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Chesterfield will welcome Notts County to the SMH Group Stadium on Sunday for the first leg of their League Two playoff semi-final tie.
The hosts earned a sixth-placed finish with a strong end to the season, finishing with back-to-back victories, while their visitors fell two points short of automatic promotion and finished one spot better off, leaving both with the hopes of achieving promotion in the final at Wembley.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
Chesterfield vs Notts County key stats
- Chesterfield are unbeaten in their last eight League Two matches, winning six and drawing two.
- Chesterfield have won the last three H2Hs – scoring seven goals and conceding three.
- Notts County earned seven points from their final six games of the regular League Two season.
Chesterfield vs Notts County preview: Who can take a step towards Wembley?
Chesterfield vs Notts County — Tale of the Tape
| Chesterfield | vs | Notts County |
|---|---|---|
| 6th | Position | 5th |
| 79 | Points | 80 |
| 71 | Goals For | 74 |
| 56 | Goals Against | 52 |
| 14 | Clean Sheets | 13 |
| 7th | Home / Away Rank | 5th |
Chesterfield head into the League Two playoffs with momentum on their side, having sealed sixth spot in England's fourth tier with a strong end to the regular season.
In their second campaign after winning promotion from the National League, having fallen in the playoff semi-finals at the first attempt last time around, the Spireites have staked their claim to climb to League One by earning 79 points from their 46 games, winning 21 and losing nine of those with only the top three suffering fewer defeats.
Following a defeat in mid-March, Paul Cook's men enjoyed a strong final run to book their playoff place, winning six and drawing two of their final eight outings, having ended with consecutive victories to maintain their top-seven status, firstly seeing off Crewe Alexandra at home.
A crucial trip to Swindon Town then followed on the final day last weekend, and they got over the line with a 2-1 victory, having led through Lee Bonis and been pegged back on the stroke of half time before Dilan Markanday put them back ahead around the hour mark.
They now head into a second straight League Two playoff bid aiming to punch their ticket to Wembley starting with Sunday's home bill with a clean bill of health and Bonis in form with four goals to his name in the last four games.
Their visitors, meanwhile, find themselves in the playoffs and eventually just a point better off than their hosts, despite battling for automatic promotion throughout the term.
Notts County would eventually fall short of a top-three spot by just two points, with two of their 14 league defeats over the course of the season coming against Chesterfield, having lost 2-0 away on Boxing Day and 3-2 at home in mid-March.
That two-point deficit came down to a disappointing end to the season, as Martin Paterson's side managed just two wins and seven points from their final six games including harmful back-to-back defeats to Cambridge United and Barnet putting them all but out of contention.
A return to winning ways against Colchester United followed, before they met Bristol Rovers on the final day and played out a 1-1 draw having led through Nick Tsaroulla and been pegged back by Ellis Harrison's leveller.
Now aiming to put their late-season disappointment behind them and secure promotion through the League Two playoffs at the second attempt, having also fallen in the semi-finals last year, Notts County will hope to gain an edge at the weekend before returning home for the second leg.
Chesterfield vs Notts County form guide & betting tips
| Chesterfield | vs | Notts County |
|---|---|---|
DWDWW |
Form | WLLWD |
| 11 | Points | 7 |
| 4th | Form Table | 11th |
| 8 | Goals For | 6 |
| 4 | Goals Against | 4 |
DWDWW |
Form (All Comps) | WLLWD |
Whispers predicts: Chesterfield 2-1 Notts County
Chesterfield head into the first leg with momentum having won their last two games of the regular season to earn their playoff spot, while Notts County head to the SMH Group Stadium left disappointed after falling out of the top-three race in the run-in.
Seeking to make home advantage count ahead of the away second leg, we fancy Chesterfield to come out on top in the first leg, with a Chesterfield win priced up at 23/20.
Both Teams to Score has hit in 13 of Chesterfield's home League Two games this season and 12 of Notts County's away league matches, while the last H2H ended in a 3-2 Chesterfield win in March. Therefore, Both Teams to Score at 8/11 is our second tip.
Lee Bonis helped fire Chesterfield into the playoffs with three goals in the last two games, taking his tally to 13 for the season in League Two. He is priced at 7/5 to score anytime in the home leg.
> Chesterfield to win at 23/20 | Likelihood: Probable
> Both Teams to Score at 8/11 | Likelihood: Likely
> Lee Bonis to score anytime at 7/5 | Likelihood: Probable