Football Bet of the Day: Goals expected as Posh set sights on Wembley

Our focus for our Football Bet of the Day on Wednesday May 8 comes from League 1 as Peterborough United host Oxford United in the play-offs. Having lost the first leg 1-0 away from home, now Posh return to London Road knowing they need a big turnaround if they are to avoid successive seasons losing at the semi-final stage. 

Below you can find out how I think this game is going to pan out, as League 1’s finest attack comes up against a sturdy defence. 

I’m backing League 1’s top scorers to come out firing, and demolish Oxford United. Peterborough scored a whopping 89 goals in the regular league season, more than any other side in the third tier, and I think they will be able to pen in, and batter an Oxford side who I’m expecting to set out defensively. 

Interestingly, Posh have scored 55 goals on home soil this term, which means 61% of their goals have come at London Road. It means even though they failed to find the net at the Kassam Stadium, I don’t think Darren Ferguson’s men will be too fazed by their one-goal deficit. 

They got beaten 5-0 in the regular  league season at Oxford, but beat them 3-0 at home and I can see something similar unfolding here. The reason why I am so confident in this selection is because Peterborough have so many threats. Unlike the past couple of years where stopping Jonson Clarke-Harris was the main aim, now their goals come from all over the pitch. 

Ephron Mason-Clark is currently their top scorer with 16 goals, and he will want to leave the club in style as he moves onto Coventry City in the summer. He will be desperate to help Posh up to the Championship before he departs, but he isn’t the only threat from out wide. Kwame Poku is likely to come into the team on the other wing and he has also scored 11 goals this season. 

Ricky-Jade Jones, Jonson Clarke-Harris and Joel Randall are also all in double figures, and the attacking threat doesn’t end there. Left-back Harrison Burrows has seven goals and 15 assists, while Hector Kyprianou has contributed eight goals from the centre of midfield. This is a Posh side stacked with goals all over the park, and given they need to score at least twice to progress, I think they won’t hold back at home.

I can see them scoring at least three, as they did against Oxford in the regular league fixture at home. Roared on by a sell-out crowd, and desperate to put things right after last season’s play-off heartache, I think we could see something quite special from the home side. They are 8/1 to score over 3.5 goals, but I think the value pick is them to score over 2.5 goals at 11/4.

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