Football Bet of the Day: Oldham can put York to work

There is a lot of football to enjoy on Tuesday evening, such as Manchester City v Bournemouth in the Premier League, as Pep Guardiola's men aim to respond from their FA Cup final defeat and take a step closer to securing Uefa Champions League football for next season.

Lower down the English football pyramid, the National League play-offs have reached the semi-final stage, with York City welcoming Oldham Athletic to the LNER Community Stadium (19:45). The Latics were comfortable 4-0 victors over Halifax Town in the last round and they could cause problems for the hosts. This is the game for my Football Bet of the Day, which you can check out below.

It's widely known that the National League is a very difficult division to get out of and teams that are relegated from the Football League aren't always guaranteed to bounce back at the first attempt.

Oldham know this firsthand, having just spent the past two seasons in the fifth tier. Wrexham have been one of the biggest success stories from this level in recent years, having just secured a third consecutive promotion which will see them compete in the Championship next season.

The investment from their Hollywood owners Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds has been a huge catalyst for the club's rebirth, but it still took them two years to escape from the National League - highlighting just how difficult it is to achieve promotion.

Football Odds

It's a gruelling division with just two promotion spots up for grabs. As they finished second, York were thrown straight into the play-off semi-finals, while Oldham had to enter at the quarter-finals stage.

It didn't faze them as they cruised past Halifax in a 4-0 drubbing at Boundary Park last Wednesday, which should give them a huge boost ahead of their trip to Yorkshire.

The hosts have had two weeks to prepare for this match, even if they only knew who their opponents were going to be in the past week. Adam Hinshelwood's players are expected to be well-rested, which could give them an upper hand against Oldham - but the Latics have match fitness on their side after Wednesday's emphatic display, which could be their own advantage.

For Tuesday's Football Bet of the Day, I've gone with one of the double chance markets (York or draw) with the added bonus of both teams to score. The Minstermen boasted the second-best home record in the National League in 2024/25, with 52 points from a possible 69 collected.

Hinshelwood's side won 16 of their 23 matches here, and only three teams were able to leave YO32 with three points (Boston United, Sutton United and Altrincham).

There were four occasions when York were held to a draw in their own backyard, too, one of them coming against Tuesday's opponents. Oldham came here just over four weeks ago and fought from a goal down to earn a 1-1 draw at the LNER Community Stadium.

However, their away form towards the end of the season was a concern. They are winless on the road in their last seven attempts, losing three of the last four. This is not ideal when heading to the team who have been incredibly strong at home this campaign.

York City vs Oldham Athletic Odds

As the home side, the onus will be on York to take control of this tie and given Oldham's recent troubles on the road - as well as the fact that the Minstermen have won three of their previous four fixtures here - you'd have to fancy them booking their place in the final.

That being said, Oldham delivered a strong performance against Halifax and despite it being at home and against lesser opposition than they are up against on Tuesday, the Latics will be fired up for this contest and they can make life difficult for York, who they held to a point here only a month ago.

It's for this reason, as well as the cliche that form goes out the window when it comes to play-offs, that I believe the added insurance of a draw in regulation time could be a smart move.

Both teams were on the scoresheet in April's stalemate here, while BTTS has been a winning selection in five of York's last seven home games. There have also been goals at both ends in three of Oldham's past five away trips heading into this clash.