League Two Playoff Preview: Gab Sutton Predicts 25/26 Playoffs
EFL pundit Gab Sutton picks his best bets for the League Two Play-Offs which get underway on Sunday.
Alongside picks from Gab in both semi finals, we've also got the latest League Two playoff odds below from leading UK betting sites, to give you a flavour of the overall betting market.
League Two Playoff Preview: Grimsby Town v Salford City
- Prediction: Grimsby to Win First Leg - 6/5
The big difference between Grimsby and Salford could be the leadership styles of their respective managers, and how that translates to the big occasions.
David Artell has high emotional intelligence, knows what different players need, and is good at creating a calm and relaxed environment which could translate well to the big stage.
Whereas, Karl Robinson is a high-stakes motivator who likes to ramp things up and push his players to go above and beyond.
Over the course of the season, that’s worked well for the Liverpudlian, but sometimes in the big games, the players know the significance of the occasion already, and it can be about keeping things on an even keel.
That could point in Grimsby’s favour, as the Mariners look to justify 6/5 quotes to win the first leg at Blundell Park.
Town boast two strikers in veteran target man Andy Cook and up-and-comer Jaze Kabia, who have been prolific, while winger Charles Vernam’s return from injury for the business end has been timely, and lung-busting midfielder Kieran Green is capable of getting some numbers from midfield.
With Harvey Rodgers enjoying arguably the best season of his career at right-back, Maldini Kacurri forging a lovely centre-back pairing with Cameron McJannet, and Geza Turi playmaking beautifully from the base of midfield, Grimsby will be a match for anyone.
Salford, meanwhile, have to process the disappointment of missing out on automatic promotion on the final day: dropped points for Cambridge at Crewe meant the Ammies would have done it with one more goal, but wasteful finishing and questionable refereeing meant they couldn’t get over the line.
Now, the players have to put that out of their minds as quickly as possible.
League Two Playoff Preview: Chesterfield vs Notts County
- Prediction: Chesterfield to Qualify - Evs
With Chesterfield and Notts County both priced at Evens to qualify, the traders are unable to split these respective sides even incrementally.
County have firepower on their side, in powerful goalscorer Alassana Jatta, speedy forward Matthew Dennis and selfless target man Lee Ndlovu vying for just one striker position, while Tyrese Hall and Tom Iorpenda have enjoyed excellent seasons on loan – oh, and they have Jodi Jones.
As much as Notts have those attacking options, though, Chesterfield have arguably the more reliable spine, especially with their opponents missing key centre-back Matty Platt.
Sil Swinkels has forged a strong ‘young-and-old’ pairing with Kyle McFadzean, while a midfield of Tom Naylor, Ryan Stirk and Sammy Braybrooke brings the perfect blend of grit, control and creativity.
Armando Dobra and Dilan Markanday bring agility and flair in attacking areas too, while striker Lee Bonis finished the season in sumptuous form.
The traders might not be able to split them, but I’d give Chesterfield the edge – based on managerial experience too.
Paul Cook has a proven track record, whereas Martin Paterson hasn’t been here as a manager before, even if he has as assistant to Michael Duff at Barnsley: he’s still learning his craft.
Latest League Two Playoff Odds
We've got playoff odds comparisons on site, not just football tips, here's a look at the current League Two playoff market across a variety of bookmakers, and as you can see below, the oddsmakers are struggling to split them.
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