The Premier League season may have come to a close, but there’s plenty more club football coming up over the next few days. If you’re looking for something to keep you interested up until next weekend’s FA Cup final, then you’re in the right place. Here we’ve picked out four games to keep an eye on, and we’ve got a betting tip for each.
The week’s action sees Liverpool in Europa League final action, they face Sevilla in Basel. Can they win the first silverware of Jurgen Klopp’s reign at Anfield and sneak a place in next season’s Champions League to boot? There is also play-off action in Leagues One and Two, as the race to Wembley heats up.
Wednesday 18th May 2016
Liverpool v Sevilla (19:45) – Sevilla to win (11/5 with Betfair)
This week, all eyes will be on the Europa League final in Basel. There’s set to be plenty of attention on the game in Liverpool, given that so few of the fans got to travel. Less than 10,000 supporters have tickets for the game in Switzerland. Will they see the first trophy of Jurgen Klopp’s tenure, or will this be their second cup final loss of the season? After the weekend’s Premier League action, the Reds now need to win in order to have European football next term. They finished eighth in the league, and their only path to Europe is through this trophy.
Sevilla boss Unai Emery dislikes the idea that this is just a path in to the Champions League. He wants to win it for the trophy itself, and it is one that Sevilla have lifted for the past two seasons. They’re hoping for a hat-trick of titles, but they didn’t make the strongest finish to the season. They slipped to seventh, but their Europa League campaign has stayed strong. Given their wealth of European experience and the talent at their disposal, we don’t understand why the Reds are favourites. A Sevilla win is our bet here, at a huge price of 11/5 with Betfair.
Accrington v AFC Wimbledon (19:45) – Both teams to score (Evens with Coral)
On the same night as the Europa League action, there’s also a League Two play-off semi-final. AFC Wimbledon took the first leg 1-0 on Saturday, and they’re hoping to continue their incredible rise. After just 14 years, they could step up to the third tier. Accrington are out to stop them, after missing out on automatic promotion on the final day of the regular season. They slipped up at home to Stevenage with promotion in their hands, and a poor showing in the run-in cost them from claiming an incredible step up.
There’s an added bonus on the line for the Dons here. Their bitter rivals MK Dons were just relegated from the Championship, so the two clubs could be at the same level for the first time. They’re close to making the final after their first leg victory, and they can finish the job off here. Stanley finished the campaign poorly, winning just one of their last four home matches. The Dons know that if that poor trend continues, they’ll be bound for Wembley. We aren’t going for the draw here, but we are backing both sides to score, which is priced at a very good value price of evens with Coral.
Thursday 19th May 2016
Walsall v Barnsley (19:45) – Barnsley or draw (4/5 with Bet365)
Walsall are another side who are suffering after missing out on automatic promotion. They were a point shy of Burton Albion, sending them in to the play-offs. They didn’t respond well to their final day disappointment, with Barnsley winning 3-0 at the Banks’s Stadium in the first leg. That leaves the Saddlers as 25/1 outsiders for promotion ahead of this second leg. Can they bounce back with a win, and book a place in the play-off final next weekend? The bookies certainly don’t see them getting out of this one, and that’s understandable.
Barnsley may only have finished sixth in the table, but they put together a strong run to get there. Their win against Walsall showed just how much they’ve improved over the course of the season. They now know that even a defeat could see them heading to Wembley. We don’t think they’ll be progressing with a defeat, as we don’t see the Saddlers coming back from this. After missing out on promotion and then suffering a heavy play-off loss, we can’t see them returning to form. We’re backing the Tykes on the double chance market, at 4/5 with Bet365.
Friday 20th May 2016
Millwall v Bradford (19:45) – Millwall to win to nil (5/2 with Sky Bet)
Millwall’s impressive 3-1 win at Bradford has saw them take a huge step towards reaching the final. The Lions were in fine form in the run in, and they’ve been made odds on favourites to win promotion with Sky Bet. They won their last five games in a row to make it in to the play-offs, and now that form could carry them back into the Championship. The bookies clearly believe that the side from the Den can make it back into the second tier, but can they do it with victories in both legs?
Bradford are as long as 8/1 to gain the required two goal margin that they need here. The Bantams have been waiting a while to return to the higher levels of the English pyramid, having spent quite a few years in the fourth tier. They’ve had a strong season, but they’ve came up against a Millwall side who are just too good. They’re going to be expected to make a return to the championship this month, so we don’t see them having any problems here. They’ve won five of their last six home matches to nil, and we’re tipping a similar outcome here at 5/2 with Sky Bet.
See also:
- BTTS Tips (18th to 22nd May)
- Accumulator Tips (18th to 22nd May)