From Frank Lampard on one sideline to John Terry on the other and a slew of loanees and former Chelsea players between them, Derby County and Aston Villa both give a nod to Stamford Bridge en route to Wembley Stadium. After a thrilling week that included a dramatic penalty shootout, four red cards and 11 goals from both semifinal two-legged fixtures, the Championship’s playoff final is set. Two of the oldest teams in English football will join Norwich City and Sheffield United for a place in next season’s Premier League. Aston Villa–returning to the promotion final for a second straight year–faces Derby County, which is hoping to finally return to the top flight after being relegated after the 2007-2008 season. For the fifth- and sixth-placed teams, reaching the final was anything but easy. Villa fought hard in a West Midlands derby against a physical, resilient West Brom side, but thanks to a well-rounded squad and performances of third-choice-goalkeeper-turned-hero Jed Steer, Villa came out victorious in a penalty shootout at the Hawthorns. Derby, meanwhile, faced the aggressive Leeds United and its eccentric manager, Marcelo Bielsa. After losing 1-0 at home in the first leg, the Rams were against it once again at Elland Road, trailing 2-0 on aggregate in the early stages of the second leg. All seemed lost until substitute Jack Marriott immediately caused havoc and scored a double, helping his side to a memorable 4-3 victory. Given the fact that both victors possess an attacking mindset and enjoy going forward, fans should anticipate an open game on May 27. Thanks to the quality of their respective rosters and coaching personnel, it should be a final full of technical depth. And for that, much of the gratitude should probably go to Chelsea Football Club, as the Premier League side has its fingerprints all over the showdown at Wembley Stadium. To begin, there’s the obvious. Derby County manager Frank Lampard and Aston Villa assistant coach John Terry are close friends with loads of history together from their time at Stamford Bridge, and they'll be standing on opposing sidelines. Lampard arrived at Chelsea from West Ham in the summer of 2001 and went on to become the club’s all-time leading scorer with 211 goals in all competitions. He is also the Premier League’s highest-scoring midfielder. Terry, meanwhile, is Chelsea’s most successful captain, the league’s highest-scoring defender and ended his career as one of five players with more than 500 appearances at the club. Both won three Premier League titles, two League Cups, four FA Cups, the Europa League and the 2011-12 Champions League. Together, they combine for 1,365 total appearances for the club. Chris Radburn/EMPICS/PA Images/Getty Images But the Chelsea connection does not end there. Lampard and Terry's former teammate, Ashley Cole will also be at Wembley, as the 38-year-old English fullback joined Derby from the LA Galaxy back in January. Cole, who was at Chelsea for almost a decade, also won the Champions League, Europa League and other titles with Lampard and Terry. He is usually utilized as a substitute for the Rams, but he might need to play a bigger role on May 27 as first-choice left back Scott Malone received a red card in the second leg against Leeds, ruling him out of the final. But for Chelsea, Cole’s participation in this game won’t be as pertinent or meaningful as that of its talented youngsters. The club's small army of loaned-out talent features prominently at Derby and Villa, with three select individuals potentially having plenty to say by the final whistle. Tammy Abraham, the imposing center forward who joined Chelsea's academy when he was 7, leads Aston Villa’s attack. After loan spells with Bristol City and Swansea, the 21-year-old striker has reached new heights with Villa, finishing second in the league with 25 goals in the regular season. His presence and maturity are impressive, and there’s no doubt he will look to use this final as another opportunity to show what he can do on a big stage. Derby, meanwhile, has two Chelsea loanees in its squad who make up a key part of the team’s spine. Mason Mount, the composed, creative midfielder, was fantastic against Leeds and scored an equalizer as part of the comeback. In the back, 21-year-old Fikayo Tomori has earned a tremendous amount of responsibility in his role as a center back. Just like Abraham, Tomori has slowly collected experience through his loan spells at Brighton, Hull City and now Derby. All three players have also represented England at the youth level, and thanks to the demands of a long Championship season, they have been able to develop both mentally and physically. While Chelsea can take a certain amount of pride in seeing how the Championship playoff final is influenced by its legends and its academy, the club is most likely anxious for the active players to return to its Cobham training center this summer and rejoin the senior squad. Thanks to a two-window transfer ban due to breaches relating to the purchase and registration of multiple youth players, Maurizio Sarri’s squad will be quiet in the transfer window–appeals pending–with the only arrival being Christian Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund following his winter purchase and subsequent loan back to the Bundesliga title contender. With Eden Hazard expected to move to Real Madrid, Chelsea, now more than ever, needs all the help it can get, and they may wind up being in the form of recalling its farmed-out talent. The Blues surely will be eager for their young players to deliver–both during and beyond this final.<doc-sep>Championship play-off final: Find out when the match takes place When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Midfielder Conor Hourihane's long-range strike and forward Tammy Abraham's penalty helped Aston Villa defeat West Brom 2-1 in the first leg of their Championship play-off semi-final. Substitute Hourihane sparked Villa's second-half comeback at home by finishing off a neat move with a powerful shot that flew past West Brom goalkeeper Sam Johnstone to make it 1-1. Villa won a penalty four minutes later when midfielder Jack Grealish was brought down by Kieran Gibbs and Abraham, on loan from Premier League side Chelsea, held his nerve to slot home the winner. Forward Dwight Gayle earlier put West Brom ahead in the 16th minute with his 24th goal of the season, latching on to the ball after a mistake by midfielder Glenn Whelan and firing a low shot past Villa goalkeeper Jed Steer.<doc-sep>
Long-time Chelsea teammates Frank Lampard and John Terry will face off as coaches when Derby County and Aston Villa contest the Championship playoff final in a bid to return to the Premier League. Live stream the 2019 EFL Championship Play-off Final with beIN SPORTS on KAYO. Get your 14 day free trial & start streaming instantly > Derby, managed by Lampard, beat Leeds 4-2 in the second leg of their playoff semi-final on Wednesday and advanced 4-3 on aggregate. LEEDS v DERBY: PL legend’s promotion dream alive after thrilling playoff comeback WEST BROM v VILLA: Aussie penalty freak holds nerve in playoff thriller Terry and Lampard enjoyed great success together at Chelsea Source: Getty Images Both sides had a man sent off in a feisty match at Elland Road. Villa, where Terry is an assistant coach, reached the May 27 final at Wembley Stadium by beating West Bromwich Albion in a penalty shootout on Tuesday. Their semi-final finished 2-2 on aggregate. MORE FOOTBALL NEWS REVEALED: Utd boss ‘threatened to sell half the squad’ after final day farce SLY DIGS: Derby stars do ‘spygate gesture’ after beating Leeds in playoff thriller NO PLACE LIKE HOME: $1.1m-a-week star offered stunning PL return The duo won the Champions League in 2012 and the Premier League in 2005, ‘06 and ‘10. Source: News Limited Both Lampard and Terry are taking their first steps in management this season after being key members of Chelsea teams that won the Champions League in 2012 and the Premier League in 2005, ‘06 and ‘10. Villa is seeking a return to the top flight after an absence of three years. Derby hasn’t been in the Premier League since 2008, when it was relegated after collecting just 11 points — the worst total ever recorded in the top flight. Norwich and Sheffield United were promoted automatically from the Championship after finishing as the top two in the regular season.