Sports Blog 16/05/2016: Championship Preview – Play-Off Semi-Final 2nd Legs, Monday 16th & Tuesday 17th May 2016

Can Brighton and Derby overcome their hefty deficits or are Sheffield Wednesday and Hull a lock for the Championship play-off final?

Having come to close to automatic promotion it looks like Brighton’s Premier League dreams are about to slip through their fingers. Friday’s semi-final 1st leg couldn’t have gone any worse for the Seagulls. Not only did goals from Ross Wallace and Kieran Lee give Sheffield Wednesday heading in to the 2nd leg, injuries to top scorer Tomer Hemed, Connor Goldson, Steve Sidwell and Anthony Knockaert left them playing with 10 men for the final 30 minutes of the game.



Add onto that the already crocked Bobby Zamora, and the still suspended Dale Stephens (following his final day dismissal), Chris Hughton will have to work with a dangerously depleted squad at the worst time imaginable. The absence of Hemed, scorer of 17 goals for Brighton will be especially painful, leaving Jamie Murphy and James Wilson, with 11 goals between them and Super Mega PGMs of 14-18 and 22-27, to pick up the slack going forwards.

From Wednesday’s perspective things couldn’t have gone any better. Finishing 15 points behind their semi-final opponents in the league Carlos Carvalhal’s side were arguably the underdogs not only of the tie by of the play-offs in general. Yet they go to the Falmer Stadium in a position of power, and will fancy their chances of holding onto their 2-0 lead on Monday night. Our Spreadex traders, on the other hand, aren’t so sure, offering a Brighton/Sheffield Wednesday Goal Supremacy spread of 0.2-0.4 with a Total Goals spread of 2.4-2.6.

Things appear to be slightly more cut and dry in the other semi-final. It was yet another Abel Hernandez-lead victory for Hull, the young Uruguayan’s 23rd of the season followed by an own goal from Jason Shackwell and a 98th minute strike from Andrew Robertson. That comprehensive 3-0 victory undeniably puts the Tigers in the driving seat, and leaves them as favourites to bounce back into the Premier League at a Championship Play-Off Index spread of 17-18.5 (where the winner gets 25 points and the runner-up 10).



The fact that Derby are the only side to have between Hull at home in the Championship this season gives Darren Wassall’s side the slenderest chance of reaching Wembley in a fortnight’s time. Yet the tone of Saturday’s defeat didn’t inspire much confidence, leaving Steve Bruce’s side with one foot in the final at a Hull/Derby Goal Supremacy spread of 0.3-0.5 with a Total Goals spread of 2.3-2.5.

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