- Match result: Brora Rangers and FC Edinburgh drew 1-1 in the play-off first leg at the weekend.
- Narrative: Brora Rangers are chasing history, while Edinburgh are fighting for survival.
- Odds: The match odds are close, with Brora 2.59, Edinburgh 2.41 and the draw 3.24.
Highlanders in hot pursuit of the Edinburgh City
Brora Rangers will arrive in Edinburgh on a wave of confidence as they attempt to secure the place in SPFL League Two at the expense of the capital club that will go down in history if the visitors get the better of them in this winner-takes-all matchup. The Highland League champions, who clinched the title with a 7 - 2 victory over Rothes last weekend, are in excellent form.
Michael Finnis and Connor Bunce form a solid defensive spine and experienced keeper Cammy MacKay has a reputation as a cool customer in big games. Steven Mackay has crafted a team to suit his system, which is compact, disciplined and direct with a 4-2-3-1 system that allows them to be strong when the ball is in wide areas and on set pieces. They don’t press a lot, but can be effective in transition and know exactly what they are trying to do in knock-out soccer.
Edinburgh’s extra experience may hold the key
Form and setup
Michael McIndoe’s side, who are coming off the back of two heavy defeats in April, must have been buoyed by their 5-0 thrashing of Dumbarton at Meadowbank and the away goal they got at Brora in last Saturday’s first leg. The Citizens have good experience at this level and will set up to press high and cause problems in transition with a 4-1-3-2 or 4-3-3 system.
Key players and odds
Innes Lawson was a clear danger for them again and his ability to make goals as well as score them was a major factor in the 1-1 draw in the first leg. Robbie Mahon and Jason Jarvis have also been good attacking additions with Mahon among the top scorers this season.
Edinburgh, who finished bottom of SPFL League Two last season, are favourites here at 2.41 because they have home-field advantage. But there’s enough evidence of belief in the visitors to make this a 50-50 game that could be settled on a fine margin - like a penalty kick or a moment of magic - and the aggregate is still 1-1.
Meadowbank is likely to host a nervy game
McIndoe’s team will have to play well to win this, but Brora’s good record of scoring and recent record of holding their own in big matches makes the BTTS - Yes market, which is listed at 1.55, very attractive to us.
We are going for another score draw as the main selection for this all-important matchup, which will be played out in the cool and cloudy conditions of Meadowbank, in the knowledge that the hosts will be just as keen to avoid defeat as the winners.
- A 1-1 draw would not surprise anyone and it would set up a tense 30-minute period of extra time.
- Brora’s frontline is led by the prolific Shane Sutherland, who scored four times in their title decider, and they can get on the scoresheet on Saturday, but the hosts should edge this one at home in a 2-1 win that will be enough to keep them in the SPFL for another year.
- Both teams have scored in recent meetings and 1-1 was the score in their only previous play-off clash in 2014-15.
