TheACCAdemics.com landed the first All Action Acca of the season last weekend for 68 units and now Gaz shares his best bets for the weekends Championship, League One and League Two action.
Cheltenham v Stevenage
Sat 23 Sep 15:00
Cheltenham have had a horrific start to the season picking up just one point from their opening 8 matches. They are the only side in the EFL that have failed to score a single goal thus far, that’s 720 minutes without a goal for Wade Elliot’s side. Tuesday’s away drubbing at the hands on Peterborough see’s The Robins rooted to the bottom of the table and things don’t look like getting better anytime soon. As if the picture wasn’t bleak enough for Cheltenham fans, Tuesday also saw two strikers sent off which will limit their attacking threat further.
Stevenage’s strong start has tapered off in recent weeks but they’ve still only tasted defeat once in the league this season (W4, D3, L1). They’ve drawn 5 of their last 6 matches in all competitions which is a slight concern, however this looks like an opportunity to get back on track. The Boro have conceded just 6 goals in their opening 8 matches with only two sides boasting a better record.
Steve Evans side are usually pretty resilient and lead the league in expected goals against (XGA: 1.00). To me this looks a complete mismatch and I’m surprised to see Stevenage available at odds against (11/10) which I cant leave unbacked. For those looking to add some more juice, combining an away win & under 2.5 goals at odds of 16/5 looks like a decent play.
Sutton United v MK Dons
Sat 23 Sep 15:00
Sutton sit bottom of the Football League with just 3 points from their opening 8 games. United’s sole victory came on the opening day of the season meaning it’s 7 defeats on-the-spin for Matt Gray’s side. Their major issue has been conceding goals which worryingly seems to have gotten worse in recent weeks. They conceded a total of 20 goals thus far, the worst in League Two, but 9 of those have come in their last two matches. If they can’t shore up defensively it will be a long season for the Surrey side.
Unfortunately for Sutton they are welcoming one of the leagues best attacking sides this weekend. The MK Dons are yet to fail to score this term and I can’t see that changing here. I’ve previously mentioned striker Mo Eisa as a key man for the Dons and, after a bit of a cold spell, he was back on the scoresheet last weekend. The Dons are going through a sticky patch having failed to win in their last 3 matches (W0, D1, L2) and that’s probably why the bookmakers are dangling odds of 31/20. That’s enough to tempt me in, however I also can’t see this being a low scoring affair given Sutton’s aforementioned defensive woes. Combining an away win with over 1.5 goals at odds of 19/10 is my play here.
Crewe Alexandra v Colchester Utd
Sat 23 Sep 15:00
Crewe have been one of League Two’s entertainers so far this season netting 19 goals in their opening 8 matches. They’ve been particularly prolific at home scoring 11 in 4 games, an average of 2.75 goals per game. The Railwaymen are unbeaten at Alexandra Stadium and I fancy them to keep that run going on Saturday.
Colchester have turned things around recently having lost 4 of their first 5 matches but I’m still unconvinced by them, particularly on the road. This is a bit of a gut call but at 29/20 a home win looks decent value.
Smart Bets
Cheltenham v Stevenage – Stevenage Win @ 11/10 (3 points)
Crewe v Colchester – Crewe Win @ 29/20 (1 Point)
Sutton United v MK Dons – MK Dons & O1.5 goals @ 19/10 (1 point)
Above in a treble @ 14/1 (1 Point)
