Promotion final at Wembley: Is League One beckoning for Wimbledon?
With Doncaster Rovers, Port Vale, and Bradford City, three teams have already secured promotion to League One via the regular league competition. The last promotion spot will now be decided in the playoffs. The final will take place on Monday at Wembley, where AFC Wimbledon and Walsall will face each other. As our AFC Wimbledon vs. Walsall tip shows, we are leaning towards promotion for the fifth-placed team in the main round.
In the last five direct encounters, the Dons have only lost once against Walsall. That defeat came in the first half of the current league season. Despite home advantage, AFC Wimbledon lost the league match against Walsall FC 0-1. In the return fixture, however, the two clubs played out a draw.
Nevertheless, it is by no means unreasonable to predict a win for the Dons this time around in AFC Wimbledon vs. Walsall. The main reason for this is the defensive bulwark of the fifth-placed team in the main round. With only 35 goals conceded in 46 matchdays, AFC Wimbledon had the best defense in the regular season of League Two.
AFC Wimbledon – Statistics & current form
AFC Wimbledon easily made it through the semi-final against Notts County FC. After a narrow away win (1-0), head coach Johnnie Jackson’s team also won narrowly at home, securing their place in the promotion playoffs with a 2-0 aggregate score.
The fifth-placed team in the main round has now gone three league games in a row without conceding a goal, once again underlining its defensive qualities. An offensive spectacle is also virtually out of the question in the promotion final against Walsall FC. Rather, the question is whether the three-goal mark will be broken at all.
In AFC Wimbledon’s last eight league games, bets on under 2.5 goals in the game have always paid off. It is quite possible that this trend will continue in Monday’s game. AFC Wimbledon last played in League One in the 2021/22 season. Since then, they have spent three seasons in League Two, including two years without qualifying for the promotion playoffs.
Will they succeed in returning to League One?
Considering how strong AFC Wimbledon performed in the playoffs, the fifth-placed team in the main round is certainly capable of achieving promotion to League One. The two finalists met in the league just under two months ago. The match at Walsall FC’s stadium ended in a draw.
If you want to place a bet on the Dons in the final between AFC Wimbledon and Walsall, you can use VBET sports betting. New customers also benefit from the VBET welcome bonus, which can also be used for the match between Wimbledon and Walsall. If the Dons are successful, betting odds in the 2.60 range are currently available.
Head coach Johnnie Jackson has no serious personnel concerns ahead of the promotion final and is expected to field the same starting eleven that won the second leg against Notts County in the playoff semi-final. With 16 goals this season, Matty Stevens is the Dons’ top scorer and is also a likely candidate to score against Walsall.
Predicted AFC Wimbledon starting line-up:
Goodman – Johnson, Lewis, Harbottle – Tilley, Smith, Hippolyte, Reeves, Neufville – Stevens, Browne
Walsall – Statistics & current form
Walsall rolled over FC Chesterfield in the semi-finals. Like AFC Wimbledon, Walsall FC also set the course for the final in the first leg away from home. The Saddlers celebrated a 2-0 win in the away game against Chesterfield. In the second leg, head coach Mat Sadler’s team didn’t let anything slip and won 2-1.
After six seasons in League Two, Walsall now has the chance to be promoted to League One. In the regular season, the Saddlers picked up a total of 77 points in 46 league games, narrowly missing out on direct promotion. Only a single point separated Walsall FC from Bradford City in the final table.
They now have another chance via the playoffs. Walsall remained unbeaten twice against their final opponents AFC Wimbledon this season. However, the Saddlers only scored two goals in those two games against the fifth-placed team in the regular season. It is quite possible that Walsall’s offense will struggle again.
Walsall had the best offense in the main round
With 75 goals in 46 league games, Walsall had the best offense in the regular season. The final of the promotion playoffs will now see the strongest defense and the strongest offense of the main round go head to head. If you want to place a bet on the visitors in AFC Wimbledon vs. Walsall, you can get some of the best odds at AdmiralBet and also take advantage of the AdmiralBet free bet as a new customer.
Head coach Mat Sadler has no major personnel concerns ahead of the playoff final and will be able to pick from a full squad at Wembley. No major changes are expected in the Saddlers’ starting eleven from the last game.
Nathan Lowe was the player with the most points this season, scoring 15 goals and providing five assists. However, the youngster moved to Sunderland during the winter break. Since then, Jamille Matt has been the lone striker in a 3-4-2-1 formation. The veteran has scored twelve goals in his appearances so far this season.
Predicted Walsall starting line-up:
Simkin – Okagbue, Williams, Allen – Asiimwe, Chang, Stirk, Gordon – Hall, Jellis – Matt
AFC Wimbledon – Walsall Head-to-head record
After the last twelve meetings between the two clubs, AFC Wimbledon leads the head-to-head record with a record of 6-1-5. However, Walsall has remained unbeaten in both of this season’s matches against AFC Wimbledon. In the first half of the season, Walsall won 1-0 against the Dons. The second half of the season ended in a draw.
AFC Wimbledon – Walsall Tip
AFC Wimbledon had the strongest defense in League Two. Walsall FC, on the other hand, had the best offense in the main round. Both clubs made it through the semifinals without any problems. The Dons prevailed with a 2-0 aggregate score against Notts County FC. The Saddlers, on the other hand, celebrated a 4-1 aggregate score against Chesterfield FC.
Now the promotion final at Wembley is coming up. According to the bookmakers, AFC Wimbledon is the slight favorite in this match, mainly due to the Dons’ strong defensive wall. Walsall struggled in both legs of the regular season, scoring only one goal in each game.
We also expect a low-scoring encounter in the promotion final. Our AFC Wimbledon vs. Walsall tip is for a draw in the first half at odds of 1.89. Alternatively, betting fans can also venture a bet on “DNB 1” to cover themselves in the event of a draw in regular time.