League Two
Notts County vs Chesterfield Prediction: Goals Galore In Thrilling Second Leg
William Hill News tipster Sam Cox previews the League Two play-off second leg between Notts County and Chesterfield.
Notts County recorded a 1-0 win over Chesterfield to put them in the box seat in their League Two playoff semi-final tie. Chesterfield finished a single point behind Notts County across 46 games and head into the second leg with plenty of belief.
Notts County v Chesterfield Odds:
- Notts County – 5/4
- Draw – 21/10
- Chesterfield – 21/10
Chesterfield manager Paul Cook said, “But it’s half-time, I think a goal either way for any side, you can see by the quality of players on the pitch, that it will go into the second leg for sure.
“And we’re still very much in the tie, that’s for sure.”
Notts County had narrowly better underlying numbers than Chesterfield during the campaign. Chesterfield did the double over their opponents in the regular season, though, and the first leg was their first defeat to Notts County since February 2023.
No team saw a higher average of goals in their home matches than Notts County. There were 2.83 goals per match when Chesterfield were the road team. This is going to be a combative, intense game just as the first leg was, but the season-long trends with these teams also suggest goals are likely.
Chesterfield didn’t have the necessary guile to break down Notts County’s stubborn defence in the first leg. With home advantage in the second leg, it’s hard to see how Chesterfield overturn this deficit, barring a red card for the home team. It’s very clearly an advantage for the Magpies.
All the pressure is on Chesterfield. They are the team that needs to force the issue, and that could lead to counter-attack opportunities for County. It’s likely to be a more open game with Chesterfield forced to commit men forward, so we’re expecting both teams to score.
You can read Sam Cox’s preview ahead of Salford City vs Grimsby Town in the other semi-final.
*Odds subject to change – prices accurate at the time of writing*
