EFL Tips: Gab Sutton's Championship, League 1 & League 2 Acca Tips for January 17
After the excitement of the FA Cup third round, it's back to the bread and butter as the EFL returns this weekend as we move into the second half of the January transfer window.
Gab Sutton, our Free Bets EFL expert, has lined up his top EFL betting tips for the best of the action.
EFL Betting Tips
Here are Gab's five betting tips for the weekend along with the best prices and latest odds from our top sports betting sites.
Wrexham vs Norwich - Wrexham to win
Wrexham haven’t missed Kieffer Moore as much as might have been expected.
The Welshman inspired the Red Dragons to successive victories over Sheffield United and PNE, scoring a brace in the former, but was forced off in the latter encounter, but the team has found another way in 2026.
Phil Parkinson’s side have continued their winning streak to four games into the New Year, starting it with away wins over Blackburn and Derby, with Sam Smith leaving the line.
Being without Moore has actually encouraged Wrexham to find another way of playing, and they’ve played some great, incisive, one-touch football that have carved teams open, with Nathan Broadhead and Oli Rathbone enjoying some sparkling individual form.
Visitors Norwich, on the other hand, make the long jaunt without talisman Josh Sargent, who texted boss Phillippe Clement the night before the FA Cup game against Walsall to signal his unavailability, to much controversy.
It’s an uncertain time for the Canaries, and Wrexham are in the form to take advantage.
Mansfield vs Port Vale - Port Vale to win
Jon Brady has enjoyed a winning start to his Port Vale tenure, with cup victories over Fleetwood and Bolton in the FA Cup respectively.
Now, the Aussie is hoping to take that feeling into the league, as the Valiants look to build on the 5-1 victory over Blackpool under the interim stewardship of Jamie Smith, which Brady watched incognito in the stands.
Straight away, he seems to have made a big impact on the club, and performances have picked up straight away which, if continued, could see Vale make a miraculous great escape – they’re currently 11 points adrift of safety, but with one and two games in hand on sides above them.
Moving to 4-4-2 has been a big help, though, and Vale look better balanced.
Northampton vs Wycombe - Wycombe to win
Had the season started in late September, when Michael Duff was appointed Wycombe boss, the Chairboys would be 7th.
The Buckinghamshire outfit have lost just three of their 17 games under the Northern Irishman, who has re-organised the team, moulding them into an efficient unit, with the resurgence seeing them surface into Play-Off contention.
Hosts Northampton, on the other hand, are hovering just above the relegation zone in 20th, and are the division’s lowest goalscorers, having found the net just 22 times in 24.
The Cobblers have seen their most potent threat, on-loan forward Ethan Wheatley, recalled by Manchester United, so Kevin Nolan will need to make the right attacking additions this month to keep their heads above water.
Gillingham vs Newport - Draw
Gillingham have been League Two’s draw specialists this season, sharing the spoils 11 times in 24 games, with only fellow midtable inhabitants Oldham finishing honours even as frequently as Gareth Ainsworth’s side.
After starting the season nine unbeaten, carrying on a run from the back-end of last season, the Gills have managed just one win in their last 15 games since Ainsworth’s health challenges came to light, possibly disrupting their progress – they’ve drawn eight times in that sequence, which has seen them tumble down the table.
Visitors Newport have shown mild signs of life under rookie Christian Fuchs, attaining six points from seven games, which is a competitive enough return when considering they only had one opponent in that sequence below 13th.
Clean sheets against Barnet and Crewe suggests some form of reorganisation from the Exiles, who can take encouragement from the fact Gillingham haven’t won a single home game against bottom half opposition.
Grimsby vs Barnet - Grimsby to win
Grimsby have improved significantly since Jackson Smith came in as goalkeeper on an emergency loan deal, keeping three consecutive clean sheets in the league, as well as securing progression to the 4th Round of the FA Cup.
Sam Lavelle has made a difference since coming into the defence, too, and after successive league wins, the Mariners are looking up at the Play-Off spots once again, and optimistic of a positive second half of the season.
Visitors Barnet are in a similar position, but they can be fragile defensively with how they play, and wasteful going forwards, despite being one of the more creative and enterprising footballing sides in the division.
With that in mind, the home win looks the value play here, as Town look to cut the gap to the top seven.
More Football Tips
Check out below for more football betting tips ahead of this weekend's football action.
