English League Two
2013-05-05 - Burton Albion vs Bradford
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English League Two Play Off
Sunday 5 May 2013 - Kick Off 12pm
This game is live on TV
Burton Albion
It can be tough for those sides that end up in the Play Offs having missed an automatic promotion spot by a couple of points, but Burton Albion erased those issues with a stunning first half at Valley Parade on Thursday night. The side built a 1-3 lead at half time of the first leg of their Play Off Semi Final against Bradford and the 2-3 lead they take back home makes them the big favourites to be playing at Wembley with promotion to League One the prize.
Usually a one goal lead when away goals don't matter isn't enough to make a side the big favourites, but Burton Albion have been a fantastic home side all season. They have a 17-3-3 record at home in the League and they have scored 49 goals and conceded 29, while only one side has scored more goals than them in the League this season and only Northampton Town matched their 17 League wins at home for a high in the Division.
Momentum is a big thing going into the Play Offs and Burton cannot complain about what they have behind them at the moment. They have won 4 of their last 5 games, while their home form has been very strong all season. Burton have won 3 games in a row in the League and they have won 12 of their last 13 games at the Pirelli Stadium.
Bradford
Bradford didn't win a lot of games down the stretch, but they went on a long unbeaten run to extend their season and sneak into the Play Offs. After a magical run in the Capital One Cup that took them all the way to Wembley in February, it did look like Bradford had left things a little late to make a run for promotion. Now they have to overcome a 2-3 home loss to book their place back at the home of English football and that won't be easy.
The side finished 7th in the League Two table and ended the season with 7 points fewer than Burton Albion. Most of Bradford's positive results came at Valley Parade and they actually ended with a 6-10-7 record away from home, scoring 29 goals and conceding 31 in those away games.
Bradford have only won 1 of their last 5 games, but they had only lost 2 of their last 15 games before losing the first leg of this Play Off Semi Final on Thursday. They have a 1-4-1 record in their last 6 away games in the League and Bradford have only won 2 of their last 8 away from home.
Head to Head
These teams will be very familiar with one another having already played four times this season.
Both sides have won 2 and lost 2, including a 1-0 win for Burton Albion here.
Burton are unbeaten in their 4 previous home games against Bradford, winning 2 of those games.
Prediction
Burton Albion don't need to win this game to book their place at Wembley for the League Two Play Off Final, but their home record over the course of the season suggests they can do so in style.
They are facing a team that has won a little over 25% of their away games this season and I think there will eventually be spaces for the home side to exploit as Bradford become a little desperate to get back into the game.
At the odds, I think it is worth risking backing Burton to book their place at Wembley with a second win over Bradford in a matter of days.
The Pick :
Burton Albion 2-1 Bradford
