EFL WEEKEND: The EFL resumes this weekend, with a limited fixture list due to the FA Cup fourth round. We preview the best of the games going ahead, alongside some of our BETDAQ recommended bets.
CHAMPIONSHIP
Middlesbrough vs Watford – Saturday 15:00
Middlesbrough lost just their second league game since October with a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Sunderland on Sunday. The result sees Boro drop to sixth in the Championship table, though they remain one of the in-form sides in the division with seven wins in their last nine fixtures.
Third-placed Watford had to settle for a draw against a struggling Rotherham side on Saturday, meaning the Hornets have netted just six times in their last eight fixtures. Despite their encouraging league positions, Slaven Bilić’s men possess a pretty average away record in the league, winning only five of their 14 games on the road, although four of those have come in their last six.
It’s certainly the most eye-catching tie of the Championship weekend, with implications at the top of the division if either side record a win. It’ll likely be a tight game, but we’re backing Middlesbrough at 2.0 to record their fourth successive home victory.
Middlesbrough vs Watford markets
Hull City vs QPR – Saturday 15:00
Two drastically out of form sides take to the stage in east Yorkshire on Saturday as Hull City host QPR. The Tigers have failed to win in front of their own fans in eight attempts and are yet to keep a clean sheet at the KC Stadium all season – a run that gives them the second worst home defensive record in the division. Eight points separates Liam Rosenior’s men from the relegation zone, though they will need to address their home form if they are to guarantee a third successive season in the Championship.
A late equaliser conceded at home to Swansea means QPR have won just one of their last 12 in the league, with any early-season promotion ambitions surely a thing of fantasy now. The Rs, like their hosts on Saturday, curiously have a more impressive away record than they do at home, although a lot of that success on the road was built on their early season endeavours. As the time of writing, Neil Critchley’s men have tasted victory in just one of their last seven away fixtures.
It seems like a fixture neither team is destined to win with their retrospective home and away form, so accordingly, we’re backing the draw at 3.45.
LEAGUE ONE
Charlton Athletic vs Bolton Wanderers – Saturday 12:30
Charlton look to have put their eight-game winless run behind them with three successive league victories for the first time since October, which included a mightily impressive 2-0 triumph against promotion-chasing Barnsley two weeks ago. The Addicks are now unbeaten in three games at the Valley after losing three of their previous four, suggesting they are beginning to rediscover fragments of their brilliant home form towards the start of the season.
Bolton likewise find themselves in decent nick, though they had to rely on just a singular goal to see off bottom-of-the-table Forest Green Rovers in their most recent fixture on Tuesday night. The Trotters still have a six-point cushion between them and teams outside the playoff places, although they will need to start addressing an abject away record that has seen them win one of their last four games on the road if they are to sustain their current fifth place position.
On paper, Bolton have had a much more consistent season and will have higher end-of-year aspirations than their hosts on Saturday, but Charlton’s recent form puts them right in contention to get a result against their promotion-hopeful opponents. We’re backing the hosts at 2.8 to continue their resurgence under Dean Holden.
Charlton Athletic vs Bolton Wanderers markets
LEAGUE TWO
Tranmere Rovers vs Leyton Orient – Saturday 15:00
Tranmere’s season feels like it’s in danger of petering out – a 1-1 draw with Walsall in their most recent fixture means it’s just two wins in 13 for Michael Flynn’s men, who have seemingly failed to build upon their five-game winning streak back in October. Such is the unpredictability of League Two that they find themselves only six points off the playoff places whilst residing in 15th position, but their recent lack of victories hardly inspires confidence that they can catch up with the likes of Carlisle and Northampton.
Leyton Orient were dealt a big blow to their title aspirations with a sobering 3-0 defeat to second-placed Stevenage last weekend, going 2-0 down within 11 minute to their title rivals. The east Londoners have now won just one of their last six league games, remarkably netting just once in those half-dozen fixtures, a run which has seen their lead at the top of the League Two table cut to just two points.
This will be a tough game for the league leaders against a Tranmere side who haven’t lost at home since November. Their lack of goals is turning into a serious concern, but they should still have enough to avoid successive defeats for the first time this season. Backing the draw at 3.1 is the play here.
Tranmere Rovers vs Leyton Orient markets
