Newport County and Tranmere Rovers finished seventh and sixth respectively in the League Two table this season – Mansfield Town and Forest Green Rovers will feel aggrieved to have missed out on the chance at promotion.
Unfortunately for them, that is how the playoffs go. You get one chance in the postseason and it is up to you to take full advantage.
888sport are currently going 15/8 for Newport to win in 90 minutes with Tranmere slightly shorter at 29/20. The draw, and therefore extra-time, is available at 15/8 and that price may interest punters.
Three of the last four meetings between these two teams have ended level and that record might be enough to tempt bettors ahead of Saturday’s clash.
Playoff finals are quite often cagey but an early goal looks likely here – given the attacking nature of both teams.
The 12/25 for a first half goal is appealing but punters may prefer to take the EVS available with 888sport for both teams to score in 90 minutes. With so much at stake, Newport and Tranmere will be desperate to emerge victorious.
Newport are on a 12-match unbeaten run and the Welsh outfit will be quietly confident of getting the job done at Wembley.
Mike Flynn’s side head into this contest with momentum and punters may fancy the 9/4 for over 1.5 Newport goals this weekend. On paper, this is an open affair and it could be one of the best playoff finals of 2018/19.
Padraig Amond has been simply sublime for Newport this season, notching an impressive 22 goals in all competitions.
He bagged Newport’s late equaliser in their playoff semi-final first leg with Mansfield Town and the stage is set for another big performance. Punters can back Amond at 21/10 to get his name on the scoresheet on Saturday afternoon.
Meanwhile, Tranmere had the sixth best defensive record in League Two during the regular season and Rovers will be hoping to keep this feisty Newport attack at bay.
At the time of writing, 888sport are going 4/5 for Tranmere to win at least one half – a tasty price for any bet calculator if you fancy Micky Mellon’s side to put on a show. The travelling fans will expect a big effort.
Tranmere have the x-factor in James Norwood though and the League Two Player of the Year could make the difference on Saturday afternoon.
With 30 league goals already this campaign, Norwood is a real threat in the final third and the Rovers star is a gift of a price at 13/8 to score in 90 minutes. Watch this space, keeping Norwood quiet will be very difficult indeed.
Neutrals may be tempted by the 21/20 for a goal in both halves. An early goal should open the game up a bit and we could see both teams go hell for leather if it develops into a goal-fest.
With players like Norwood and Amond on show, the Wembley crowd could be in for a real treat.
Looking at the latest football betting with 888sport, over 2.5 goals at 29/20 represents solid value. The selection has landed in each of the previous two League Two playoff finals and it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see another high-scoring contest.
Expect both teams to see chances fall their way and Newport might just about edge an absolute thriller.
TIP: Over 2.5 goals @ 29/20
LONGSHOT: Newport to win and both teams to score (6/1 with 888sport)
PREDICTED SCORE: Newport 3-2 Tranmere (35/1 with 888sport)
*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*
