MY ACCOUNT
– Bradford City lost only one of their final 10 home league games
– Carlisle won only two of their last 11 matches in League Two
– Recommended bet: Bradford to win
Only goal difference separated Bradford City and Carlisle in the final League Two standings but their playoff semi-final first leg at Valley Parade could be one-way traffic, with the Bantams expected to utilise home advantage.
Both teams were held to a 1-1 draw on the final day of the campaign — Bradford shared the spoils at home to champions Leyton Orient while Carlisle snatched a point at Sutton — to confirm their place in the top seven.
Although neither side totally convinced at the business end of the campaign, Bradford are considered the biggest club in League Two and a strong following at Valley Parade should serve them well against the Cumbrians on Sunday evening.
Team news
Having missed much of the campaign with a double leg break, Bradford have tricky winger Emmanuel Osadebe back in contention and he has been working his way back to match sharpness.
Abobaker Eisa and Vadaine Oliver missed Bradford’s final game of the season against Leyton Orient and are doubtful, along with Harry Chapman and Luke Hendrie.
Carlisle defender Ben Barclay has had his loan extended from Stockport until the end of the playoffs but would be ineligible to face his parent club were they to meet in the final.
Attack-minded midfielder Jamie Devitt looks set to miss out, however.
The stats
Carlisle will be buoyed by the fact that they took four points from two meetings with Bradford in the regular season, winning 1-0 at Brunton Park in December before holding on to a 0-0 draw at Valley Parade in March.
However, the Cumbrians’ form tailed off at the end of the season and, having once looked on course for automatic promotion, they won only two of their final 11 league matches.
Carlisle won only one of their final six away league games and scored only twice in that period as the goals of leading marksman Kristian Dennis dried up.
Dennis top scored for Paul Simpson’s side with 20 goals in 44 league games, but the 33-year-old netted only three times in his final 17 appearances.
Carlisle and Bradford did have identical records in League Two this season with both teams collecting 76 points with 20 wins, 16 draws and 10 defeats.
The Bantams were pretty strong on home soil, though, losing only four of their 23 league games at their Yorkshire base.
Andy Cook was the star man for Mark Hughes’s side, finishing top of the League Two scoring charts with 28 goals in 46 appearances, netting 15 times in his final 20 appearances.
Under 2.5 goals clicked in eight of Carlisle’s final 10 away games and the nervy nature of the playoffs means another low-scoring rivalry between these two teams could be on the cards.
Prediction
With sell-out crowds expected, home advantage can be a vital asset in the playoffs and League Two heavyweights Bradford should be able to seize the initiative against Carlisle.
The Bantams may have won only one of their final five matches but that success did come at promoted Northampton, while they also held champions Leyton Orient to a draw on the final day.
Carlisle finished the season with a whimper, too, winning only two of their final 11 matches and they struggled to put their best foot forward as top scorer Dennis started to have less of an impact in front of goal.
This is likely to be a tight game, settled by fine margins, and in Andy Cook, their 28-goal striker, Bradford have a weapon capable of making all the difference.
Back Bradford to win at 6/5 with LiveScore Bet.
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