Notts County v Salford City prediction, line-ups & tips: League Two play-off final

Eleven years is a long time to wait. Notts County, the world's oldest professional football club, travel to Wembley on Monday afternoon with a chance to return to the third tier for the first time since 2015, and manager Martin Paterson knows exactly what is riding on the afternoon. "The players, the supporters, the football club, nobody needs to be told the importance of the game," he said at his pre-match press conference. Standing in their way are Salford City, a club who have been chasing League One since the Class of 92 takeover in 2014, and who go into this final having broken every single record in their short EFL history. Karl Robinson, the Ammies' head coach, called this "the biggest occasion in the club's history" after a dramatic extra-time win over Grimsby secured their place at Wembley.

Salford finished fourth in League Two, one point and one place above Notts County, but both sides could have rendered this final irrelevant. They each dropped points on the final day of the regular season, Notts drawing with Bristol Rovers, Salford held at Crawley, and so here they are, settling it the hard way. The Magpies ground out their semi-final in characteristically tight fashion, with Jayden Luker's first-leg winner enough to see off Chesterfield 1-0 on aggregate. Paterson was particularly pleased with the defensive discipline: "Two clean sheets in those two ties has me delighted with my defensive line." Salford's route was rather more turbulent. They led Grimsby 3-1 on aggregate going into the final stages of the second leg before conceding twice, only for Kallum Cesay to score at the death in the 117th minute and send Robinson's side through 4-3 on aggregate. Robinson called it "the Salford way."

The two sides have met six times in all competitions, and the head-to-head record sits heavily in Salford's favour, five wins to Notts County's one, with no draws. This season's league encounters went the same way: Salford won 2-1 at Meadow Lane on the opening day in August 2025, and repeated the scoreline at the Peninsula Stadium in April. Notts will need to find a way to break a pattern that has been remarkably consistent since the two sides first crossed paths in the EFL. Goalkeeper James Belshaw, a lifelong Notts fan who joined from Harrogate Town in January, is relaxed about the narrative. "I don't think it's going to be a game of stories," he said. "Whoever manages the day the best will win."

Notts County have used a 3-4-2-1 shape in 16 of their 22 league and play-off games under Paterson this season and are unlikely to deviate for the final. Salford have deployed 3-1-4-2 most regularly under Robinson, lining up in that system for 22 of their 47 fixtures.

Notts County: Belshaw; Shaughnessy, Cameron, Naylor; Tsaroulla, Brindley, O'Brien, Doyle; Luker, Iorpenda; Bostock

Salford City: Young; Mnoga, Oluwo, Cooper, Garbutt; Graydon, Butcher, Austerfield, N'Mai; Cesay, Udoh

The League Two play-off final kicks off at 15:00 BST on Monday, 25 May 2026 at Wembley Stadium. The match is broadcast live in the UK on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football, with coverage beginning at 14:00 BST. Sky customers can also stream via the Sky Go app. Viewers without a Sky subscription can access the match through a NOW Sports Day or Month membership.