EFL TIPS: The best bets across the Championship, League One and League Two. We’re still in the opening stages of the EFL season, with the sixth matchday promising to have some intriguing action across the weekend. We’ve taken a look at the best bets from the key fixtures to watch out for across the Championship, League One and League Two.
Championship
Luton Town v Sheffield United: Friday, 20:00 BST
After a dominant performance over Blackburn Rovers last weekend, Sheffield United have topped the Championship table and will be full of confidence heading into this fixture. Their form so far this season includes three wins, one draw and one loss, with a goal difference of five, which is the highest in the division. Their attacking midfielder Iliman Ndiaye has also been in strong form, with three goals from five matches so far, and he may prove instrumental for The Blades this season. Luton are a different story, however, having had a shaky start to the campaign. They have at the very least now secured their first win against Swansea last weekend, but still have a lot to do. They sit 18th in the table, with three defeats out of five. Nevertheless, their home fans will be cheering them on at Kenilworth Road on Friday night, but will it be enough to topple the league leaders? It’s worth noting that Luton haven’t won a single game against Sheffield United in their last five meetings (D2 L3), and with that in mind our value bet here is laying Luton Town at 3.2.
Sunderland v Norwich City: Saturday, 12:30 BST
These two former Premier League sides have not met for well over four years, last clashing in April 2018 in a 1-1 draw at the Stadium of Light. Fast forward to today and Sunderland are back in the Championship and have had a decent start to the season, having won two, drawn two and lost one. They currently rank fifth in the table, and will hope to keep this form up and shoot for a play-off spot. After a fall from grace to League One, Sunderland fans are dreaming of a return to the Premier League. Lying just below them in the rankings are Norwich City in eighth place and they are on the up at the minute after a frustrating start, having won their last two league games against Millwall and Huddersfield. This is partly down to the work of American forward Josh Sargent, who scored three of the four goals over those two wins. It’s hard to ignore this Canaries form and so backing Norwich at 2.42 looks to be the way to go as they seek to climb up the table.
League One
Derby County v Peterborough United: Saturday, 15:00 BST
Peterborough fans will be pleased with their side’s start to the season, with four wins out of five, including last weekend’s 4-0 thrashing of Lincoln City, and just one loss to Plymouth Argyle. Such form has seen them climb to second in the League One table, just trailing leaders Ipswich Town by one point. Striker Jonson Clarke-Harris has been the player to watch so far, having scored five goals in five league appearances, and will be looking to add to that tally on Saturday. Derby County have had a slightly slower start to the season with two frustrating goalless draws in their last two matches, leaving them eighth in the table. The Rams are still a force to be reckoned with though and will be aiming to climb the table in hope of a promotion push back to the Championship, which will no doubt motivate Liam Rosenior’s side to get some more results on the board. This shapes up to be a close match-up considering Derby’s home advantage and Peterborough’s current form so backing the draw at 3.4 looks a sensible option.
League Two
Northampton Town v Doncaster Rovers: Saturday, 15:00 BST
This is set to be an enticing game between two teams who have made exactly the same starts to the season, claiming three wins and two draws apiece. A superior goal difference ensures fourth-placed Northampton sit above fifth-placed Doncaster. While Sixfields Stadium will no doubt be packed with punters dreaming of a crushing Northampton victory, Doncaster will fancy their chances of leaving with a result, given the last three meetings between the two sides ended with two victories for Doncaster and a draw. With both teams’ unbeaten starts to the campaign also on the line, this should be a closely contested fixture, with the best bet looking to be laying Northampton at 2.2, despite their favouritism heading into the clash.
