The Fantasy EFL play-offs Gameweek 2 are well underway, with the Championship semi-finals now wrapped up: Sheffield United and Sunderland have booked their spot at Wembley.

Eyes and Fantasy attention now turns to League One, as Stockport County take on Leyton Orient at Edgeley Park. The first leg ended 2-2, so we’re in for a thriller.

Keep in mind that, unlike some other Fantasy games, your selections can be adjusted right until the deadline, making these predictions really useful for fine-tuning your player choices and captaincy decisions. Here are the fixtures ahead:

Keep an eye on our updated fixture ticker [free Members access] for the latest news so you never miss out.

Let’s take a look back at the first leg, plus who could be pivotal for both sides on the second occasion.

FANTASY EFL PLAY-OFFS GAMEWEEK 1: MATCH REVIEW

In a game full of controversy, Charlie Kelman (F) gave the hosts the lead from an offside position in the first half. Stockport rallied afterwards and delivered a quick-fire double from Oliver Norwood (M) and Fraser Horsfall (D).

When an impressive away win looked secured, Kelman stepped up and scored from the spot in the 88th minute to bag 13 points and level the tie.

What did the managers have to say?

Unsurprisingly, Kelman’s controversial goal dominated Dave Challinor’s thoughts:

“Hard done to is an understatement but super proud of what the players have done in the second-half, to be on the end of a decision like and to be able to get over it and perform, they deserve massive credit. Regardless of conceding late on, to take the tie level doesn’t change it, the fact we’d be in the tie, we spoke about using it [the decision] as motivation.” – Stockport manager Dave Challinor

Whereas Richie Wellens’ opening response was focused on the game:

“Ebbed and flowed both ways, they started the game stronger. The goal gave us a lift, we were the better team [going into half-time]. Came out second-half, didn’t go right, the players responded well. We wanted to make subs at 60 [minutes] and once we made them we were the dominant team.”

Stats heading into the second leg

Despite suffering three home league defeats earlier in the season, Stockport have otherwise been formidable at Edgeley Park. Their impressive form includes 16 wins and four draws, earning them the third-most home points (52). Notably, they are now on a 10-game unbeaten streak at home under Challinor. Nine of those matches ended in victory.

As for Leyton Orient’s away form, it’s been fairly strong, earning 38 points on the road. Only Birmingham City, Wycombe Wanderers and Wrexham surpassed this tally. They finished the regular season with four consecutive away wins, scoring an impressive 12 goals along the way.

Historically, the third-placed League One team has a strong likelihood of reaching the final. It’s been the case in six out of seven seasons since 2017/18, with MK Dons being the exception in 2021/22.

Team news

There are no injury concerns for either side, so we anticipate the line-ups to remain nearly the same.

Challinor welcomed Lewis Bate (M) and Callum Camps (M) back from injury, but they’ll likely only make cameos again.

Meanwhile, Richie Wellens is hopeful that Jordan Brown (M) will be back, which could see a shift in the middle

STOCKPORT TOP PICKS

Oliver Norwood (M) put in a stellar first-leg performance, not only finding the back of the net himself (+6) but also setting up another (+3).

His creativity was on full display, conjuring up five chances throughout the match. Impressively, this marks the fourth occasion this season that Norwood has generated at least this many in a League One fixture. Only Joe Powell (M) has more of these. A player on all set-pieces, he’s essential.

Will Collar (M) has eight goals, three assists and 14 interceptions for the Hatters, despite being backed by just 1.1%. He also has three goal contributions in his last three featuring in the ’10’ role, and made 13/18 passes. His creativity will play an important role if they are to win.

We like Fraser Horsfall (D) but, given the lack of forward options, Kyle Wootton (F) is a good shout due to having 11 goals and 10 assists in 47 matches. Although goalless in four games, he’s nailed for minutes. Here, it’s crucial to have players who can feature for potentially 120 minutes.

LEYTON ORIENT TOP PICKS

Kelman has been in blistering form recently. He’s scored eight goals in his last seven League One matches. The away form is even more remarkable, netting nine times in his last 10 on the road.

Elsewhere, Omar Beckles (D) has banked 23 points in his last three. He assisted the opener and made 10 clearances and two tackles, collecting eight points. Averaging 6.2 points and with just 0.9% ownership, he’s a great option. Even if the clean sheet disappears, other points are expected.

Finally, as a differential, Sean Clare (D) featured in midfield last time out. If Brown still isn’t available, an out-of-position player is always tempting.