EFL Betting Tips with Gab Sutton
Gab Sutton 
Will Jackson
EFL expert Gabriel Sutton will continue to bring you his betting tips and EFL predictions for every round of the new season here on Free Bets.
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 the Championship, as well as League One & League Two.
Blackburn Rovers v Birmingham City
Birmingham drew 1-1 with Ipswich on opening night, and it was a very positive performance from Chris Davies’ side.
Blues came up from League One, smashing the Football League points record, with plenty of confidence around what would be possible in the Championship, but it was also good to see that play out on the pitch, against the promotion favourites, no less.
The B9 outfit were aggressive against the ball, played good football and created chances, with Jay Stansfield and Kyogo Furuhashi already establishing an understanding.
The xG’s might have been similar, Birmingham’s 1.18 to Ipswich’s 1.27, but 0.75 of the latter was accounted for by a penalty that shouldn’t have been given, which was their only shot on target.
So, the hosts were the clear better team, despite a late rally from their opponents, and they’ll be keen to take confidence from that display to Ewood Park.
Hosts Blackburn didn’t create what they wanted to at West Brom on opening day: despite trailing for 75 minutes of that 1-0 defeat at the Hawthorns, they only managed an xG of 0.26, and are certainly missing some guile, link-up and quality in the final third.
Sheffield Wednesday v Stoke City
All the focus at Sheffield Wednesday, right now, is on owner Dejphon Chansiri, the chaos and instability that he’s brought to the club, and whether he’ll sell.
If you gave Wednesdayites the chance to start next season in League One, but with the right owner, they would be thrilled – so the football feels almost inconsequential, as if a distraction from the major issues, which has been players and staff not getting paid in full on time.
Then again, there were signs in last Sunday’s opening day 2-1 loss at Leicester, that Henrik Pedersen is fostering a togetherness amid the uncertainty, with the Owls managing a surprisingly competitive first half performance.
Furthermore, their best XI is limited but mildly acceptable at Championship level, especially as the suspension for captain Barry Bannan, following his red card in the East Midlands, was only for the EFL Cup game in midweek.
However, their bench is extremely youthful, and it’s impossible for Pedersen to make substitutions without suffering a drop in quality.
As such, we could see in August, while their on-field fortunes are still to be determined, Wednesday produce some tight, compact, spirited first half showings in which they give little away, and then come under greater pressure in the second halves.
From that perspective, there could be some value in backing against them via the Half-Time/Full-Time markets in the first couple of months, predicting a defeat but with the scores having been level at the break.
Visitors Stoke have a very deep squad with a strong bench, which Mark Robins’ side proved in their opening day 3-1 victory over Derby, with Jamie Donley, for instance, after starring in League One last season with Leyton Orient, coming off the bench to lay off the third goal.
Blackpool v Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield have hit the ground running this season, beginning with two wins to nil from two in the league, defeating Leyton Orient and Reading for a perfect start.
Lee Grant looks a gifted coach, as he proved working under Kieran McKenna at Ipswich, and he’s got his ideas across straight away, with talented goalkeeper Owen Goodman, cultured defender Jack Whatmough, tenacious midfielder Ryan Ledson and flying wing-back Mickel Miller making an instant impression.
With that in mind, it’s surprising the Terriers are as big as 17/10 at a Blackpool side who have begun with successive defeats, losing 3-2 to Stevenage and then 4-1 at Exeter, leaking goals despite the additions they’ve made in central defence.
Alfie May will be keen to pounce on that vulnerability, with the League One specialist, who’s starred at this level with Cheltenham, Charlton and Birmingham, having opened his account on opening day.
With Ben Wiles, Ruben Roosken and Joe Taylor to link up with, the attacking quartet could do some damage at Bloomfield Road.
Reading v AFC Wimbledon
After winning promotion courtesy of four successive, crucial, 1-0 victories, and one of the best ‘goals against’ records in League Two in the last 10 years, it was clear that Wimbledon’s big strength in League One would be their defensive foundations – and that’s exactly how it’s panned out.
Sure, the Dons didn’t create much at Luton on the opening night, facing a side with Premier League parachute payments, but they were superbly organised, limiting their expensively-assembled opponents to a mere six shots all game, and needing an individual error from Ryan Johnson to win it.
And, ironically, Johnson has been one of their best players in the first two games, that moment aside.
The Wombles began their Plough Lane campaign with a 2-0 victory over Lincoln, too, facing just two shots all afternoon – helped by an early dismissal.
Johnnie Jackson’s side have a water-tight back-three of Isaac Ogundere, Joe Lewis and Johnson, they have diligent wing-backs in Nathan Asiimwe and Steve Seddon, and a physical powerhouse in midfield in Ali Smith.
Goalkeeper Nathan Bishop hasn’t had a lot to do just yet, but he’s also shown positive signs of being a vocal figure, learning under a top goalkeeping coach in Ashley Bayes.
Hosts Reading haven’t had the start they wanted, suffering back-to-back league defeats without scoring – so if they do manage to beat Wimbledon, it’s likely to be a 1-0.
Shrewsbury Town v Colchester United
Colchester look extremely underrated by the bookies, when we look at how hosts Shrewsbury have started.
Michael Appleton’s men drew 0-0 with Bromley on the opening day, before being thumped 4-0 at Tranmere last weekend, and a 3-1 loss at Grimsby in the EFL Cup in midweek.
The criticism is that Appleton is getting his players to play a style that they’re not built to play, because his background is working with top young players who have an elite youth reputation – and that’s just not the profile of this squad.
Conversely, the U’s are a great pressing side under Danny Cowley, who is meticulous about how his sides approach games against the ball; they like to play forwards early with positivity and have plenty of pace in attack with Jaden Williams and Kyreece Lisbie.
Plus, while Shrewsbury are starting a project from scratch, after relegation last season, ColU are looking to build on a top 10 finish last season, with great form from the last two thirds of the campaign – giving them a far more advanced starting point.
So, for Colchester to be at odds slightly shorter than 2/1 represents great value.
EFL Betting Tips from Gabriel Sutton
You've got Gab Sutton's EFL betting tips for this week, but how about for the whole season?
He made these pre-season predictions in July 👇
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 season, and we'll always combine that with odds from the best betting sites who cover the EFL.
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 new season could well be the most competitive ever given the line up we have. The Championship will feature heavily in our football tips, as we put together selections in the second tier.
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.
Some big clubs are down here and have records that show they can compete much higher, so once again, a tight finish to the season is expected, but that won't stop us giving our betting tips for the games taking place.
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, as teams look to battle it out and escape the fourth tier of English football, moving up the pyramid to where they think they belong.
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