Álvaro Hernández
Dailysports's expert
On May 26 at Wembley, the League Two play-off final will see Walsall take on Wimbledon. I’m offering a bet on goals, cards, and the winner for this high-stakes clash.
Walsall
The club was founded back in the late 19th century. They've never made it to the country's top division and have only briefly appeared in the second tier. Their last chance to reach the Championship slipped away at the end of the previous decade, and they plummeted to League Two, finishing just 11th last season.
This year, Matt Sadler’s men fought until the very end for automatic promotion. But by the narrowest of margins—just one point, 77 to Bradford’s 78—they missed out on third place. Still, after going on a 13-match unbeaten run since late February, it’s hard to expect much more. On the bright side, they managed to beat Chesterfield in both legs.
Wimbledon
The current club emerged as a fan movement after the previous, highly successful namesake—which once won the FA Cup—went bankrupt and was relocated by new owners to another area. In protest, a new team was formed, which ultimately climbed to League Two (and has played even higher before). Last season, they finished 10th with 65 points.
This campaign could have been derailed by an uncertain finish—there were more defeats than wins in the spring. But a 1-0 victory over Grimsby in the final round secured a fifth-place finish. Then, they replicated those narrow 1-0 wins twice more against Notts County in the playoffs.
Match facts
- Walsall are on a three-match winning streak
- On average, Walsall score 1.65 goals and concede 1.15 per game
- Wimbledon have won their last three matches, all by 1-0 scorelines
H2H
Wimbledon had won three consecutive head-to-head meetings. However, this season Walsall took four out of six possible points against them—a 1-1 draw and a 1-0 win.
Walsall vs Wimbledon prediction
Bookmakers expect a tight and not particularly entertaining game. But both sides fully understand the stakes—their fate for at least next season is on the line. My bet: over 2.0 goals (odds: 1.92).
