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Second-placed Bradford a great price for trip to Orient
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Swindon again too good to turn down in League Two 31/132.00 treble
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Alan Dudman previews this weekend's action in the EFL in his latest tipsheet
League One
Alex Revell's Stevenage maintain one of the best defences at home in the division with just three conceded in Hertfordshire in eight of their matches and surely a win and a clean sheet is on the cards against Burton?
That record rates as the fewest of any side across England's top four tiers alongside Premier League leaders Arsenal so the Under 2.5 Goals has to the call here.
Burton have won three on the road but Stevo's home xA of 0.99 will be difficult to breach and while the hosts did lose at home recently against Cardiff, they did concede late and Burton won't pose the same sort of threat.
Back Stevenage to win and Under 2.5 Goals
Bolton continue to mystify with their away form - as they've won just twice on the road all season and scored seven in nine on their travels. If it matched their home form, they'd be running away with this league.
Wycombe are up to 12th under Michael Duff, and steady signs of improvement gives them a chance to push on after Christmas, but I am finding it difficult to split these two.
Seven of Bolton's nine away games have been Under 2.5 Goals, while seven of Wycombe's last 10 have also hit that target.
Teams are setting up in a 5-4-1 to combat Bolton's wide players cutting in and thus condense the middle, and while the Unders could be included here, the draw with the 90 minutes payout to cancel out any late goals looks fair enough at 15/82.88.
Back the draw in 90 minutes payout market
No side has lost more points from winning positions in League One this season than Leyton Orient (15), falling to a 3-2 loss against Barnsley last time out despite being ahead 2-1 after Ollie O'Neill's 38th minute strike.
I do think the O's are better than their current league position, but they've been far too inconsistent.
Bradford's season has been excellent as they sit in second and with just one defeat away and a superb backline with just nine conceded on the road, they look overpriced to me at 9/52.80.
The Bantams have lost just three of their last 18 league games against sides from London (W8 D7), winning their last two in succession and with Orient missing Aaron Connolly through injury, we've got a good price for our treble.
Back Bradford to beat Leyton Orient
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League Two
I opposed Salford last weekend with Colchester, and they were 3-1 down to Danny Cowley's side in the second-half before mounting a barnstorming comeback to win 4-3, and thus a bet gone.
Karl Robinson's side are now sixth and while I mentioned them choking last term, it's still in the back of my mind but I will give them the benefit of doubt for this fixture as Barnet are not a consistent side.
One win in November for the Bees came against the worst League Two side Bristol Rovers, who were dreadful, and Dean Brennan's men conceded three at Chesterfield recently in a bad loss.
Salford's xG away is a big 1.46 and they've hit 12 from 20 on the BTTS market this term, and with goals on the cards, Salford look a better bet with the Bees way too short in the market.
Back Salford and Over 2.5 Goals v Barnet
Swindon often are priced up fairly generously, as was the case last Saturday at 13/102.30 against Bristol Rovers. It was a comfy tip for the column with Ian Holloway's side winning 3-0, and it could have been fix or six as they had two very clear penalties declined.
Crawley's defence away is actually worse than Bristol Rovers' and that has to be cause for major concern. Their xA away is a massive 1.69 and with seven away defeats, I'd have Swindon shorter here.
No side in League Two this season have conceded as many goals from set pieces as Crawley (16) and with Ollie Palmer for the hosts sure to be a problem, the 8/111.73 looks the way, and I would be tempted to throw in BTTS or Over 2.5 too.
Back Swindon to beat Crawley
Good old Chesterfield. Two weeks running we've landed a BTTS 'Yes' bet in the first half with them at 3/14.00 each time, but Saturday will be a different sort of test against Shrewsbury.
The hosts are a bit of a stodgy side but at 2/13.00, their home record is not the worst. In fact with three wins and four draws (and just 11 conceded), the 2/13.00 on offer here is just too big, with Chesterfield, who can play on the edge a little, a far too short 5/42.25 in the 90 minutes market.
Chesterfield have struck 36 goals in League Two this season from an xG total of just 22.36, their +13.64 xG overperformance is the highest of any side in the fourth tier, but the hosts will make this a horrible affair, which is unlikely to suit Paul Cook's expansive team.
Back Shrewsbury to beat Chesterfield
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