Oxford Utd v Wycombe: Sky Bet League One playoff final preview, free tip & TV

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for the Oxford United v Wycombe Wanderers in the Sky Bet League One playoff final.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Football, 7.30pm Monday

Best bet

Oxford United
1pt 11-10 Sky Bet

Team news

Oxford United
After starting their last match on the bench, Matty Taylor is expected to return to the starting lineup at Wembley.

Wycombe Wanderers
Gareth Ainsworth has a fully-fit squad to choose from.

Match preview

Battle-hardened Oxford United got the better of Portsmouth after an attritional 210-minute tie in the Sky Bet League One playoff semi-finals and they can use that experience to make a return to England’s second tier for the first time since 1999 at the expense of Wycombe Wanderers.

Oxford and Portsmouth were all square after two legs and it was Karl Robinson’s men who advanced to Wembley after a penalty shootout success but they were the better side in the second leg, winning the shot count 18-13.

It speaks volumes about the work Robinson has done that Oxford went toe-to-toe with a side many expected to gain automatic promotion at the start of the season.

And Oxford’s ability to raise their game on big occasions makes them an attractive betting prospect against Wycombe.

United have beaten automatically promoted Rotherham as well as Peterborough and Wycombe themselves during the regular season, while they also held champions Coventry and Portsmouth to draws.

With sharp-shooters Matty Taylor and James Henry netting 31 goals between them in all competitions this season, they have the players in the attacking third to cause damage and their goal difference of +24 this season marked them out as one of the best clubs in the division.

Wycombe have exceeded expectations this season and were outside the playoff spots when the season was postponed, only to rise up to third when the final standings were settled on a points-per-game basis.

They thoroughly deserved their place in the playoffs - they won the same number of league assignments as Oxford - but the Chairboys have wobbled since the turn of the year.

Of the nine matches Wycombe have lost in League One this season, five of them came between the start of 2020 and the end of February and defensive deficiencies have been at the heart of their inconsistencies.

That was evident again in their playoff semi-finals with Fleetwood in which they raced into a 4-1 lead after the first leg but trailed twice in their home fixture when Fleetwood were missing key players Paddy Madden and Lewie Coyle.

Gareth Ainsworth has done an excellent job at Wycombe but the fact they have won back-to-back games only once in the league since November suggests they are not the most reliable bet and their wait for a first season in England’s second tier could be set to continue.

Key stat

Of the eight matches Oxford played against sides in League One’s top seven, they lost only three.

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