League Two
Salford vs Grimsby Prediction: Hosts To Complete Job And Reach Wembley
A betting preview ahead of Salford City’s clash with Grimsby Town, with William Hill News tipster Sam Cox casting his eye over the action.
Salford hold a 2-1 advantage heading into the second leg of the League Two playoff semi-finals. A place at Wembley is on the line for these two clubs, with Salford only needing to draw the match to progress.
Salford v Grimsby Odds:
- Salford – 23/20
- Draw – 23/10
- Grimsby – 21/10
Grimsby did the double over Salford this term. The visitors will believe they can stage an upset and force this tie into extra time at the very least, but Salford had the third-best record in the league, while Grimsby won just 10 of their 23 away fixtures.
Salford finished three places above Grimsby, but they had an early scare in the second leg. Grimsby scored with their first attack, and it would’ve been easy to panic. Salford didn’t, though, and they had a 2-1 lead before half-time thanks to a controversial header from Adebola Oluwo before the break.
Salford boss Karl Robinson spoke glowingly about his team’s performance.
Robinson said, “I’m not under any illusions as to how hard it is going to be on Friday, and if we were a goal behind, we’d be standing here saying we’re still in the tie…
“As a collective, that was one of our best away performances of the season, which shows how good the opposition are because it was incredibly tight.”
This, as Robinson says, is far from over. Grimsby had five more shots and 13 more touches inside the box in the first leg. Their expected numbers throughout the season were better than Salford’s, with a particular advantage defensively. There might have been three places between the sides, but they were only three points apart.
These are two good teams, but the 1/5 price on Salford City to progress is understandable. Grimsby are up against it, and seemed to run out of steam after protesting Salford’s second goal.
It will take a gargantuan performance from the away side to comeback here. Salford were within touching distance of automatic promotion, and we fancy them to have a shot at redemption at Wembley.
*Odds subject to change – prices accurate at the time of writing*
