Football Bet of the Day: Dale to bounce back from final day heartbreak

After the most dramatic final day in the National League, Rochdale will have to go again as they host Scunthorpe United (15:00 BST, DAZN) in their one-legged play-off semi-final on Sunday. 

Below you will find my Football Bet of the Day for Sunday, May 3, which comes from the fifth tier. 

Rochdale vs Scunthorpe Odds

How can you come back from a setback like the one Rochdale suffered on the final day? Emmanuel Dieseruvwe thought he had scored the goal to take them to the Football League, as he found the net in the 95th minute against York - and the fan clearly felt the same as they invaded the pitch.

Those celebrations were wild, but York managed to keep their composure, as they forced the ball over the line in the 113th minute to secure top spot and the sole automatic promotion spot. 

Dale manager Jimmy McNulty will have been gutted by the way his team let promotion slip through their fingers, but his job this week has to be to motivate his side for these play-offs. 

It’s a big ask given how close they came, and emotions will play a big part, but statistically they should be able to get promoted through these play-offs. 

A home tie against Scunthorpe stands between them and the final, and they have the best home record in the league. 56 points from 23 home games, 18 wins in that time and just 20 goals conceded. Scunthorpe finished fifth on 82 points, and then beat Southend United 1-0 in their play-off eliminator thanks to top scorer Callum Roberts, but their end to the regular season was poor with just one win in five. 

The last meeting between these two ended 2-2 so I think there will be goals once again, but I have to back the home side to win given what they have produced this season. Rochdale will hope that Dieseruvwe, who has a combined 31 goals and assists this season, will score again, while Devante Rodney has provided his team with nine assists this season.

All in all, I think Rochdale will win this game. They are the better team on paper, and we can boost our odds by adding over 2.5 goals for this crucial play-off semi-final. 

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