League One is the first of the three EFL divisions to get its playoffs underway with Barnsley hosting Bolton on Friday May 3 and Peterborough visiting Oxford the following day. Both games are expected to follow similar narrative to the sides’ previous meetings and should be bet on accordingly.
League One Play-Off 1st leg tips
Barnsley vs Bolton – Draw @ 12/5
Oxford to beat Peterborough @ 5/4
Bet on the latest football odds at Betzone
Evenly matched Tykes and Trotters to prove inseparable again at Oakwell
League One regular season bronze medallists Bolton and sixth-placed finishers Barnsley have already drawn twice this season, 1-1 in Yorkshire back in February and 2-2 in Lancashire a month later. The 12/5 about a third stalemate of 2023/24 between the two sides holds plenty of appeal.
The Tykes finished 2023/24 with only the 11th best home record in the division and enter the postseason under caretaker manager Martin Devaney having won just once in their last nine games.
Betzone make them 19/10 underdogs for victory, but 6/5 favourites Wanderers have won just two of their last 10 away matches and look a far from reliable win proposition at the prices.
Ian Evatt’s men have drawn four of their last six outings away from the Toughsheet Community Stadium and it’s easy to see them respecting the point at Oakwell. The Whites finished the regular season with the best home record in the third tier and will be confident of winning the return leg.
Tip: Barnsley vs Bolton – Draw @ 12/5
Oxford the bet with Brannagan back after missing recent Posh pummelling
Peterborough’s visit to Oxford represents an intriguing prospect after the sides traded home beatdowns in the regular season.
Posh swatted the U’s 3-0 at the Weston Homes Stadium in December before Des Buckingham’s men avenged that loss with a 5-0 battering of the East of England club at the Kassam Stadium.
The latter result came only four games ago and the 5/4 about another Oxford home win looks well worth taking. Posh had a full-strength side out on their recent visit but were given merry hell by their hosts with Josh Murphy in particular giving Darren Ferguson’s defence nightmares.
Concerningly for the visitors, who threw away a 4-1 first-leg lead to exit the play-offs at the semi-final stage last season, the U’s were without hugely influential midfielder Cameron Brannagan that day.
Former Liverpool trainee Brannagan, the team’s leading assister (nine) and second-highest scorer (12) will be back for this tie and that could prove decisive in deciding the outcome.
