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Aston Villa and Derby to play for promotion

24 May 2019
Jack Grealish and Mason Bennett

Two former Premier League teams will seek a return by winning Monday's Championship playoff final at Wembley

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Aston Villa and Derby County will compete for a place in the 2019/20 Premier League when they face each other in the Championship playoff final on Monday at 3pm. 

After Villa battled past West Bromwich Albion on penalties in their playoff semi-final, Derby triumphed 4-3 on aggregate over Leeds United to set up the Wembley Stadium meeting to see who will join Norwich City and Sheffield United as the promoted sides.

Premier League history

Villa were ever-present in the Premier League until relegation in 2015/16. They are in their second successive playoff final, having lost last season to Fulham.

Derby have been out of the Premier League since 2007/08, and hope to have an eighth campaign there. 

Two Chelsea legends will be in opposing dugouts at Wembley, while another Stamford Bridge great, Ashley Cole, could play for Derby and end a five-year absence from the Premier League with promotion.

Derby manager Frank Lampard will face John Terry, assistant to Dean Smith, Villa's manager, who is hoping to build on a club-record 10-match winning streak that helped his team secure a playoff spot.

'The moment you're in it for'

"What helps us with that is that we've been playing must-win games for the last 15 or 16 matches," Smith told the club's official website

"The players have already got history-making status on their side. They're in form, too."

Derby captain Richard Keogh has played every match for the Rams this season and is relishing the occasion.

"This is the moment that you are all in it for and this is why you work so hard," he told Derby's official website.

"You want to play in big games and you want to play in big stadiums.

"It is just a great opportunity for us to go and show everyone what a great team we are."

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18 Nov 2024

My ULTIMATE Premier League goal: Frank Lampard

He scored SO many screamers but which of his 177 goals did Chelsea's all-time highest scorer choose as his favourite?

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