A London derby awaits on play-off final weekend at Wembley, as Charlton Athletic and Leyton Orient do battle in the League One final on Sunday.
For Charlton, an impressive campaign was in danger of spiralling mid-way through the season. However, Nathan Jones’ Addicks transformed themselves into the most in-form team in the third-tier in the final few months of the campaign to cement a spot in the end-of-season shootout.
Leyton Orient started the campaign poorly before improving and pushing themselves into play-off contention over the winter. The Os, under the management of Richie Wellens, threatened to slip away in the spring before roaring back into play-off contention down the final stretch.
Charlton have the higher pedigree and experience of the top two divisions, and their manager Jones certainly brings an extra edge having managed in the Premier League, but they face an exciting and ambitious Orient with a manager who will be confident of taking the game to them.
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Charlton vs. Leyton Orient prediction, tips, bet builder and odds
Leyton Orient to lift the trophy – 5/4 (betway)
These two teams have played each other three times this season with Orient comfortably defeating a heavily rotated Charlton side in the second round of the EFL Trophy back in mid-December, sandwiched between Charlton doing the league double over Wellens’ side.
Only the top three in League One conceded fewer goals than Charlton over the 46-game season and, considering they had a mid-season slump that saw them tumble towards the middle of the table, to concede fewer than a goal per game is a sensational effort from Jones’ side.
However, they now face the league’s top scorer in Charlie Kelman and a Leyton Orient side that has been free-wheeling at times this season, facing Charlton in their poorer moments of the campaign on each occasion.
In the lottery of a play-off final, which is always a tense and nervy affair, Orient perhaps have the more intriguing individual quality to break a game open, with the aforementioned Kelman supported by the likes of Ollie O’Neill, Dan Agyei and Tottenham Hotspur loanee Jamie Donley.
Backing Orient to win through, whether that be in the 90 minutes or via extra time or penalties, is the smart choice as they seek to return to the second tier of English football for the first time since 1982. That's priced up at 5/4 with betway.
Both teams to score & Over 2.5 goals – 3.37/1 (Betfair)
This could well be an intriguing game for the neutral, because Wellens has developed a reputation for an attacking style of football and the Os’ 46 League One regular season games produced 120 goals before an entertaining 3-3 aggregate draw with Stockport County in the play-off semi that they eventually came through on penalties.
Both teams to score, especially with Charlton also having one of the most in-form strikers in the league in Matty Godden (seven goals in the last 10 games), has a best price of 1/1, while you can combine with the over 2.5 goals to get a handy double with Betfair.
Charlton vs. Leyton Orient predicted score and most likely results
TSN Pick: Leyton Orient to win (5/2, Paddy Power)
Score prediction: Charlton 1-2 Leyton Orient (11/1, Betfair)
Nathan Jones has one of the best and most cohesive philosophies in terms of his coaching methods and, over the course of the season, the way in which he has mobilised his team to be difficult to beat is extremely impressive.
However, in a one-off game where things will naturally be tight, it could well be that the team with a bit more off-the-cuff flair breaks through. That, in terms of individual match-winners, would seem to be Orient.
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How to watch Charlton vs. Leyton Orient League One play-off final
- Date: Sunday 25th May, 2025
- Location: Wembley, London
- Time: 13:01 BST
- TV/Streaming: The League One play-off final will be televised on Sky Sports in the U.K. and can be streamed via Sky Go.
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