Airdrieonians
- Airdrieonians are 1.61 favorites to win their Championship relegation-promotion play-off semi-final second leg against Alloa Athletic at Penny Cars Stadium, but the Wasps hold a 1-0 aggregate lead after Scott Taggart’s cool penalty winner secured a home victory last Saturday.
- The hosts will be desperate for Championship survival and look set to press from the start against an Alloa side that will look to sit deep and soak up pressure.
- In Euan Henderson, Aaron Taylor-Sinclair’s Airdrieonians have a focal point in attack who is good with the ball at his feet and has the pace to create and finish chances, but they lack the experience and quality at the back to suggest they can outgun the Wasps in this tense playoff matchup.
Alloa Athletic
- Alloa’s player-manager Andy Graham has built a pragmatic, disciplined unit capable of frustrating opponents and creating danger on the break.
- Calum Adamson’s pace and trickery have been a constant threat to the home team’s backline and he will need to be closely watched again here.
- Liam McFarlane has been the hero on numerous occasions for the Wasps this season, pulling off crucial saves when they needed them most and he certainly has the ability to frustrate the Airdrieonians players again here.
Head-to-Head
The last four competitive meetings between these sides in all competitions were all closely fought games with each side claiming narrow wins.
Key Players
- Scott Taggart’s cool penalty winner secured a home victory last Saturday.
- In Euan Henderson, Aaron Taylor-Sinclair’s Airdrieonians have a focal point in attack who is good with the ball at his feet and has the pace to create and finish chances.
- Calum Adamson’s pace and trickery have been a constant threat to the home team’s backline.
- Liam McFarlane has pulled off crucial saves for the Wasps this season and has the ability to frustrate Airdrieonians again.
- With Lewis Strapp’s red card appeal pending, the hosts may go into the game with the defender available, as his leadership and ability to marshall the defence will be crucial to their chances of chasing the game.
Betting Insights
- Airdrieonians are 1.61 favorites for the second leg at Penny Cars Stadium.
- The Wasps hold a 1-0 aggregate lead after Scott Taggart’s penalty in the first leg.
- The odds of 2.03 on under 2.5 goals and near-even odds for both teams not to score look a solid bet for the 90 minutes.
Prediction
Alloa’s gritty record of three defeats, a win and a crucial playoff victory from their last five suggests they can hold off Airdrieonians for long enough to take this to extra time.
