Matthew O'Regan is back with his weekly EFL column, picking out his best bets for the action across the Championship, League One, and League Two.
Sheffield Wednesday vs Bristol City
Sheffield Wednesday vs Bristol City Over 2.5 Goals 1/1 – 1 point - 10/11 with Bet365/Betfred/BetMGM
It has been a summer of doom and gloom for Sheffield Wednesday. Off the pitch, popular manager Danny Rohl departed, and the future of the club is still unknown. On the pitch, they have taken just one point from their opening four games – the only redeeming factor is the one side below them is their bitter city rivals- Sheffield United.
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Henrik Pederson’s side were brave in the opener at Leicester, taking an early lead and looked good value for a point before an 87th minute Wout Faes winner for the hosts. They were then routinely beaten 0-3 by Stoke, before coming from two goals down to earn a point at Wrexham. Swansea then made light work of defeating them 0-2, meaning over 2.5 goals has landed in 3/4 league games for Wednesday.
Visiting Hillsborough are Bristol City, sat just inside the playoff positions – as they finished last season. After Liam Manning was poached by Norwich in pre-season, the Robins hierarchy wasted no time in appointing Gehard Strüber. The Austrian’s side’s exude chaos, and this has been evident this season, with 1-4 (Sheffield United) and 4-2 (Hull) wins already this season.
If City are true to form, Saturday’s encounter could be a high-scoring, end to end thriller.
Wrexham vs QPR
Wrexham vs QPR - Both Teams To Score - 4/5 – 2 points - Widely Available
Another side who have seen chaotic games are Wrexham. After securing three successive promotions, The Red Dragons have made their intentions clear by spending over £30m in the Summer window.
2-1 and 2-3 losses to open the season against Southampton and West Brom were perhaps a reality check. Phil Parkinson’s side then collapsed in the second half to draw 2-2 with Sheffield Wednesday, leaving them with just one point from the opening three games.
However, they were finally rewarded with a win, defeating Millwall 0-2 – a game the hosts accumulated 2 xG. This was the only game in the league and cup that hasn’t seen at least three goals.
QPR had an exciting transfer window, with their attack in particular amongst one of the strongest in the leagues. However, it has not been plain sailing for the Hoops who sit 18th. A 1-1 draw started the season at home Preston – before back-to-back away defeats against Watford (2-1) and Coventry (7-1.) Clarity was then restored with a 3-1 win over Charlton, meaning BTTS has landed in all four games and over 2.5 goals has landed in 3/4.
Bradford vs Huddersfield
Joe Taylor (Huddersfield) To Score Anytime – 11/4 – 1 point – Bet 365 with Super Sub
0.5 Points- Joe Taylor to Score 2+ goals – 20/1
Both Teams To Score – 4/5 – 1.5 points
Bradford have had a great start in their League One return, sat fifth. A 3-1 defeat to rivals Doncaster last weekend marked their first defeat and also made it a sixth game from seven where they failed to keep a clean sheet. Only Northampton – who have scored the fewest goals in the league, have failed to breach the Bantams defence.
Cue the visit of Huddersfield – the league top scorers who have scored in every game so far. After a disappointing campaign last year, The Terriers hierarchy opted for the inexperienced Lee Grant to be the new manager. They also went big in the transfer window and now have an embarrassment of attacking riches at their disposal.
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One of these is Joe Taylor, who was rewarded with a start against Peterborough, scoring one and hitting the post in the 3-2 victory. The 22-year-old worked tirelessly and was good value for his goal- sweeping up the Man Of The Match award in the process. He now has three goals in 310 League One minutes, as well as scoring a brace in 57 minutes in 6-2 EFL Trophy triumph over Newcastle academy.
Against a leaky Bantams defence, Taylor looks good value to add to his goal tally.
