The Sky Bet EFL play-offs end with Coventry's meeting with Exeter at Wembley and Tom Carnduff is backing the Grecians for success.
Coventry v Exeter recommended bets
2pts Exeter to win in 90 minutes at 23/10
2pts Jayden Stockley to score a header at 5/1
For details of advised bookmakers and each-way terms, visit our transparent tipping record
Coventry City v Exeter City (Sky Bet League Two play-off final, Sky Sports Main Event, 1500 BST)
The Sky Bet EFL play-offs weekend comes to an end on Monday with Coventry and Exeter meeting at the national stadium.
Coventry find themselves as the 4/5 favourites for promotion with the EFL's title sponsor, whilst Exeter are the narrow 6/5 outsiders.
That said, the 23/10 price available on Exeter to win this match in 90 minutes looks appealing and is worth a bet.
Little separates these two sides in the away standings, but Exeter were a side who narrowly missed out on automatic promotion and beat the fancied Lincoln in their semi-final to reach this stage.
Add in the fact that they do have recent experience, losing the final last year, and they seem a little overpriced.
Jayden Stockley has enjoyed a terrific season up front for the Grecians having scored 23 goals in all competitions and I like the look of the 15/8 available on Stockley to strike at anytime on Monday afternoon.
He's managed to score 53 per cent of his goals on the road this season and that stacks up nicely with Exeter as a whole, a side who travel well.
Opta facts
- Exeter are just the second team to reach the fourth-tier play-off final in consecutive seasons after Blackpool, who did so in 1990-91 and 1991-92 – the Seasiders won promotion at the second attempt.
- Coventry are looking to become the first fourth-tier team to win the play-off final after finishing sixth in the regular season since Stevenage in 2011 – each of the last three teams that finished sixth and made the final have lost.
- The Grecians have played three previous matches at Wembley, all play-off finals – twice in the Conference (lost in 2007 to Morecambe, won in 2008 against Cambridge) and last season against Blackpool, when they lost 2-1.
- Coventry have won two of their last three meetings with Exeter in all competitions, however they did lose the most recent game back in January (0-1 at St. James Park).
- This will be the second time Mark Robins has taken charge of Coventry at Wembley, having won the FL Trophy against Oxford there last April (2-1).
- In eight of the last nine League Two play-off finals, the team scoring first has gone on to win promotion – the exception was in 2015, when Wycombe took the lead in extra-time against Southend but lost on penalties.
- Only one of the last 12 play-off finals in League Two have gone to extra time (Southend v Wycombe in 2014-15), dating back to the 2005/06 campaign.
- Jayden Stockley has scored eight goals in his last 10 matches for Exeter in all competitions.
- Ryan Harley – who scored Exeter’s third in their 3-1 win over Lincoln in the semi-final second leg – netted the winner the last time these two teams met (1-0 in January).
- Marc McNulty has been directly involved in 18 goals in his last 15 league appearances for the Sky Blues (12 goals, six assists), including two goals and an assist in this season’s play-offs already.
With that in mind, it's worth backing Stockley to strike as he is a man that Paul Tisdale will be looking towards to be the difference between the two sides.
Eight of Stockley's goals this season have come via his head and 5/1 for another makes plenty of appeal.
Coventry have an in-form striker of their own, which is why it's not surprise to see Marc McNulty around the even-money mark to strike in this one.
He joins Accrington's Billy Kee as the league's top scorer this season with 25, two of which coming in the semi-final aggregate victory over Notts County.
McNulty hasn't been consistent in terms of the anytime scorer market, failing to find the net in seven of the final 10 games of the campaign, but when he does it's often more than one - indeed he scored eight in the other three.
Whilst McNulty grabs the headlines, Maxime Biamou has been doing well for the Sky Blues on the goal-scoring front in recent weeks. Biamou has five goals in his last ten appearances and is tempting at 13/5 to keep up that form.
It should be an entertaining encounter, with both sides capable of finding the net, but Exeter are preferred at the prices with Stockley the man to fire them to League One.
Score prediction: Coventry 1-2 Exeter (Sky Bet odds: 11/1)
Best bet: Exeter City to win in 90 minutes at 23/10
Alternative bet: Jayden Stockley to score a header at 5/1
Follow Sporting Life on social media - find us on Facebook here or tweet @SportingLife
Posted at 1650 BST on 25/05/18
