They attempted everything to improve their fortunes – changing managers and bringing in further players. Neither worked and their fate was sealed long before the end of the season. The club have put their faith in Scott Parker to lead them back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
Sometimes clubs who come down are not willing to set their sights solely on promotion because of how difficult this league is. That’s not the case for Fulham. Everything is in place for them to be in the top-flight and they will fancied to do so by many. The majority of their squad from last season is still in place and it will be Parker’s job to mould them into a team. As more often than not last season, they were anything but.
Key-Facts – Barnsley v Fulham
- Barnsley bounce straight back up to the Championship with automatic promotion from League One last season
- Fulham also find themselves back at this level after one season away but in more negative circumstances following relegation from the top flight
- Fulham have dominated this fixture in recent times winning the last four meetings in the Championship
