Promotion to League One is the prize as Carlisle United square off against Stockport County in the League Two playoff final. Stockport are playing slightly better than their rivals lately and having avoided defeat in this fixture during the regular season, should have the edge.
Carlisle United needed extra-time before seeing off Bradford City in the playoff semi-finals. Having lost the first leg 1-0, they bounced back in the second meeting to claim a 3-1 victory with Callum Guy and Ben Barclay among the goals.
The Blues may be in the playoffs final but their recent form has not been overly convincing. The semi-final result ended a run three matches without a win while they have also been victorious just three times in their last 13 matches across all competitions.
Carlisle United’s recent erratic showings could be attributed to a shaky defence as they have struggled to maintain their discipline the back lately. Paul Simpson's men have kept just one clean sheet in their last six matches, conceding eight goals in that run.
Stockport County were also taken to extra-time and ultimately penalties before seeing off Salford City in their own semi-final clash. They bounced back from a 1-0 defeat in the first leg to claim a 2-1 victory in the second meeting before coming out on top in the shootout.
The Hatters have fared slightly better than their rivals in recent weeks with just one defeat in their last 15 matches across all competitions. While there have been a few draws in that run, they head into Sunday’s clash with three wins from the last five matches.
One similarity between Carlisle United and Stockport County is that David Challinor’s men have also struggled to keep things tight at the back lately. They are without a clean sheet in their last three matches.
How the bookies view it
Stockport County have the edge among the bookies and are priced at 6/4 by Betfred to claim the win. A victory for Carlisle United is valued at 11/5 by Paddy Power while a draw is set at odds of 12/5 by bet365.
Head to head
Stockport County have a 6-2 advantage with three draws from 11 previous matches with Carlisle United. The Hatters were also unbeaten against their rivals this season, picking up a 2-0 victory at home before plating put a 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture in April.
Players to watch
Kristian Dennis was the leading scorer for Carlisle United during the regular season with 20 goals but looked off colour in the semi-final. The forward will be keen to rediscover his scoring touch and is priced at 9/4 by Coral to find the net on Sunday.
Stockport County have multiple attacking threats bit Kyle Wootton often leads the line and was the top scorer during the regular season with 14 goals. The forward was also on target in the first meeting with Carlisle United this season and is priced at 11/4 by William Hill to find the net on Sunday.
Anything else catch the eye?
There were over 3.5 goals in the last meeting between Carlisle United and Stockport County and a repeat is priced at 4/1 by bet365. Over 2.5 goals could also be considered at 7/5 by Coral while both teams could be backed to score at 11/10 with bet365.
Stockport County opened the scoring in the two regular season meetings with Carlisle and can be tipped to grab the first goal on Sunday at 20/21 with BoyleSports.
This English League Two match between Carlisle United and Stockport County will be played on May 28, 2023 and kick off at 13:30. Check below for our tipsters best Carlisle United vs Stockport County prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
