League One play-offs betting tips: Sheffield Wednesday vs Peterborough United

Sheffield Wednesday will need a quick start against Peterborough if they are to reach the final, but the stats are in their favour.

League One play-off semi-final second leg, Thursday May 18, Kick-off 8pm, live on Sky Sports Football

Sheffield Wednesday to win

Over 2.5 goals

Sheffield Wednesday to score in both halves

The home side in this fixture have won nine of 13 head-to-head meetings, outscoring their visitors 21-6 in those victories.

No team has scored more goals in the opening 15 minutes of League One matches than Sheffield Wednesday (18) this season.

Six of Sheffield Wednesday's last seven League One matches have had three or more goals.

Peterborough United have conceded in both halves in 11 of their 17 League One losses this season.

Sheffield Wednesday have it all to do. After a scrappy first half at the Weston Homes Stadium, the Yorkshire side will return to Hillsborough with a four-goal deficit to overturn.

Jack Taylor, Joe Ward, Kwame Poku and Jonson Clarke-Harris all found the net in one of the most shocking play-off demolition jobs in recent memory. However, the score doesn't tell the full story.

There were few chances of note in the opening 45 minutes. Wednesday squandered a pair of opportunities gifted by wayward Peterborough passing, but Michael Smith was unable to capitalise.

Darren Ferguson's men were controlling possession, but they didn't create any quality chances. Despite that, the Posh led 2-0 at the break thanks to a goalkeeping howler and a wicked deflection.

The scoreline didn't reflect their first-half xG of 0.16, but United were full value for their second-half goals. They grew in confidence and only a stunning save from Will Norris denied the hosts a fifth.

Wednesday had several attempts cleared off the line late on and Cameron Dawson was called into action a few times. Darren Moore's men were also denied a late stonewall penalty, which would have been accompanied by a red card.

It remains to be seen whether there's any way back for the Owls on Thursday, but it presents us with an interesting scenario from a betting point of view.

Peterborough have held firm three times against Wednesday this season, winning 4-0, 2-0 and losing 1-0. They have shown they can shut up shop effectively and pose a threat on the counter.

The pattern of this game should see United sit deep and challenge Wednesday to break them down. Even if they do take the lead, there's no need to panic or push forward for the visitors. They may even start to settle for a loss late on.

A good start will be crucial so it's worth noting that no side has scored more early goals than Wednesday in League One. They have found the net 18 times in the opening 15 minutes overall and 18 times in the opening 30 minutes of home matches.

In addition, the visitors have an interesting habit of conceding a goal in both halves when they are beaten. It's happened 11 times in 17 defeats, so backing Wednesday to score in both halves is worth a flutter.

We don't expect the Owls to turn this around, but we do think a home win and a few goals will be a profitable by-product of their efforts to fight back.