Monday’s Championship promotion playoff final pits the best-placed team in the playoffs against the division’s biggest star. Watford, who narrowly missed out on automatic promotion on the final day of the regular season, face off against a tough Crystal Palace side that features Manchester United signing Wilfred Zaha.
Crystal Palace vs. Watford, 2013 Championship playoff final: Preview and TV schedule
Next season’s new Premier League television contract means that the richest game in football is richer than it’s ever been. Crystal Palace and Watford play on Monday with promotion and over £100m on the line.
Michael Regan
Zaha plays his last game for Palace on Monday, and there’s no indication that he’s looking ahead to his United career. He was brilliant in the second leg of Palace’s semifinal against Brighton, setting up multiple chances and scoring a brilliant goal. Palace will need him to be at his best again, as they’re still missing leading scorer Glenn Murray due to a knee injury.
The biggest stars for Watford are also players who are not tied to the club permanently, though a few of their loanees could return if they’re promoted. Chelsea youngster Nathaniel Chalobah has been a revelation in their midfield this season, while Matej Vydra and Almen Abdi, on loan from partner club Udinese, have had excellent campaigns. Vydra, however, is in poor form, and his forward partner Troy Deeney could be the more dangerous attacker up top on Monday.
Match date/time: Monday, 3 p.m. local, 10 a.m. ET
Venue: Wembley Stadium, London, England
TV: Sky Sports 1 (U.K.), beIN Sport (U.S.)
