Championship betting tips: Advantage Forest but close encounter expected with Blades
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Championship betting tips and odds
The second legs of the Championship play-off semi-finals take place on Monday and Tuesday, with all four clubs still in with a chance of making it to Wembley.
Huddersfield and Luton shared a 1-1 draw on Friday night when both teams had penalty appeals turned down, and a day later Sander Bergeโs header gave Sheffield United hope in a 2-1 home defeat by Nottingham Forest, the 8/11 favourites for promotion to the Premier League.
We kick off our Championship betting tips in West Yorkshire where Huddersfield are 6/5 favourites to beat the Hatters inside 90 minutes.
Huddersfield v Luton (Mon, 19.45, Sky Sports)
Our 9.8/1 double on a draw (2/1) at Kenilworth Road and Forest beating the Blades (13/5) came good in the last few days and hopefully weโll have more success with the return legs.
These teams have met three times this season and Luton have yet to win, drawing twice and losing the away fixture in the Championship, so it is unsurprising they are the 5/2 underdogs to win at the John Smithโs Stadium.
Another draw is priced at 2/1, the same odds as the first leg, and that outcome is certainly possible after an evenly-contested match on Friday night.
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐.#htafc | #TerrierSpirit pic.twitter.com/l0v2r6YCCe
โ Huddersfield Town (@htafc) May 16, 2022
All three matches involved three goals or fewer and that option is available at 8/15, while another 1-1 draw is 19/4.
Luton boss Nathan Jones said: โFirst half we were excellent, we should have got more from the half, but thatโs the way it goes, and itโs a wonderful tie to go away at Huddersfield now.
โThey were probably better in the second half without getting the chances, controlled possession in the middle of the field and we struggled to deal with that.โ
Together, until the end. ๐#COYH pic.twitter.com/9WDu9LxuSQ
โ Luton Town FC (@LutonTown) May 15, 2022
Terriers manager Carlos Corberan agreed with his counterpart and felt his side were much better for a tactical switch after the break, one he may utilise tonight.
He said: โI thought the draw was the fair result. Luton were a little better than us in the first half, but I thought the team was excellent in the second half.
โDuane Holmes played wide on the pitch during the first half, so we switched his position to a more central one. I thought we controlled the ball in the second half, which is exactly what we wanted to do. The second half makes me feel like this was a positive performance.โ
Huddersfield won 2-0 when Luton were the visitors last month and a similar outcome looks on the cards, so weโll go with the hosts to win at 6/5 or for bigger odds a victory and under 3.5 goals at 33/20 could pay dividends.
Nottingham Forest v Sheffield United (Tue, 19.45, Sky Sports)
Goals from Jack Colback and Brennan Johnson, a player we advised to score at 13/5, put Forest in the driving seat to advance to the play-off final and they are 6/5 to do so.
Berge nodded into an empty net in stoppage time to give the Blades hope, but Forest deserved their win and should have scored more goals in the first half when Sam Surridge and Johnson were both denied by Wes Foderingham.
Their attacks dried up after the break, though, but manager Steve Cooper was still happy with his sideโs performance.
๐ฃ "We love playing at The City Ground, and when the games have something on them like this one, we're even more excited.
"The spirit is really high and the training ground has been excellent."
๐ณ๐ด #NFFC
โ Nottingham Forest FC (@NFFC) May 15, 2022
He said: โWe could have kept a clean sheet, we could have had more goals but this is football, this is the play-offs. I loved our first-half performance, we were dominant and I am really impressed and have been with our mentality and approach to the game. Weโve created more chances than the one goal.โ
United boss Paul Heckingbottom admitted his players struggled to break down Forest, but that is the third successive match this season that both teams have scored, which is available at 20/23.
Both league fixtures ended in 1-1 draws and another even 90 minutes looks the way to go at 21/10 as the next of our Championship betting tips.
"Changed the whole complexion. The whole feeling. It'll be a totally different game away from home."
Paul Heckingbottom's Forest reaction. pic.twitter.com/4raGgQ1GbC
โ Sheffield United (@SheffieldUnited) May 14, 2022
Those looking at bigger odds can back a draw and goals at both ends at 13/4, while another 1-1 scoreline is 24/5.
All odds and markets correct as of date of publication
