Stats support Wednesday win

Best of the weekend play-off betting

The Championship play-off semi-final first legs go this weekend, and punters have a pulsating pair of matches ahead. Four sides, who have been battling to extend their season all year, arrive at the business end.

Keep a cool head and they could go to Wembley and play for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, choke and it’s another season spent kicking their heels in English football’s second-tier, where nothing is guaranteed.

Coral are betting on all this weekend’s major football fixtures, including the Championship play-offs. Click here to support your team, or build a big price accumulator.

Cottagers fancy another big win

Reading go to London and the challenge of Fulham knowing two things – they were a better side than their hosts over the course of the season, finishing three places higher in the rankings, and that it now counts for nothing.

The Cottagers have loved every minute of 2017 so far, pushing themselves up into the top-six, and have every chance of returning to the Premier League. They boast plenty of big game experience and wouldn’t be the first side finishing sixth to go up. Fulham were unbeaten in their last six, winning five, while Reading ended with four wins from five. We can’t read too much into that now, but what is worth jotting down is the fact the locals won 5-0 when last hosting Reading.

The Royals were impressive during the season, finishing third, and deservedly so, but they put in a couple of stinkers along the way, that 5-0 loss to Fulham back in December and the 7-1 mauling at the hands of Norwich amongst the worst of them. Take a chance on the home side to keep their cool and grab a first leg lead at 8/13. Punters with a bit more confidence can get on another Fulham win to nil at 2/1.