Football League Playoffs Betting
This coming weekend represents one of the biggest on the football calendar. The final day of the Premier League on Sunday will attract plenty of attention – particularly for those of an Everton, Leicester City or Leeds United persuasion. But, elsewhere, all eyes will be on Wembley Stadium for three of the most significant fixtures of the season as the Football League playoffs draw to a dramatic conclusion.
Following a 46-game campaign – 48 counting the two-legged semi-finals – it all comes down to one match for the six sides involved. Here we take a look ahead to the three climactic fixtures and pick out our best betting options.
Championship Playoff Final: Coventry City vs Luton Town – Saturday 27th May 4:45pm
First up, the biggest one of them all, with the Championship Playoff Final regularly labelled as the richest game in football – such is the gulf in expected income between the Premier League and Championship.
Finishing 3rd and 5th respectively, Luton Town and Coventry then both overcame North East clubs in the semi-finals – Luton overturning a first-leg deficit to see off Sunderland, and Coventry keeping back-to-back clean sheets to squeeze past Middlesbrough. There aren’t too many clues to be gained from the regular season fixtures between these two, with both games ending in a draw – 1-1 in Coventry, and 2-2 at Kenilworth Road.
Both sides also ended the campaign in impressive style. Luton were unbeaten in 14 prior to that 2-1 loss in the first leg against Sunderland, whilst Coventry bring a nine-match unbeaten run into this game. Throw in the fact that each side has also kept a clean sheet in five of their past ten fixtures, and it becomes even tougher to split these two on paper. Even deciding who may be more likely to nick the decisive goal is tough, with Coventry having scored 58 Championship goals, and Luton 57.
With a tight, defensive battle looking to be in store, it may make sense to turn to the bookings markets for the best bet in the match. The price to catch the eye is the 5/4 available with William Hill for over 45 bookings points (10 points for a yellow, 25 points for a red) with William Hill.
- Best Bet - Over 45 Booking Points @ 5/4 with William Hill
League 1 Playoff Final: Barnsley vs Sheffield Wednesday - Monday 29th May 3pm
Having ended the campaign with a bumper tally of 96 points, third-placed Sheffield Wednesday were pretty unfortunate not to gain automatic promotion. Strong favourites to go up when the playoffs began, the Owls looked to have blown it when stuffed 4-0 in the first leg at Peterborough. Then came that remarkable night at Hillsborough. Levelling the tie on aggregate in the 7th minute of added-on time, they again came from behind in extra time, before finally breaking Posh's hearts on penalties. Riding a wave of momentum on the back of that, they start clear favourites for this one.
However, in Barnsley, Sheffield Wednesday are meeting a side who have given them serious problems this season. The Tykes may have finished 10 points adrift in the final table, but Michael Duff’s men took all six points from their meetings with Wednesday – winning 2-0 at Hillsborough and 4-2 at Oakwell.
In contrast to the Championship Final, this has all the makings of a Bank Holiday Monday sizzler, with both sides averaging close to 1.75 goals per game this season and preferring to play on the front foot. With the two previous games between the sides producing an average of four goals, we like the look of over 3.5 goals at 5/2.
- Best Bet - Over 3.5 Goals @ 5/2 with William Hill
League 2 Playoff Final: Carlisle United vs Stockport County – Sunday 28th May 1:30pm
Sandwiched in between the above two fixtures, and preceding the closing Premier League action, is what looks set to be a closely fought encounter between The Cumbrians and The Hatters. Finishing fourth and third respectively in the league, separated by just three points, there was very little between these sides in the regular season. There are, however, a couple of factors which sway us towards Dave Challinor’s men.
Firstly, Stockport held the edge in the league meetings between the sides – winning 2-0 at Edgeley Park, and picking up a point in a 2-2 draw at Brunton Park. Secondly, Stockport have simply been the far more consistent side of late – losing only one of 15 headed into this, whereas Carlisle have lost four of their last eleven.
Whilst we expect Stockport to get the job done, it likely won't be easy facing a side who have conceded more than once in only 2 of their past 15 games. The recommendation is to back the Tie on the Carlisle +1 Handicap, which effectively equates to backing Stockport to win the game by exactly one goal.
- Best Bet - Tie on the Carlisle +1 Handicap @ 29/10 with William Hill
A £10 Treble on the above three selections returns £307.12 at William Hill.
Top 20 Betting Offers
18+ New UK+IRE Customers only. Min first £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 to get 4x £5 free bets. Stake not returned. Restrictions + Free bet T&Cs apply. |
|||||
New customers only. Register with BETFRED50. Deposit £10+ via Debit Card and place first bet £10+ at Evens (2.0)+ on Sports within 7 days to get £50 in free bets. 3 x £10 in Sports Free Bets & 2 x £10 in Acca Free Bets within 10 hours of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility & payment exclusions apply. T&Cs apply. |
|||||
Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply. Registration required. |
|||||
New bettors; Code SPORT; Wager deposit & bonus 8x; Max qualifying bet stake=initial bonus; Valid 60 days; Min odds, payment method exclusions apply; New customers only. T&C apply; 18+ |
|||||
New Customers place a £25 fixed odds bet at minimum odds of 1/2. Get £50 in Free Bets as: 5 x £5 free fixed odds bets + 4 x £5 free Total Goals spread bets + 50 free spins on Starburst 18+. Full promotions terms apply. |
|||||
18+. New Customers Only. Max 1 x £10 Free Bet. Qualifying bets at Odds of 1/1 or greater. Paid as Bonus Token Min 4/5 Odds Req. Skrill, Neteller, Paypal not eligible. T&Cs Apply |
|||||
18+ New customers only. Opt in & bet £10+ via mobile on any football market at 2.00+ odds within 7 days. No Cash out. Get 6x £5 Free Bets on selected markets. Free bets expire in 7 days. T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org | Please gamble responsibly |
|||||
18+ New Customers Only. Opt in and bet £10 (odds 2.00+) within 3 days of sign up. No cash-out. Get a £10 Free Bet (odds 2.0+), which expires in 5 days. Scroll down for T&Cs. GambleAware.org | Please gamble responsibly |
|||||
New UK Customers. Register using code BETGETSPORTS. Must bet £10 in total on 4+ legs, min odds 4.0. £20 awarded as 4 X £5 free bets once settled, AND 50 Free Spins to use on Big Bass Splash (valued at 10p per spin). Free bet T&Cs Apply. 18+. BeGambleAware.org |
|||||
£10 min deposit. First bet mins odds 1.5 placed within 14 days of sign-up. 2 x £10 in Free Bets: valid for 7 days, free bet stakes not returned. Bet Responsibly. BeGambleAware.org. 18+ T&Cs apply.
|
|||||
New UK customers only. Qualifying bet should be a Single or Accumulator bet, min stake £10, and min odds 1.9. Get £50 in Free bets which must be placed with a min odds of 2.0 include: 1 x £10 Free bet for horse racing, 1 x £10 Free bet on football, 2 x 10 Free bet In-play, 1 x £10 Free bet Acca (min 3 selections). To unlock the offer, complete the first deposit via the banking app. Max payout – £500. 7 day expiry. 18+. Begambleaware.org |
|||||
New Customers only. Deposit and bet with min odds of 2.0. You will receive a 150% deposit bonus if your qualifying bet on the first day is four times your deposit. Full Terms apply. 18+ begambleaware. |
|||||
18+. BeGambleAware.org. New GB customers only. Min £10 debit card deposit. Place a £10+ bet at Evens (2.0)+ on Sports within 7 days. Opt in for £20 in free bets and £20 Casino Bonus. Valid for 7 days. Geographical restrictions and T&C’s apply. #AD |
|||||
18+. Play Safe. New customers only, using promo code T60. Valid from 13/04/2022. Online play. Get £60 Bonus split between Vegas & Sports in the following manner – (i) Deposit £10 to unlock £20 Vegas Free Bet on Selected Games (72hr expiry, wagering reqs apply); then (ii) bet £10+ (odds 1/2+) with cash (excl. £10 deposit) or Vegas winnings (after wager reqs met). Once settled, receive £40 Sports Free Bets excluding Virtual Markets (4x £10, 7 days expiry). Full T&Cs apply. #ad |
|||||
18+. New customers only. Min deposit £20. Max One £10 Free Bet. Min turnover £20. Qualifying Bets must be placed at odds of 1/1 (2.00) or greater. Paid as bonus token with Min 4/5 (1.80) odds req. T&Cs apply. |
|||||
New Customers. Min Deposit: £5. Maximum Free Bet: £30. First qualifying bet with 3+ selections. Overall odds: 3.00+ (2/1). If first bet loses free bets will be credited after bet settled. 100 Free Spins on Gold Blitz credited on settlement of qualifying Acca bet. 18+. BeGambleAware.org. Bet The Responsible Way. Full terms apply |
|||||
New customers Deposit and place your first bet on Sports at odds of Evens (2.0) or greater. Once bet is settled you will receive 1x £10 Free Bet Token to be used on Football, 1x £10 Free Bet Token to be used on Horse Racing, and 20 Extra spins (value per spin 50p), to be used on Book of Dead. Total bonus value £30. Full terms apply. 18+ begambleaware. |
|||||
New Players Only. Free bet - one-time stake of £50, min odds 1.5, stake not returned. 1X wager the winnings. Wager from real balance first. Wager calculated on bonus bets only. Max conversion: £200. Valid for 7 Days from receipt. Limited to 1 sport & 5 casino brand/s within the network. Withdrawal requests void all active/pending bonuses. Excluded Skrill and Neteller deposits. Full Terms apply. |
|||||
New customers only. Min deposit £10. Max one £15 Free Bet. Min Turnover £15 to qualify. Qualifying bets must be at odds of Evens (2.0) or bigger. Full Terms apply. 18+ begambleaware. |
|||||
Deposit and bet on any sportsbook markets of your choice at odds of evens (2.00) or greater. Get 50% back of your first days losses as a Free Bet up to £50 plus 50 Free Spins. Min. 3 bets required. If your account is up, you’ll receive a £5 Free Bet regardless plus 10 Free Spins. Use coupon code "5050" at registration. T&Cs apply | 18+ New UK Customers Only | GambleAware.org | Gamble Responsibly |