Championship Playoff football betting - Cardiff vs Leicester

Cardiff City`s 1-0 win at Leicester on Sunday put them right where they wanted to be going into the second leg of their playoff semi-final tie. The stakes are about as high as they can get as the club battles a winding up order as a result of their unpaid debts, with City owing £1.9 million. There is no more lucrative match in the world than the playoff final and success tonight would be one more step towards a solution to the hosts` problems. However, Leicester are not without incentive themselves, and the Foxes will surely believe the task they face is far from impossible with a deficit of only one goal.

The hosts are favourites for the game at 11/10 (bet £10 to win £11 profit), leaving Leicester as underdogs at 14/5, with the draw at 13/5 with Stan James. Cardiff`s win in the first leg of this tie ended a run of five straight wins for Leicester and was only the Bluebirds` third in six matches. The team from South Wales have, however, been very good at home this season, winning twelve of their twenty-three games in front of their own fans.

The game is expected to be close and will be very hard-fought, with the bookmakers making a 1-1 draw the favourite score at 6/1, followed by 1-0 to Cardiff at 7/1 with Stan James, with 2-0 at 9/1 and an emphatic 3-0 at 22/1. Last time the sides met in South Wales the hosts came out 2-1 winners and a repeat of that scoreline today is 17/2, with a surprise 1-0 win for Leicester available at the same price.

Despite missing several chances to open the scoring in the first leg, Michael Chopra has been made favourite to do so today, with the bookmakers offering 5/1 on the former Newcastle and Sunderland striker. He is followed by Jay Bothroyd, who was troublesome at the Walkers Stadium, at 7/1 with Extrabet, who are also best price, also at 7/1, on Peter Wittingham, who did the honours on Sunday. Leicester`s Matty Fryatt is seen as their biggest threat to the Cardiff goal and he is generally available at the same price.

Tactics are all-important in two-legged ties and Cardiff manager Dave Jones will be pondering whether to start at a high tempo and further their advantage or tighten up and protect what they have. His side are 5/2 to lead tonight at both half-time and full-time and 4/1 to win after drawing at half-time. A draw, of course, sends the home side to Wembley and the bookmakers offer 5/1 that both halves end with the scores level. Leicester/Leicester is 6/1 and draw/Leicester is slightly longer at 15/2.

Cardiff are now favourites at 5/4 to win the playoffs this season and earn a place in the Premier League. However, there is a lot of football still to play. Leicester are in a difficult spot but at 15/2 for promotion they are not out it by a long shot.

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