Football League play-off finals: Barnsley can upset favourites Sheffield Wednesday at Wembley
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Football League play-off final tips and preview
The Football League play-off finals take place over the Bank Holiday weekend, starting with Saturday’s clash between Luton and Coventry at Wembley where a place in the Premier League is up for grabs.
Sunday’s match sees Carlisle and Stockport fight it out for a place in the third tier and the play-offs conclude on Monday with South Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Wednesday and Barnsley hoping to return to the Championship.
We have Football League play-off final tips for all three matches and get the ball rolling with the most lucrative game in football.
Coventry v Luton (Sat, 16.45, Sky Sports)
Luton are close to completing one of the most remarkable turnarounds in football history as they contemplate a first ever season in the Premier League.
The Hatters were playing non-league football nine years ago, but are now just one game away from playing in the top flight for the first time since the 1991-2 season when they were relegated from the old First Division.
Luton overturned a 2-1 defeat by Sunderland in the first leg of their semi-final as first-half goals from Gabriel Osho and Tom Lockyer sealed a 3-2 aggregate victory.
It’s getting closer. 👊#COYH pic.twitter.com/9WJDM7AtyT
— Luton Town FC (@LutonTown) May 22, 2023
Coventry went into liquidation 10 years ago and six years ago were relegated to League Two, so they have also transformed their fortunes in spectacular style.
Gustavo Hamer scored the only goal of the two legs against Middlebrough to send the Sky Blues to Wembley where they are 2/1 underdogs to win in 90 minutes against Luton, who are 29/20.
Both matches between the teams this season ended in score draws and a third at 13/4 catches the eye, while both teams to score in the first half just like the previous two games also appeals at 9/2 as one of our Football League play-off final tips.
Barnsley v Sheffield Wednesday (Mon, 15.00, Sky Sports)
Although the Championship play-off final has more clout, the most attractive of the three games could involve these South Yorkshire neighbours.
The Owls, looking to return to the Championship after a two-year absence, finished third in the table with 96 points – a Football League record for a team that failed to secure promotion, but nearly missed out on the final after a stunning comeback against Peterborough.
Trailing 4-0 from the first leg, Darren Moore’s side fought their way back into a 3-0 lead in the return at Hillsborough and then took the game into extra time with a 98th-minute goal from Liam Palmer.
🗣️ A word with @BarnsleyFC boss Michael Duff as his side took a look around @wembleystadium yesterday.#EFLPlayOffs | #StepUp pic.twitter.com/tIEtbN7nPC
— Sky Bet League One (@SkyBetLeagueOne) May 27, 2023
Posh restored their aggregate lead with a Lee Gregory own goal, but Callum Paterson struck to ensure a penalty shoot-out which the Owls went on to win in one of football’s great comebacks.
The Tykes, meanwhile, were involved in a tight encounter with Bolton which was settled by Liam Kitching’s 24th-minute header for a 2-1 aggregate victory.
Ahead of the clash with Sheffield Wednesday, manager Michael Duff said: “They’re a very good team. They’ve not had many losses, but they’ve had two, which have been against us, so we know we can hurt them.”
💬 “For me, the biggest component all the time is the fans.
“They've driven us up until now and I'm going to ask them again to continue to do that and let's approach this game together…"#swfc
— Sheffield Wednesday (@swfc) May 27, 2023
The first of those wins came at Hillsborough in September when goals from Devante Cole and James Norwood sealed a 2-0 win and the same two players struck inside 12 minutes in a 4-2 victory at Oakwell, so they have a good record against their rivals.
With that in mind, Barnsley to win at 12/5 is the next of our Football League play-off final tips, while Cole to score at any time at 11/4 looks worth a play.
Carlisle v Stockport (Sun, 13.30, Sky Sports)
The two teams that finished fourth and fifth in League Two will meet at Wembley on Sunday when a place in the third tier is the prize.
Stockport are bidding for back-to-back promotions after beating Salford on penalties in the semi-finals, while Carlisle needed extra time to beat Bradford 3-2 on aggregate.
The Ammies held a 1-0 lead from the first leg and were just five minutes away from Wembley after Stephen Mallan’s deflected strike had given Salford a 2-1 aggregate lead but a close-range headers from substitute Jack Stretton sent the game to spot-kicks which the Hatters won 3-1 in the shoot-out.
💬 "With one game to go, we're 90 minutes from achieving the goal we set out with at the start of the season, which we'd absolutely have taken."
Dave Challinor spoke to the media ahead of Sunday's final at Wembley – watch his full press conference below ⤵️
— Stockport County (@StockportCounty) May 26, 2023
Carlisle also had to overcome a 1-0 first-leg deficit to reach the League Two play-off final, but they got the job done in the extra half an hour thanks to a header from Ben Barclay, who is on loan from Stockport and unable to play against his parent club.
Manager Paul Simpson thought Carlisle were the better team over the two legs, but they are viewed as the 21/10 underdogs to win inside 90 minutes, having taken just one point off Stockport this season.
Carlisle went into the play-offs with just one win in six, but they drew 2-2 with Stockport around four weeks ago and this match could go to extra time too.
“We’re 90 minutes away from League One and if we can get one more positive result it will outweigh the achievement of getting to Wembley.”
Gav Skelton on tomorrow’s big game 👇 https://t.co/FGyTB7NEYC
— Carlisle United FC 🆙 (@officialcufc) May 27, 2023
Only Walsall shared the spoils more times than the Cumbrians this season, so a score draw at 10/3 is the last of our Football League play-off final tips. Carlisle have drawn the second half a division-high 25 times this season which is available at 5/4, while Draw HT/Draw FT is 16/5.
Stockport are also 8/5 to score at least twice as they have in both matches against Carlisle this season.
All odds and markets correct as of date of publication
