EFL: The EFL returns to action following a full-force Boxing Day schedule as the Christmas period starts to congest the fixture list. We preview the best of the action below, alongside our recommended Betdaq bets.
CHAMPIONSHIP
Swansea City v Watford – Friday 19:45
Swansea seem unable to part ways with a dismal run of form that has seen the Welsh outfit slide down the Championship table. The Swans are now winless in eight fixtures following Tuesday’s 2-1 loss to Reading but remain just three points behind the playoff places, despite residing in 16th position.
Watford find themselves in a curious vein of form, having won eight points from a possible 15, with Boxing Day’s disappointing 2-0 defeat to Millwall ending their four-game unbeaten run – the first time they’d composed such a sequence since August. The Hornets have won two of the last four meetings between the two sides, though they lost the reverse fixture 2-1 at Vicarage Road back in October.
Watford seem a tad overvalued here. The Hornets are unbeaten in four games away from home, winning three of those fixtures, whilst Swansea have failed to win any of their last two games at the Liberty Stadium. With that in mind, backing the away side at 3.45 looks a very appealing punt.
Swansea City vs Watford markets
Stoke City v Burnley – Friday 19:45
Stoke are now unbeaten in three games after coming from behind twice to draw at Rotherham on Boxing Day – their longest unbeaten run in 11 games. That run has opened up a five-point gap between them and the relegation zone, though they will need to maintain this vein of form if they are secure a sixth straight season in the Championship.
On Friday they welcome a Burnley side on a four-game winning streak after they brushed aside Birmingham City on Monday. The Clarets have scored exactly three goals in five of their last six games and look good value to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
Burnley’s away record is certainly weaker than their near-perfect set of results at Turf Moor, but they will take confidence from the fact that Stoke have one of the poorest home records in the division, claiming just 12 points from their 11 fixtures at the Bet365 Stadium. As such, backing Burnley at 2.36 to extend their lead at the top of the Championship table is the play here.
LEAGUE ONE
Lincoln City v Bolton Wanderers – Friday 19:45
Lincoln remain a difficult side to judge. A dismal first-half display against Burton Albion on Boxing Day saw them concede three goals before the half-hour mark to leave the Imps in the lower-middle half of the League One table, though they remain the only side in the division not to have lost a game at home. Such a record will hold them in good stead for the visit of Bolton on Friday night.
The Wanderers recorded successive clean sheets for the first time in 13 games with a 0-0 draw against Derby County on Tuesday, though their current run of one win in four matches needs slight improvement if they are to sustain their current fifth-place position. Ian Evatt’s men possess a below-average away record which likewise needs addressing, with a late loss to Shrewsbury in their most recent fixture on the road making it just three wins in 10 this campaign.
On paper, this Bolton side would usually have too much for their hosts, but such is the grandness of the Imps’ unbeaten home record that beating Lincoln on their own turf may prove to be a bridge too far. With that in mind, laying Bolton at 2.22 is the selection here.
Lincoln City vs Bolton Wanderers markets
LEAGUE TWO
Newport County v Leyton Orient – Friday 19:45
Newport did well to come back and pick up a point against AFC Wimbledon on Boxing Day, though their tendency to string together winless runs during in this domestic campaign will slightly concern manager Graham Coughlan, with Monday’s draw following a disappointing home defeat to Doncaster Rovers. The Welsh outfit remain eight points clear of the relegation zone and may be thankful at the end of the season that only two sides went down from the division this year.
Table-toppers Leyton Orient were held to a stalemate by second-place Stevenage in their most recent fixture to maintain a seven-point cushion at the summit of the League Two standings. That draw brought their four-game winning streak to an end, though they’ve now conceded just the solitary goal in their last five matches to provide a foundation for their League One promotion push.
Given the disparity between the two sides, Leyton Orient seem very good value here. The East Londoners have the best away record in the division and seem a cut above most sides in the league, let alone sides in the bottom half of the table. Backing Orient at 2.62 looks a reasonable bet.
Newport County vs Leyton Orient markets
