EFL Tips: Gab Sutton's Championship, League 1 & League 2 Acca Tips for January 24
We have a top-of-the-table League Two clash to look forward to this week as part of our weekly EFL betting tips.
Gab Sutton, our Free Bets EFL expert, has lined up his top EFL tips for the best of the action, as look at both ends of the three divisions.
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.
Blackburn vs Watford - Watford to win
Watford have an abundance of international talent in their squad, including the likes of Rocco Vata, Kwadwo Baah and Nestory Irankunda, arguably three of the more exciting footballers in the Championship – and in midweek’s 1-1 draw with Portsmouth, that trio didn’t even make the starting XI.
The Hornets have strengthened their high-potential group further this week, poaching the out-of-contract Edoardo Bove, after the midfielder had been released by Juventus earlier this month.
The Hertfordshire outfit are a bit of a risk, because the lack of experience in their squad means they’ve not quite found the consistency and reliability they need to challenge the top two, but then again that’s why they’re as big as 176/100 against a relegation candidate.
Hosts Blackburn have only won twice at home all season, and are winless in seven in the league, having played Sheffield Wednesday in that sequence as well, and they’ve scored just three goals.
Stevenage vs Mansfield - Stevenage to win
High-performing smaller clubs tend to get doubted by the traders more readily, when out-of-form, than the bigger ones, and that may be reflected in Stevenage being available at odds-against quotes.
Yes, Alex Revell’s side are winless in seven in League One, but they’ve faced leaders Cardiff in that sequence, as well as Play-Off candidates like Luton and Bolton, and other in-form sides, and results haven’t always matched up with performances – other than the 3-0 loss at Exeter where they really were bad.
Boro are a rock solid unit, with one of the best centre-back pairings in the division in Charlie Goode and Carl Piergianni, and an athletic, tenacious midfielder in Dan Phillips – they’ve also strengthened their squad with the loan of industrious, experienced forward Harry Cornick from Bristol Rovers.
Mansfield travel to the Lamex in sumptuous form, having won their last four league games, but Stevenage have only lost once at home all season, conceding just six in 11 in Hertfordshire.
Wycombe vs Peterborough - Wycombe to win
It’s been top six form for Wycombe Wanderers, since Michael Duff took to the hot-seat in mid-September, with 31 points amassed under the Northern Irishman in 18 games, and just three defeats – the fewest in League One.
Duff has instilled some excellent out-of-possession principles into the Chairboys, which has freed them up to play more of the good in-possession stuff they were playing earlier in the campaign, when they were creating chances without reward.
Wanderers could be a more complete side than their hosts, who are dangerous coming forward with Harry Leonard, Jimmy-Jay Morgan and Kyrell Lisbie, but can also be vulnerable defensively.
Following a dramatic rise up the standings under Luke Williams, the Posh have lost two of their previous three.
Bromley vs Swindon - Bromley to win
Bromley’s goalless draw at Chesterfield last weekend ended a seven-match winning streak in League Two, but it extended their unbeaten run to eight games; just one defeat in 13 for Andy Woodman’s side, with 11 successes.
That sumptuous form has the Ravens six points clear at the summit, albeit having played a game more than their promotion rivals.
Because the South Londoners aren’t a great footballing side, and they’re a small club without a huge amount of external investment. their position is often used as cause to criticize the league in general, but that’s slightly unfair.
Bromley are fantastic at what they do: up there with the best in terms of out-of-possession structure at this level, and extremely efficient from set pieces, with a real humility and raw honesty about them.
They know exactly who they are, and have found a really efficient ethos within those parameters, with touches of quality in key areas such as Mitch Pinnock’s set-piece deliveries, and Michael Cheek’s goalscoring.
With that in mind, the hosts are rightly favourites, even against promotion rivals Swindon.
Ian Holloway’s side have lost two of their last four, amid an unwanted absence of key man Ollie Clarke, and a loan recall for star wing-back Finley Munroe.
Harrogate vs Gillingham
It may be unusual to add a draw to an accumulator, but here it feels right.
Gillingham, despite beating bottom side Newport 3-2 with two late goals last week, tend to struggle for goals: they’ve found the net more than once just eight times in their 25 league games, but they’ve also conceded more than once only nine times.
Harrogate have been woefully out of form: since winning 1-0 at Priestfield in September’s reverse fixture, Simon Weaver’s side have gone 16 league games without a win, scoring just eight in that sequence.
However, the North Yorkshire outfit have since bolstered their defence with the signings of talents Chanse Headman and Cathal Heffernan, moving to a back-three for solidity.
The hosts will prioritize shape, as they look to reorganise themselves for the dogfight, as they still find themselves only one point off safety.
Meanwhile, Gareth Ainsworth’s visitors might struggle to find the answers, and we could see a stalemate at Wetherby Road.
More Football Tips
Check out below for more football betting tips ahead of this weekend's football action.
