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Grimsby Town and Salford City will kick off their battle for a spot in the League Two playoff final at Wembley on Saturday, when they square off at Blundell Park in the first leg of their semi-final tie.
The visitors finished one point short of automatic promotion after a goalless draw on the final day of the regular season, while their visitors earned a top-seven spot with an unbeaten end to the term.
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.
Grimsby Town vs Salford City key stats
- Only two teams have kept more clean sheets than Grimsby Town (17) in League Two this season.
- Grimsby Town won both H2Hs in League Two this term, most recently winning 3-1 at home in March.
- Grimsby have won seven of their last 10 League Two games.
- No team in League Two have picked up more away wins than Salford City (11) this season.
Grimsby Town vs Salford City preview: Salford to bounce back from final day disappointment?
Grimsby Town vs Salford City — Tale of the Tape
| Grimsby Town | vs | Salford City |
|---|---|---|
| 7th | Position | 4th |
| 78 | Points | 81 |
| 74 | Goals For | 61 |
| 50 | Goals Against | 51 |
| 17 | Clean Sheets | 15 |
| 6th | Home / Away Rank | 9th |
Grimsby Town head into the League Two playoffs in fine form aiming to make a return to England's third tier for the first time since 2004.
In their second full season under David Artell, they achieved a seventh-placed finish, having amassed 78 points from their 46 outings, winning 22 and only losing 12 of those.
The Mariners face an uphill battle to break into the top seven with four games remaining, but they made an impressive charge, recording consecutive victories over Gillingham, Cambridge United, and Swindon Town ahead of the final day.
That left a 1-1 draw away at Tranmere Rovers, thanks to Justin Amaluzor's opener, as more than enough to guarantee their playoff place, and they will now bid to record a third straight win over Salford City to strengthen their claim for a spot in the final, having beaten their opponents 2-0 away from home and 3-1 at Blundell Park in March.
With Evan Khouri, Doug Tharme, George McEachran and Tyrell Sellars-Fleming confined to the treatment room, they will now bid to make the most of home advantage ahead of next week's away leg.
Their visitors, meanwhile, head into the playoffs aiming to end a seven-year stay in League Two with a first-ever promotion to the third tier.
Salford City had their sights set on automatic promotion this term, but they would fall short by the barest of margins having finished on 81 points from 46 games with a league-high tally of 25 wins.
Following consecutive wins over Oldham Athletic and champions Bromley heading into the final day, they went into a trip to Crawley Town needing to better third-placed Cambridge United's result to finish in the top three, but despite Cambridge only drawing, Karl Robinson's side failed to snatch third spot, instead being held to a goalless stalemate.
Left disappointed by that outcome, but still heading into a first playoff campaign since 2023, Salford City will bid to bounce back and take a step towards Wembley with an away win at the weekend.
Grimsby Town vs. Salford City form guide & betting tips
| Grimsby Town | vs | Salford City |
|---|---|---|
LWWWD |
Form | LDWWD |
| 10 | Points | 8 |
| 5th | Form Table | 9th |
| 12 | Goals For | 4 |
| 5 | Goals Against | 2 |
LWWWD |
Form (All Comps) | LDWWD |
Whispers predicts: Grimsby Town 1-1 Salford City
Playoff ties are often tight and cagey encounters given the high stakes, particularly first legs like Sunday's, and seven of 10 League Two playoff games in the previous two seasons saw under 2.5 goals. That is our top tip at 17/20.
With the visitors keen to stay in the contest against an upbeat Grimsby team ahead of next week's home leg, we see a draw as good value at 23/10.
Grimsby Town star Jaze Kabia was afforded a rest in a substitute appearance on the final day, but he scored nine goals in the previous nine games to finish the regular season on 18 in League Two. He is priced at 8/5 to score anytime.
> Under 2.5 goals at 17/20 | Likelihood: Likely
> Draw at 23/10 | Likelihood: Possible
> Jaze Kabia to score anytime at 8/5 | Likelihood: Possible