Football Betting: Tom Lee's Tips For EFL Play-Offs
At Gambling.com, we are always looking to expand the experts on The Panel, and the EFL is no different.
Tom Lee is a member of our team and will provide us with his thoughts on the Football League throughout the 2024/25 campaign.
So what does Tom have in store for this year's EFL play-offs?
He's checked out the best betting sites to come up with selections for the Championship, League One and League Two.
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Tom Lee's Panel Tips For EFL Play-Offs
- Tom Lee's Panel Tip 1: Sheffield United To Win Championship Play-Offs - 9/5 With SpreadEx
- Tom Lee's Panel Tip 2: Stockport To Win League One Play-Offs - 2/1 With Bet365
- Tom Lee's Panel Tip 3: AFC Wimbledon To Win League Two Play-Offs - 5/2 With Ladbrokes
Championship Play-Offs
For fans of the EFL, the annual play-off rollercoaster is upon us. It promises drama, tension and a fair amount of jeopardy for the 12 teams involved.
Psychology surely has to play a part: if you're Walsall, having blown what looked five months back to be an unassailable lead in League Two, is there anything left in the tank, bar a reluctant acceptance the game is up?
In the old fourth division, where not so long ago the Saddlers were top dogs, form team Chesterfield arrived late on to nick seventh spot and, with it, the chance to play League One football next season.
A league above, Wycombe were playing champagne football pre-Christmas, notably crushing Stockport 5-0 on November 5.
Fast-forward six months, and the Chairboys finished two places and three points behind them in the final table.
As for the Championship, I'd question how open it really is, given that Sheffield United began the season on minus two points. They shaped as if they might win the division, but fell away behind promoted Leeds United and Burnley.
Play-off semi-final opponents Bristol City have been solid, especially at home, but can you really see them playing Premier League football?
It would be a wonderful accomplishment for the city of Bristol, but the Blades should have too much over the course of two legs, especially as they've taken four points from their opponents this season.
Looking towards the other semi, I fancy Sunderland to beat Coventry over two legs, but come up short at Wembley when they tackle Chris Wilder's hungry-looking Sheffield United, who ended the season 14 points above them. The two have traded blows in 2024/25, both winning at home against the other.
Tom Lee's Panel Tip 1: Championship Play-Offs Winner: Sheffield United At 9/5 With SpreadEx
League One Play-Offs
Dropping down into League One, regular readers will know I was a huge admirer of Wycombe in the winter months. The Buckinghamshire outfit more than once pulled out late goals to seal a winning double.
However, the boss has long gone, Matt Bloomfield jumping ship for subsequently relegated Luton, and the form has gone too.
They might turn it around, but the bubble burst ages ago and I suspect they'll be staying in League One, facing a difficult play-off semi against a handy looking Charlton Athletic.
I'll let those two go, though, because two in-form sides, Leyton Orient and Stockport County, are in the other semi-final.
Orient gave notice of what they're capable of in the early rounds of the FA Cup, running Manchester City close at Brisbane Round, and finished the season in fine fettle, winning a string of games to finish sixth on 78 points.
They're dangerous, but not necessarily as dangerous as Dave Challinor's solid, scopey, physically imposing Stockport County.
They won away against Orient in February and have been excellent in recent weeks, churning out win after win, eventually finishing third on 87 points.
In many ways, their progress mirrors that of promoted Wrexham, the pair of them tracking one another up the divisions.
Tom Lee's Panel Tip 2: League One Play-Offs Winner: Stockport At 2/1 With Bet365
League Two Play-Offs
Last but by no means least, League Two looked an unsolvable puzzle for much of the season. Walsall, Port Vale, Doncaster, Wimbledon, and Bradford all looked like potential winners.
In the end, Doncaster Rovers were crowned champions, followed by Vale and Bradford. But who will follow them?
As highlighted above, it's hard to have confidence in Walsall, while Notts County have gone missing at a crucial stage, losing three of their last five.
I can see Chesterfield getting the better of Walsall in their semi-final but coming up short against a club with a great infrastructure and huge potential in the final, AFC Wimbledon, who will, in turn, take care of Notts County in their semi.
The Dons have done a lot right in 2024/25, and having finished fifth on a healthy 73 points, I like the look of them to scramble into League One.
Tom Lee's Panel Tip 3: AFC Wimbledon To Win League Two Play-Offs - 5/2 With Ladbrokes
