Championship play-offs betting tips: Luton Town vs Sunderland

Both sides are still in with a chance of reaching the Championship play-off final at Wembley, with both Luton and Sunderland having reasons to feel confident.

Sunderland +0.25 Asian handicap

Both teams to score

Under 2.5 goals

Twenty-seven of the last 37 Championship play-offs featured fewer than three goals. A third of those 35 matches have finished 1-0.

Luton Town have won seven of their last 10 home matches and have conceded just five goals.

Sunderland and Luton Town have drawn four of their last five meetings 1-1.

Sunderland are unbeaten in their last 10 Championship matches.

Luton Town made a super start to their play-off semi-final first leg when Elijah Adebayo gave them an 11th-minute lead. The visitors were able to win the ball back high up the pitch and create some chances.

Sunderland steadied the ship by the 30-minute mark and grew into the game. Thanks to a goal from Amad Diallo, they were level by half-time and took the lead through Trai Hume in the second half.

The Black Cats had the momentum for most of the second half but despite claiming victory, they didn't create any chances of real quality with their 59% possession. Their two goals had a combined xG of 0.11.

This finely poised play-off tie presents a problem for Tony Mowbray's Sunderland side. They're at their best when they're on the ball and pushing numbers forward, but Luton are dangerous out of possession.

The first leg followed a similar pattern. Despite winning, Sunderland were limited to nothing but half chances, with the Hatters unable to fashion many high-quality opportunities themselves.

On home soil, Town should be able to limit the number of chances Mowbray's men get and they'll be hoping for a little more luck this time around.

Only three sides have created more high-quality chances at home per game than Luton this season. They came within minutes of recording a 1-0 home win over Sunderland earlier this season, but the game finished 1-1.

There's been so little to separate these two sides in recent years, with Luton's inability to build on a 1-0 lead leaving the door open.

Luton have held 14 of their last 16 visitors to two or fewer goals, while Sunderland have only conceded more than one goal on two occasions in 15 away league matches. We expect another tight, low-scoring game where extra time is a possibility.