The Best Remaining Battles of the English Football Season
A review of the remaining games of interest as the season draws to an end.
The results over Easter have all but assured that Port Value will have no fears of relegation this season, with bookmakers putting them at 66/1 to go down. The team now finds itself in a kind of limbo for the remainder of the season, with the main concern being the club’s financial health rather than results on the pitch.
Up and down the leagues, there is a sense that most of the big issues have been sorted, with the likes of Man City having looked assured of the Premier League title since December. However, there are some good battles for neutrals to check out if you can’t stomach watching Vale limping to the finish line. Some of the best are described below:
Premier League relegation: Who will Join West Brom?
As mentioned, Man City have sauntered to the title and the Top 4 is more or less sorted after Tottenham defeated Chelsea last week, but the most intriguing race is the one to avoid the drop. With seven games to go, anyone from 12th placed Newcastle (35 points) could still go down. It has been that way all season, making it one of the most open relegation fights in years. However, the most interesting candidate may be West Ham, who have been given odds of 10/1 by Bet365 to be relegated. They have a horrible run-in, featuring games against United, City, Arsenal and Chelsea and could well be the value bet to go down. You can find out more about Bet365’s odds and details of free bets for the Bet365 app at sportsbets4free.co.uk/android-betting-apps/bet365-android-app
Championship Playoffs: Eight Clubs in the Mix
Like Manchester City, Wolves have been champions elect in the Championship all season. Cardiff look certain to join them in automatic promotion, but it is the Playoffs that look the most exciting. Fulham (9/4) and Aston Villa (3/1) are the favourites to win, but you should keep an eye on Millwall (22/1). They have been by far and away the form team of the Championship over the past few months, losing just once since Christmas.
League One: Three-way Tussle at the Top
Third-placed Wigan’s FA Cup heroics mean that they have a few games in over Blackburn and Shrewsbury, but the Latics seem to be in the driving seat when it comes to winning League One. They have been given odds of 4/6 to win League One, with Blackburn (currently top by two points, one game more played) given odds of 13/8. Shrewsbury might be the value pick however, odds of 20/1 are available for a team just one point behind Blackburn. The Shrews have been unfancied all season but have kept in the race with just a handful of games to go.
League Two: Chesterfield’s Great Escape
Port Vale’s win over Chesterfield on Good Friday basically ensured safety for Neil Aspin and the boys, but it left Chesterfield in a precarious position. They are four points from safety but have three games in hand over 22nd placed Grimsby. This piece is being written before the pair clash on 7th April – will the winner ensure their place in League 2 next season?