- More
Expert EFL predictions and free football tips from Dan Childs
Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Saturday's EFL matches.
When to bet
You should place you bets by the time the games kick off at 3pm. Before you bet, take a look at Parimatch's latest betting offer - if you bet £10 on the football you can get £40 in free bets.
Best bets
Bristol Rovers
3pts 19-20 Hills
Blackpool
3pts 13-20 Hills
Accrington
1pt 11-8 Hills
Barrow
1pt 9-5 Hills
Dan Childs's EFL predictions
Bristol Rovers vs Crawley
Inconsistent Bristol Rovers have had an underwhelming opening three months of the season but they have picked up 13 points from seven home matches and look solid favourites to see off fourth-bottom Crawley at the Memorial Ground.
Rovers were among a large group of clubs who started the League One season with ambitions of challenging for promotion, but they had a dismal September, losing all four matches, and have been struggling to make amends.
Matt Taylor's side approach the weekend seven points adrift of the playoff places and five clear of the drop zone, so the next few weeks could be key to determining how their season is going to pan out.
But Rovers were satisfied with their efforts in last Saturday's 1-1 draw at home to highflying Lincoln and they should follow with a victory over Crawley, who are already engaged in a tough battle against the drop.
Crawley's success in last season's League Two playoffs was a superb achievement, but their efforts to consolidate at the higher level have been complicated by a raft of player departures and the early-season exit of their former manager, Scott Lindsey, who accepted an offer to stay in the fourth tier with MK Dons.
Lindsey's replacement, Rob Elliot, inherited a side on an eight-game winless run and has struggled to change the dynamic with just five points accrued from his first league seven matches at the helm.
In fairness to Elliot, his efforts have been undermined by injuries to several senior players.
Crawley showed plenty of spirit last Saturday when battling to a 2-2 draw at home to Huddersfield, but they have not won on their league travels since August and could be easy pickings for the Pirates.
Blackpool vs Northampton
Blackpool are another of League One's pre-season promotion hopefuls who feel they should be higher up the table and they can improve their status by defeating injury-ravaged Northampton at Bloomfield Road.
The busy EFL schedule has drawn criticism from Blackpool manager Steve Bruce, who has argued that the workload is not conducive to player welfare.
However, Bruce has also spoken of a positive week with no further injuries collected and key midfielder Oliver Norburn back in the mix after a hamstring injury.
Norburn is expected to be involved in some capacity on Saturday and his experience and quality should boost the Tangerines' chances against a depleted opponent.
Northampton have been coping with a host of absentees for much of the season and their situation worsened substantially during last Saturday's 1-1 draw at Birmingham with defenders Tyler Magloire and Jack Baldwin suffering injuries and midfielder Cameron McGeehan collecting his fifth yellow card of the season.
As a consequence the Cobblers head to the Fylde coast in a weakened state with a reported 15 players either absent or doubtful.
Northampton manager Jon Brady is an expert at getting his team organised and competitive irrespective of the situation, but even he may have his work cut out this weekend.
Accrington vs Swindon
Accrington have been one of League Two's form teams over the last six weeks and they look attractively priced to defeat struggling Swindon at the Wham Stadium.
Stanley were rooted to the foot of the table in early October with three points taken from eight games, but they have piled up 13 points from their last six fixtures and delivered their best performance of the season last weekend by winning 3-0 away to Chesterfield.
John Doolan's side are playing with the confidence of potential promotion chasers and their resurgence is bad news for third-bottom Swindon, who have won two of 15 league games.
Veteran manager Ian Holloway has been tasked with steering Swindon away from the danger area but his team were beaten 3-1 at MK Dons last Saturday and they look set for a loss in Lancashire.
Barrow vs AFC Wimbledon
Out-of-form Barrow have gone five League Two games without a victory but they are positioned in the top half and can turn the tide by defeating AFC Wimbledon at Holker Street.
Stephen Clemence's side have collected 15 of their 22 points on home soil and their strong home record marks them down as tough opponents for the Wombles, who have banked only four points on their fourth tier travels.
The Londoners have sustained back-to-back league losses and make the long trip without key striker Omar Bugiel, who is on international duty with Lebanon.
Accumulator
Bristol Rovers 19-20, Blackpool 13-20, Barnsley 10-11, Accrington 11-8
£1 acca returns £14.63 with Hills
First goalscorer
Kyle Wootton Stockport v Wrexham
at 6-1 BoyleSports, Coral, Ladbrokes
The Stockport striker has netted in three of his last four appearances and looks a strong contender to open the scoring against Wrexham.
Click for free bets and betting offers from the Racing Post
Commercial notice: This article contains affiliate links. Offers are handpicked and come from operators our experts have first-hand experience of. Opening an account via one of these links will earn revenue for the Racing Post, which will be used to continue producing our award-winning coverage of horseracing and sports betting.
Published on inEFL
Last updated
Copy
