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Salford City and Grimsby Town will conclude their League Two playoff semi-final battle on Friday, meeting in the second leg at the Peninsula Stadium with a spot in the final at Wembley on the line.
The hosts have a one-goal lead to defend, having won the away leg 2-1 last week, having only missed out on automatic promotion on the final day.
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.
Salford City vs. Grimsby Town key stats
- Only Cambridge United have won more League Two games at home than Salford City (14) this season.
- Salford City's tally of 61 goals in the regular League Two season is the second-fewest in the top half.
- Grimsby Town won both H2H meetings in the regular season, beating Salford 2-0 away and 3-0 at home.
- Grimsby Town scored 75 goals in the regular League Two season – the joint-second most in the division.
Salford City vs. Grimsby Town preview: Can Grimsby overturn tie at the Peninsula Stadium?
Salford City vs Grimsby Town — Tale of the Tape
| Salford City | vs | Grimsby Town |
|---|---|---|
| 4th | Position | 7th |
| 81 | Points | 78 |
| 61 | Goals For | 74 |
| 51 | Goals Against | 50 |
| 15 | Clean Sheets | 17 |
| 3rd | Home / Away Rank | 4th |
Salford City return to the Peninsula Stadium on Friday aiming to get over the line in their playoff semi-final tie and book their place at Wembley for next week's final.
Karl Robinson's side enjoyed a strong regular season in their bid to continue their climb to League One at the seventh time of asking in England's fourth tier, fighting for automatic promotion throughout and finishing on 81 points from their 46 outings, winning a league-high tally of 25 of those.
That came with some disappointment, though, as the Ammies had the chance to snatch third spot on the final day, only to be confined to the playoffs as they were held to a goalless draw by relegation-threatened Crawley Town, finishing a point short of the top three as a result.
A playoff tie with Grimsby Town was then set up, and Robinson's men travelled to the East coast for the first leg on Sunday, gaining a crucial edge in the contest with a 2-1 away victory, having fallen behind inside a minute and quickly drawn level through Kallum Cesay before Adebola Oluwo gave them the lead in the 39th minute.
Salford City now need a draw or better on the night with home advantage to punch their ticket to Wembley, but still face extensive injury issues with Michael Rose, Tom Edwards, Jay Bird, Zach Awe, Ossama Ashley, Kadeem Harris and star midfielder Jorge Grant all confined to the treatment room.
Their visitors, meanwhile, make the trip aiming to overturn the contest and book their own place in the final with what would be a third win over Salford this term.
Grimsby Town finished seventh in League Two in a regular season that included a 2-0 away win over Salford City in October and a 3-1 home victory in March, before snatching a playoff spot with an eye-catching end to the campaign.
In their final 10 matches between mid-March and the final day, David Artell's managed seven wins and 22 points, finishing with three straight victories and a 1-1 draw away at Tranmere Rovers, at which time their top-seven status was secured.
The Mariners enjoyed a dream start to Saturday's first leg, leading inside a minute through Reece Staunton, only to be trailing be the interval and at the end of the home contest, while still facing injury issues heading into the away leg with Doug Tharme, Cameron Gardner, George McEachran, Evan Khouri and Tyrell Sellars-Fleming still ruled out.
Now facing an uphill task needing to win away from home on the night to stand a chance of keeping their promotion hopes alive, Grimsby Town head to the Peninsula Stadium looking to repeat the performance from their last trip in October.
Salford City vs. Grimsby Town form guide & betting tips
| Salford City | vs | Grimsby Town |
|---|---|---|
DWWDW |
Form | WWWDL |
| 11 | Points | 10 |
| 4th | Form Table | 5th |
| 6 | Goals For | 12 |
| 2 | Goals Against | 5 |
DWWDW |
Form (All Comps) | WWWDL |
Whispers predicts: Salford City 2-2 Grimsby Town (Salford City win 4-3 on aggregate)
Grimsby Town boast one of League Two's strongest attacks and will have to chase the game at the Peninsula Stadium, likely leaving them vulnerable to counters from a Salford City side packed with quality. We fancy Both Teams to Score at 8/11.
Andy Cook may be Grimsby Town's focal point, but Jaze Kabia has been their main attacking threat for most of the season, notching up 18 league goals, and should Grimsby go all out to create chances, we back him to score anytime at 15/8.
Grimsby twice got the better of Salford in the regular season and headed into the playoffs as the form team, while if the tie remains close the hosts may focus on keeping their noses in front. We see Grimsby Town or Draw Double Chance at 4/6 as good value.
> Both Teams to Score at 8/11 | Likelihood: Probable
> Jaze Kabia to score anytime at 15/8 | Likelihood: Possible
> Grimsby Town or Draw at 4/6 | Likelihood: Likely