- Salford City are unbeaten in their last two home games, winning 1 and drawing 1.
- Grimsby Town are unbeaten in their last three away, winning 2 and drawing 1.
- Both teams have won one each of the last two League Two head-to-heads.
All to play for as Salford host Grimsby in play-off semi-final
Salford City will be delighted to take a slender lead into this second-leg of their League Two play-off semi-final with Grimsby Town after edging their hosts 2-1 away just a day ago. Karl Robinson’s side, who finished 4th in the league table on 81 points from 46 games, have been rock solid all season and come into this game on the back of three wins and two draws, an unbeaten run that was enough to see them through to the play-offs.
With a win on Friday, they will advance to the play-off final, but it won’t be easy against a very useful Grimsby Town side. Robinson will need to get his team to avoid the kind of mistakes that could cost them in the second-leg. Since taking over in January 2024, Robinson has guided Salford to unbeaten form, often by making tactical changes and altering the shape to get his side back on track.
Artell, on the other hand, has instilled a tough, pressing game onto his players since he joined in November 2023. Grimsby, who will be making their first EFL play-off appearance since 2005-06, have been solid, energetic and exciting to watch under his tenure and his side will take no prisoners in this top-two clash. Town finished 7th on 78 points, narrowly missing out on an automatic promotion spot, but they have won three, drawn one and lost one of their last five, results that have earned them a play-off spot.
Two different styles clash in an exciting top-two showdown
This will be a tactical battle, with Robinson’s patient, possession-based approach looking to control the game at a tempo of his choosing, while Artell’s men are more direct and look to press and counter quickly. It should make for a fascinating game and we can’t wait for Friday.
The visitors are a dangerous team away from home and will cause problems in the wide areas and on set-pieces, having scored 33 goals in 23 away League Two games this season. But Salford are more than capable of matching this at the other end and with home advantage, we think they will get the better of this second-leg to earn promotion.
Goals in abundance as play-off jitters hit the sides
Jaze Kabia is Grimsby Town’s biggest threat, netting 18 goals in 46 League Two appearances this season and scoring four in his last five for the club. However, Luke Garbutt has been the creative spark in Salford’s side, assisting three of his team’s last six goals, with Adebola Oluwo their main scoring threat of late. Ryan Graydon tops the Ammies’ charts in League Two, netting 11 times in 46 games.
We think that both teams will be going at this game, as the odds are certainly in favour of goals at both ends of the field. The bookies are offering 22/25 for over 2.5 goals and 17/25 for BTTS - Yes, but with both sides in good goalscoring form and the stakes so high, we’re going for a Salford win and a continuation of their excellent away record from Thursday. Salford City’s odds are 119/100.
