Meanwhile, Leeds must arrest worrying slide in form as they travel to take on Derby
With the EFL Championship campaign having been concluded this past weekend, the only thing to be decided is the final side to be promoted to the FA Premier League. As such, the teams who finished from third to sixth in the table now enter the play-offs, and this coming Saturday (11 May) sees the first two legs of the semi-final take place, with Aston Villa hosting West Brom and Leeds making the trip to Derby.
First things first
Before you go any further, head on over to the Oddsshark website, find your favourite betting site and get your own account up and running using your credit card. As a new customer and with the EFL Championship play-offs set to start, there should be a wide range of promotions and special offers available to you.
Where should I be investing my money?
First up, let’s start with the clash between Aston Villa and West Brom. Villa finished fifth in the table and are priced at just 3.00 to be promoted to the Premier League, although it should also be noted that they failed to win either of their last two league matches of the season, taking just a single point from the six available – they do, however, come in at just 1.75 to qualify for the play-off final.
West Brom finished fourth in the table and four points ahead of Villa in fifth, but they also had a stuttering end to the campaign. The Baggies took just four points from the last nine available and are slightly longer, at 4.50, to win promotion back to the top flight at the first time of asking – they are also at the slightly longer price of 2.00 of making it to the final at Wembley.
And while the betting is close for this semi-final first leg, it is Villa who come in as the slight favourites to gain the upper hand. You can double your money by backing the home side to win at 2.00, while West Brom are out at 3.60 to do the same – a draw comes in just under at 3.50, according to Oddsshark.
And we believe home advantage could well be a decisive factor in this fixture. A narrow, 2-1 win for Villa is priced at 8.50, meaning that a US$5 bet would lead to a US$42.50 pay out, while you can more than quadruple your money by backing a combo bet of a Villa win, coupled with both teams to score, at 4.33, while you could more than triple your money by backing the home side to score in both halves at 3.25.
Derby must take momentum into home tie
Later on the same day, Derby County welcome Leeds United to Pride Park looking to carry their momentum into what is now the most crucial game of their campaign. Derby managed to finish sixth, a point ahead of Middlesbrough, to sneak into the play-offs, and ended the season on a high, going six games unbeaten over the last few weeks – they are, however, at the longest price of any side to be promoted, at 5.50, and are at 2.50 to make it to the final.
Leeds, in stark contrast, appear to be in freefall. The Yorkshire club ended the season with three defeats in their last four and are the most out of form side in the play-offs – nevertheless, they are at the shortest odds to win promotion, at just 2.87, while they come in at just 1.50 to make it to the final at the expense of Derby.
And while the betting is very close indeed, it is Derby who come into this match as the slight favourites to gain an advantage for the return encounter next week. You can more than double your money by backing the home side to win at 2.60, while Leeds come in only slightly higher at 2.70 – a draw would appear to be the least likely outcome and is priced accordingly at 3.25.
And we are expecting Derby’s better form to carry them through this first leg tie. A comfortable, 2-0 win for the home side is priced competitively at 12.00, thereby offering more than a ten-fold return on any investment, while you can more than quadruple your money by backing a combo bet of a Derby win, coupled with a “No” to both teams scoring, at 4.33.
EFL Championship semi-final first leg ties:
Saturday, 11 May
(2.00) Aston Villa x West Bromwich Albion (3.60); draw (3.50)
(2.60) Derby County x Leeds United (2.70); draw (3.25)
