Gab Sutton EFL Predictions & Betting Tips
Gab Sutton 
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EFL expert Gabriel Sutton will continue to bring you his betting tips and EFL predictions for every round of the new season here on Freebets.
His knowledge and insight on everything from the Championship to League One and League Two is unrivalled, so expect detailed betting tips and analysis from all three competitions.
Take advantage of Gab's EFL predictions with the best football betting offers on the market ahead of every game, so keep an eye out for enhanced odds and boosted prices ahead of big matches.
Gab Sutton’s EFL Predictions & Betting Tips
EFL pundit Gab Sutton picks his best bets for the three EFL Play-Off Finals in the Championship, League One and League Two, which you can use alongside our range of football betting sites ahead of the weekend.
League Two: Walsall v Wimbledon
- Taylor Allen Over 0.5 shots – 8/15 (Betway)
In each of Walsall’s last six encounters, Taylor Allen has mustered at least one effort at goal – and 10 in total.
Because he’s a centre-back on the teamsheet, Allen is available to back in this market at a bigger price than it would be for a centre-forward shooting with the same regularity.
Walsall’s system allows - even necessitates - the versatile player to roam forward, because whereas right centre-back David Okagbue is behind a wing-back like Connor Barrett or Nathan Asiimwe who loves to attack the flank, left centre-back Allen operates behind Liam Gordon, who tends to cut inside and link-up with the midfield.
So, in-possession Allen is often situated well beyond Okagbue and Harry Williams, his fellow defenders, and even slightly beyond Ryan Stirk at the base of midfield.
And, whereas a striker relies on his teammates to fashion chances for him, Allen likes to have pot shots from distance – and is also the Saddlers’ set piece taker, having scored against Wimbledon back in late-March.
- Levi Amantchi to score anytime – 4/1 (Unibet)
You’d have thought that Mat Sadler’s move from 3-1-4-2 to 3-4-2-1 would hinder Levi Amantchi - with fewer strikers on the pitch, he’d fall down the pecking order – but it’s actually brought the best out of him.
After star on-loan forward Nathan Lowe was recalled by Stoke in January, Sadler tried in vain to find the ideal strike-partner to target man Jamille Matt, but neither Amantchi, Ellis Harrison, Danny Johnson nor Ethan Wheatley quite worked, with the former arguably coming closest.
However, Amantchi’s best attributes are his pace and strength, which can be more useful at the end of games, so when Matt tires in the second half, he’s come on with fresh legs and made a real difference.
The former Bromley man scored a header off the bench against Chesterfield, in the Semi-Final 2nd leg, and has looked bright in the last three games.
League One: Charlton v Leyton Orient
- Charlton to win and Both Teams To Score – 41/10 (Unibet)
Whereas Sheffield United and Sunderland has the makings of a tight final, Charlton and Leyton Orient could be a game with plenty of chances.
Charlton boast pace and skill out wide in Thierry Small and Tyreece Campbell, supported ably by full-backs Kayne Ramsay and Josh Edwards, with the bulk of their creativity coming from those areas – and they have Matty Godden, more of whom anon.
Leyton Orient, meanwhile, have creative dynamo Ethan Galbraith operating at right-back, a delightfully deft left-footed technician in withdrawn forward Jamie Donley, a quick, strong wide forward in Dan Agyei – and Charlie Kelman, League One’s top goalscorer.
Galbraith, though, could be key to the game: Orient will want him involved high up the pitch from right-back, because of the incredible influence he can have as one of the division’s top performers, but they also won’t want Campbell running at veteran right centre-back Omar Beckles with too much space.
As such, the covering work of right central midfielder Jordan Brown could be key to negating the risks.
- Matty Godden to score anytime – 12/5 (Paddy Power)
Godden began his Charlton season playing second-fiddle to the likes of Miles Leaburn and Gassan Ahadme – this writer even linked him with a return to former club Stevenage, imagining that he may have been frustrated with the lack of gametime.
The experienced striker has shown his value to the Addicks in the second half of the season, though, giving them the firepower they initially lacked, scoring a whopping 14 goals from January onwards.
Campbell’s lateral movement from the left means, in-possession, Godden has a speedy strike-partner so, while he isn’t the quickest, the system allows him to show all of his other qualities – work rate, hold-up play and finishing.
Championship: Sheffield United v Sunderland
- Under 1.5 Goals - 7/4 (Betfair)
Sheffield United and Sunderland showed their organisational mettle to progress through their respective Semi-Finals, with varying levels of difficulty.
The Blades put Bristol City to the sword with a 6-0 aggregate victory, largely through keeping their opponents at arm’s length, with early balls to Kieffer Moore opening things up.
Whereas, the Black Cats had to show defiance to overcome tougher opposition in Coventry, producing a good away performance in the 1st leg, before Dan Ballard’s dramatic winning header clinched it at the Stadium of Light.
Ballard defended his penalty area superbly, while Dan Neil produced a true captain’s performance at the base of midfield, screening the back-line with fierce determination.
Neither team are likely to want to disrupt those reliable defensive foundations early on, so we could see a goalless half-time scoreline, with the possibility of one goal in the second half or extra-time, or penalties, deciding the outcome.
- Eliezer Mayenda to score anytime – 4/1 (Unibet)
Sheffield United may have to choose between getting the best out of their star man on the left, Gus Hamer, and minimising the risk of being counter-attacked on.
For Hamer to produce the maximum, he could do with a runner on the overlap like Harrison Burrows, who has enjoy a productive second half of the season for United – Burrows may take some attention away from Hamer, which would enable him to enjoy those pockets between defence and midfield.
However, Burrows’ attacking runs also run the risk of leaving left centre-back Jack Robinson, who isn’t the quickest, in a transitional footrace with Eliezer Mayenda, who is.
And, the reason to believe Sunderland can hurt their opponents is that if they can get Enzo Le Fee feeding Mayenda, Wilson Isidor and Romaine Mundle, they have the pace to cut them open.
The Biggest EFL Matches This Week
Here are the biggest matches to keep an eye on in the EFL this week:
- Saturday - Sheffield United v Sunderland (Championship Play-Off Final)
- Sunday - Charlton v Leyton Orient (League One Play-Off Final)
- Monday - Walsall v AFC Wimbledon (League Two Play-Off Final)
Gab Sutton’s EFL 2024/25 Antepost Picks
Following the opening weekend of 2024-25′s EFL action, EFL pundit Gab Sutton gives us his five tips…
Championship
Promotion
Despite being held to a 3-3 draw by Portsmouth on the opening day, Leeds are favourites for promotion and can be backed at Evens, although Daniel Farke’s side are without the prodigious talents of Archie Gray and the individual craft of Crysencio Summerville, now both have left for London.
Elsewhere, Burnley are into 5/4 after that statement 4-1 opening day victory at Luton on Monday, thanks to an incisive, clinical display from Scott Parker’s men.
The Hatters, themselves, are down to 13/5 after their disappointing start, while Middlesbrough, West Brom and Sunderland are up to 3/1, 7/2 and 4/1 respectively after opening day victories.
For Boro, it’s all about Emmanuel Latte Lath, who built on his stunning form from the last quarter of last season by getting off the mark against Swansea, and could be among the top goalscorers in the division this term.
The Baggies may have a goalscorer of their own, though, in Josh Maja, who displayed impeccable poaching instincts to bag a hat-trick in the 3-1 victory at QPR.
Sunderland need a marksman, but they have pretty much everything else if Jobe Bellingham and Jack Clarke hit top form.
The one to watch, though, is Sheffield Wednesday, after Danny Rohl’s side stormed to a 4-0 opening day victory over Plymouth Argyle.
Bigger tests are surely to come for the Owls, but in terms of pressing, patterns of play, co-ordination of movement, organisation, pace and guile, they had it all and could be a serious bet at 8/1 in some places.
Relegation
Argyle look vulnerable after that trouncing at Hillsborough, and while it’s only day one, it was hard to see what they were trying to do – it’s not as if they were pressing high, or looking after the ball well, or being aggressive in their defensive third then flying forward on the counter.
It was difficult to see a discernible game plan from Wayne Rooney’s side, who could be a bet for the drop at 7/4.
Oxford were favourites before the season began but their convincing 2-0 victory over play-off aspirants Norwich has nudged them to 6/4, the same price as Argyle, and those odds will lengthen with more performances like that – especially with the likes of Cameron Brannagan and Mark Harris making the step up seamless on early evidence.
Cardiff have shortened to 3/1, perhaps surprisingly, after that 2-0 defeat to Sunderland, despite signing the likes of Calum Chambers and Anwar El Ghazi.
Millwall, meanwhile, are 10/3 for the drop after losing 3-2 to Watford: the Lions will need a target man if they want to play the way Neil Harris likes.
Preston North End, though, look value at 10/3 after parting company with manager Ryan Lowe after the opening night’s 2-0 defeat to Sheffield United – for the Lilywhites, it all hangs on who they appoint next.
Derby are a bet at 7/2 after producing one of the worst performances of the opening weekend in their 4-2 loss at Blackburn, who are now up to 9/2, following a summer of trepidation.
League One
Promotion
Despite dropping points on the opening day, with a 1-1 draw with Reading, Birmingham remain firm favourites for promotion at 4/6: understandable, with the quality of their squad and resources.
Bolton are 23/10 second-favourite after beginning with a 2-1 victory at Leyton Orient, although Ian Evatt’s side will need to improve their performance levels, after relying on goalkeeper Nathan Baxter to bail them out at Brisbane Road.
Rotherham are 3/1 despite an opening day 1-0 defeat at Exeter, while Wrexham are fourth favourites at 16/5 following the 3-2 triumph over Wycombe, but neither of those quite look the value picks.
Instead, Huddersfield at 10/3 hold appeal after a statement victory at recent play-off competitors Peterborough and, with so many moving parts of the squad, Michael Duff has shown his managerial class to deliver such a commanding opening day performance.
Charlton can also be backed at 10/3 after a great start under Nathan Jones, winning 1-0 at Wigan, while Lincoln look the value play at 11/2, under a fine coach in Michael Skubala.
It looks highly competitive, though, with so many teams aiming to be in the mix.
Relegation
Crawley Town remain 8/11 for the drop despite beginning with a 2-1 victory over Blackpool.
11/10 second-favourites are Paul Hurst’s Shrewsbury, who opened with a 1-0 defeat at Stevenage and will rely squarely on Aston Villa loanee Tommi O’Reilly for any sort of creativity.
Cambridge are also short in that regard, and could be vulnerable after two close shaves with the drop – the U’s are 11/8 to fall at the third hurdle.
Northampton enjoyed a safe, midtable season last year, after winning promotion from League Two, but could suffer from the losses of Sam Sherring, Marc Leonard and Kieron Bowie in defence, midfield and attack respectively, and are 13/8 to plummet.
We think Burton (9/4), Leyton Orient (5/2) and Stevenage (3/1) will all be fine this season, while Mansfield and Exeter (also 3/1) have boosted their chances by getting three points on the board nice and early.
League Two
Promotion
MK Dons have widened to 6/4 for promotion with Betfair after a 2-1 loss to Bradford, but they remain favourites and, having played well in that game and created a lot of chances, with Liam Kelly pulling the strings in midfield, Mike Williamson’s side should find form very soon.
Fellow Play-Off Semi-Finalists of last year, Doncaster continued their sumptuous form from the final quarter of 2023-24 into this campaign, and after a ruthless 4-1 victory over Accrington Stanley, including fine strikes from Luke Molyneux (x2), Jordan Gibson and Billy Sharp, they look a threat at 13/8.
Also 4-1 victors at the weekend were Gillingham, who swept aside fellow promotion aspirants Carlisle with a clinical attacking showing, something we haven’t associated with the Kent outfit prior to Mark Bonner’s summer appointment – they’re 2/1 to reach League One.
Chesterfield are 9/5 to attain back-to-back promotions, although Paul Cook’s star-studded squad could only manage a 1-1 draw with Swindon on opening night.
Port Vale are ones to watch at 11/5 after beginning with a 2-1 victory at Salford, as Darren Moore’s side benefit from the higher-level pedigree of George Byers in midfield.
Elsewhere, Notts County are 16/5 for promotion after being one of the best attacking sides in the league last season, and they’re hoping to remain that if Alassana Jatta can replace talisman Macaulay Langstaff, while they’ve strengthened defensively with fine additions like Jacob Bedeau.
Relegation
Morecambe are unfortunately a value play at 5/2 with Betfair for the drop because, while they do have their greatest ever manager in Derek Adams at the helm, they’re also plagued by financial uncertainty which has compromised the standard of their recruitment, and may yet incur a points deduction.
Harrogate Town, however, could be vulnerable, too, at 7/2, with question marks over the spine for Simon Weaver’s side, who aren’t expecting to be active in the remainder of the transfer window.
Accrington Stanley, on the other hand, look to be in for a struggle at 11/2 with bet365, with the mood around the club suffering from the careless treatment of legendary manager John Coleman – that mood may sour with a poor start.
Newport are 4/1 to drop through the EFL’s trapdoor under an unknown quantity in Nelson Jardim, although there can be some encouragement taken their performance in the 3-2 loss at Cheltenham, which deserved at least a point.
Swindon meanwhile, could be ones to plummet at 11/2, after ownership and structural issues led to their lowest ever finish last year – there’s a chance they could implode.
EFL Betting Tips from Gabriel Sutton
About Gab Sutton
Known for offering an expert opinion on all things EFL, Gab Sutton is a man to listen to when he talks about the Football League.
Every week, he brings his best picks in the form of Sutton’s Acca to mark your card for the weekend action.
On top of this, Gab also delivers a huge amount of insight into the EFL via his Twitter feed, so if you want to keep on top of what’s happening away from the Premier League then give Gab a follow on Twitter.
What is the EFL?
The EFL covers three of the four English leagues, consisting of the Championship, League One and League Two.
Each league has promotion and relegation, with the main goal for clubs being to get out of the Championship and up into the Premier League.
Coverage of the Premier League is everywhere, but here at Freebets, we want to focus on more than just top flight football. Thanks to the incredible knowledge Gabriel has, we’ve got an expert on hand to guide us through the Championship, League One and League Two every week of the season.
From battles at the bottom to those fighting for promotion, with three leagues, there is sure to be plenty of excitement in the 2024/25 season.
Championship Betting Tips
The second tier of English football, and the league often referred to as the toughest to gain promotion from in the world.
The prize is big, a place in the Premier League, arguably the greatest football league in the world.
But of course, everyone wants to get there. That makes the Championship highly competitive, and the 2024/25 season could well be the most competitive ever given the line up we have.
League One Betting Tips
League One comes in the middle of the pack, but has been home to a number of bigger names in recent years, and the coming season is no different.
The likes of Birmingham, Bolton, Barnsley, Charlton, Reading and Peterborough have records that show they can compete much higher, so once again, a tight finish to the season is expected.
League Two Betting Tips
League Two almost always offers a competitive environment at the top, with four teams promoted up into League One.
There’s plenty of focus points, but of course, the entire world will have eyes on Wrexham, finally back in the football league, with Hollywood ownership and ambitions to make it back-to-back promotions, they will grab 99% of the attention on this league, for sure.
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