- Team position: Chesterfield are sixth in League Two with 79 points from 46 games, one point behind Notts County in fifth on 80.
- Home form: Chesterfield have won 11, tied eight and lost only four at home in League Two 2025-2026, conceding just 1.04 goals per game.
Rivals renew rivalry at a higher level
Recent form
Chesterfield and Notts County will renew their Wembley rivalry when these two League Two promotion rivals face off in a high-stakes playoff semi-final on Sunday. Paul Cook’s Spireites are unbeaten in five League Two games, taking three wins and two ties from their most recent five, while Notts County have won two, tied one and lost two of their most recent five.
Recent results
The home side will come into this game on the back of a two-game winning streak after beating Crewe Alexandra 2-0 at home and Swindon Town 2-1 away, while Notts County edged out Colchester United 1-0 away before a 1-1 tie at home against Bristol Rovers.
Home advantage and momentum could be key
Chesterfield are available at 2.12 to win this game, but with Notts County on 3.32 and the tie at 3.4, I am going for the hosts at a slight edge. The home field advantage could be crucial, as Chesterfield have been in better form recently, and given that they have won both of the past two head-to-head meetings, the momentum of their recent wins over County might be enough to see them edge a close game.
An end-to-end play-off battle awaits
Paul Cook’s side have been using a possession-based style since he took charge in February 2022, patiently building up from the back, creating numerical superiority in midfield, and looking to either play centrally or stretch the game by running with the ball late into the attacking third. Martin Paterson has added more intensity and a more direct nature to the play since taking charge in June 2025, but County have still looked like a ball-dominant team that have the quality to play at a high tempo, pressing aggressively and looking to break quickly.
This tactical contrast should make for an interesting duel on Sunday, with Notts County trying to break the structure of Cook’s team with their physicality and verticality, while the hosts will try to control the ball and create openings in the transition.
Swerve the results markets and take the goals
Both of these sides have been involved in plenty of goals recently, with Chesterfield averaging 3.0 goals per-game in their home head-to-heads and Notts County averaging 2.7 when on the road to face Chesterfield, so I will swerve the low odds of the results market in favour of the ‘Over 2.5 goals’ option at 1.89.
- Lee Bonis is Chesterfield’s main threat up top with 12 goals in 45 League Two appearances this term, but he has been in particularly good form of late, hitting four of the team’s last eight goals.
- Alassana Jatta is Notts County’s chief threat with 15 goals in 31 appearances in the fourth tier, while Lucas Ness has two goals in their last five.
