Walsall host Chesterfield on Friday evening at the Poundland Bescot Stadium in a crucial EFL League Two play-offs semi-final second leg.
The Saddlers approach this match with a two-goal lead following their victory over the Spireites at the SMH Group Stadium in the first leg.
EFL League Two Play-Off Semi-Final Preview – Walsall vs Chesterfield
Form Guide
Walsall finished fourth in League Two despite sitting at the top of the table for a large portion of the 2024/25 campaign.
Mat Sadler’s side have won their last two matches and have lost just one of their past five games.
However, the Sadlers are six games without a win at home. Remarkably, the last team they beat at the Poundland Bescot Stadium was Chesterfield themselves back on February 15.
The West Midlands side scored more goals than any other team in League Two this season. They found the back of the net 75 times, with their opponents not far behind on 73.
Chesterfield finished seventh in League Two and qualified for the play-offs on the final day of the regular league season.
Paul Cook’s side have lost only twice in their last 14 games. However, one of those defeats came against their opponents in the first leg.
The Derbyshire outfit have lost just one of their last six games away from home.
Team News
Irish defender Oisin McEntee will miss Friday evening’s match for Walsall due to an ankle injury.
The Spireites have opted not to carry out a pre-match press conference ahead of this game, so team news remains unclear.
Previous Meetings
These two sides last played each other in the first leg last weekend at the SMH Group Stadium.
Walsall beat Chesterfield 2-0 thanks to first-half goals from Taylor Allen and Alfie Chang in front of a crowd of 10,001.
Before that, Walsall also defeated the Spireites 3-1 in League Two at the Poundland Bescot Stadium in February.
Chesterfield held the lead at the interval thanks to an early Jamie Grimes goal. However, the hosts turned things around thanks to second-half goals from Jamille Matt, Ellis Harrison and Levi Amantchi.
The first meeting between the two clubs in League Two this season took place in October. This game at the SMH Group Stadium ended as a 2-2 draw.
Nathan Lowe scored a brace for the Saddlers, but Paul Cook’s team came from behind twice, thanks to strikes from Darren Oldaker and Dilan Markanday. This game was played in front of a crowd of 9,035.
Chesterfield have not beaten Walsall since August 2016.
Key Players
Alfie Chang will be a key Walsall player to look out for during Friday evening’s game.
Chang joined the Saddlers on loan from Birmingham City in early February but didn’t make his debut until a month later. The 22-year-old midfielder has made six appearances for Walsall so far this season and scored one goal in an impressive loan spell.
Chesterfield goalkeeper Ryan Boot will also be a key player to watch out for on Friday night.
If the Spireites are to advance to the League Two play-offs final, Cook will likely need another strong performance from the 30-year-old.
After playing second string to Harry Tyrer last season, Boot has stepped up to the plate and has been regularly selected ahead of Max Thompson in the 2024/25 campaign.
The former Solihull Moors goalkeeper has kept ten clean sheets in his 33 competitive games played so far this season.
Prediction
This has the ingredients of a classic EFL play-off match. Walsall are undoubtedly the favourites to reach the final. The Saddlers hold a 2-0 lead from the first leg and finished seven points clear of the Spireites at the end of the regular league campaign.
However, the favourites have endured a strange season. Mentality will play a key role in the outcome of this EFL play-off tie.
Mat Sadler’s side wilted under pressure when they were once comfortably clear at the top of the table.
There is certainly far more scrutiny on Walsall on Friday evening than there is on their opponents. The staff and players will categorically not want to be accused of ‘bottling’ promotion via the play-offs, as well as ‘bottling’ automatic promotion.
In a sense, the Spireites have nothing to lose, which Paul Cook and his players should thrive on.
They certainly have players who can change games in an instant through the likes of Armando Dobra and Will Grigg.
Chesterfield’s defence certainly has its vulnerable moments, though and that can be exploited.
With the Spireites needing to score at least two goals, there could prove to be spaces left open for Walsall’s attack to capitalise on.
This could well end up being a high-scoring game, and don’t be surprised if there is a dramatic stoppage-time goal which determines the tie.
Score Prediction: Walsall 2-3 Chesterfield (Walsall win 4-3 on aggregate)