Sky Bet EFL Play-Offs Preview - 2024/25

JN Value Betting
May 7
4 min read

BEST BETS:

COVENTRY - TO WIN THE PLAY-OFFS - 10/3 (UNIBET) - 0.75PTS

CHARLTON - TO WIN THE PLAY-OFFS - 12/5 (SKY BET) - 1PT

CHESTERFIELD - TO WIN THE PLAY-OFFS - 7/2 (BET365) - 0.75PTS

COVENTRY, CHARLTON & CHESTERFIELD - TO WIN THE PLAY-OFFS - 61.4/1 (BETFAIR) - 0.25PTS

It's crunch time across the Sky Bet EFL Championship and Leagues One & Two. The play-offs get underway on Thursday evening with the potential of a whole season's work being undone in just 90 minutes. All eyes will turn to Wembley in just two weeks time where all three finals will take place across the Bank Holiday weekend.

CHAMPIONSHIP

Burnley and Leeds had condemned Sheffield United to the play-offs with two games to spare following their respective promotions over the Easter weekend. That has left Chris Wilder's side looking to right many play-off wrongs when they attempt to book their ticket into the Premier League. Sheffield United boast England's worst play-off record, being unsuccessful in all eight attempts to date. Given that wretched record, I am happy to oppose them at the prices.

I was drawn to COVENTRY who will be hoping to heal the scars felt from their penalty shootout defeat in the final just two seasons ago. The Sky Blues have really hit form in recent weeks, sitting third in the form table across the last fifteen matches, only to the aforementioned Burnley and Leeds. They have lost just 9 of their 29 Championship matches since Frank Lampard was appointed as manager in November, and their form is over stark contrast to their semi-final opponents Sunderland. Regis Le Bris' side had charged into promotion contention over the first three months of the season, but occupied fourth spot from November until the end of the season. They come into this play-off campaign on the back of five straight defeats, although that could be owing to their fate already being sealed with many games to spare. Given their recent form, I was happy to bypass them, especially given their record against Coventry - having failed to beat them in their last ten meetings.

Bristol City have managed to secure a first play-off berth since 2008, and will be hoping that they can go one step further than that campaign where they narrowly lost the final to Hull City. Their recent form has taken a dip, winning just one of their last five, and they face a tough task against a Sheffield United side who challenged the top two in this division right until the very end.

LEAGUE ONE

The money teams of Birmingham and Wrexham have already earned their promotion to the Championship, convincingly sealing automatic promotion going into the final weekend of the season. Three of the four sides that are set to face off for the remaining place in the second tier come into this play-off campaign in red-hot form. Stockport County are looking to secured their fourth promotion in seven seasons, and there is every belief that they can achieve that given their recent form. Only runaway champions Birmingham City have more points from their last ten games than Dave Challinor's side. They do face a tough task in Leyton Orient who come into this one having won six straight matches to secure their spot in the top six. The Hatters did get the upper hand when the sides met in February, and are favourites to book their spot at Wembley in two weekends time. Despite having the most favourable tie on paper, they look to face a tougher challenge than CHARLTON who face an out of sorts Wycombe Wanderers. Nathan Jones' side thumped them 4-0 away from home just three weeks ago, consigning the Chairboys to the play-offs. Looking at the last 25 matches, Charlton boast the best record out of the play-off contenders, taking 55 points from those games. They were also successful in their most recent play-off campaign in 2018/19.

Wycombe look to be hurting from their failure at securing automatic promotion, and that looks as if it could put pay to their chances. I feel that the most likely final is between the two favourites in Stockport and Charlton, and I am happy to side with Charlton just given their play-off pedigree.

LEAGUE TWO

Just seven points separated the four play-off contenders in League Two, with Walsall being forced into the lottery of the play-offs in the dying embers of the season, following a goal from Bradford that sent them up automatically. The Saddlers were heavy favourites to take the League Two crown at the turn of the year, with them holding a commanding twelve point lead at the top of the table. They then picked up just nineteen points from their remaining matches, seeing them slip into the play-off places in the final moments of the regular season. They are one of the most out-of-form sides in the league, and it's hard to see how they'll be able to galvanise themselves and regaining the form that saw them top the table.

CHESTERFIELD await Walsall in the semi-finals, entering the play-offs as the most in-form of the four sides. Paul Cook's men sit second in the form table across the last fifteen matches, only behind the champions Doncaster. On that evidence, they look to have what it takes to make the final, and look to be the team to beat. I was surprised to see that they are the outsiders of the four sides in the market, and am happy to get stuck in at 7/2.

Both AFC Wimbledon and Notts County await the winner of the aforementioned tie, and these two look tough to split. Just one point separated the sides in the regular season, and it's hard to see what will separate them over the 180 minutes that awaits them. The goalscoring firepower of both Alassana Jatta and David McGoldrick looks to give Notts County the slight upper hand, with the pair sharing 36 League Two goals this season. However, Wimbledon have their own goalscoring threat through Matty Stevens. Given the toughness of splitting the two sides, I was happy to bypass each of them in the market, with it being easy to see either of them progressing.