Seeley’s Selections – Brentford v Middlesbrough

The Premier League hasn’t finished yet, but the race to make the best league in the world starts on Friday night with the Championship play-off first leg between Brentford and Middlesbrough.

Play-off semi-final first legs are notoriously dull affairs and this one doesn’t fill me with too much confidence that things are going to change.

Brentford have surprised everybody this season and at the start of August, not many would have predicted that they would be in with a chance of making the promised land and I don’t think many would have predicted it at the start of last week.

Derby’s compete capitulation has seen the Bees handed this unlikely opportunity and many are being tempted in by the 17/10 available with BoyleSports. It’s remarkable to think that manager Mark Warburton has achieved all this knowing that he is going to be sacked at the end of the season and that is an incredible achievement by him and his players.

The Bees have been buzzing around the top half of the table all season and they’ve only lost once in their last nine matches. They will arrive in the biggest game of their history full of confidence and under no pressure to deliver.

The visitors though, well they will still be hurting that they didn’t make the Premier League through automatic promotion after their awful 4-3 defeat at Fulham a fortnight ago. Coach Aitor Karanka will have to lift his players for this one after they put in an abject performance in their final home game of the season in a goalless draw with Brighton.

Middlesbrough backers at the 9/5 with BoyleSports will take heart from their side doing the double over the Londoners this season and the more optimistic might take the 10/3 that the visitors win to nil, which they did on both occasions.

Nothing is ever won in the first legs of the play-off semi-finals, but lots are lost and this to me is expected to keep tradition and I really like the two to play out a cagey draw at 13/10

(the best price of the three outcomes and most likely) with BoyleSports.

In the last 10 first legs in Championship play-offs, four of the ten matches have been draws and in those ten matches, eight of them have seen under 2.5 goals. Under 2.5 goals in this one is short at 7/10 with BoyleSports, but certainly is a must for the weekend accumulators as is both teams not to score at 20/21.

I know you all want to see exciting and attractive football, don’t we all, but you NEVER do in first legs of play-off semi-finals and although it’s boring, who cares if we make money?

No goalscorer has been a winner in three of the last ten Championship semi-final first legs and at 8/1 with BoyleSports, that’s another way I will be looking to earn some cash on Friday night.

B Lucky!

Seeley’s Selections:
Draw @ 13/10
Under 2.5 Goals @ 7/10
Both Teams To Score – No @ 20/21
No Goalscorer @ 8/1

*Prices correct at time of publication