It’s the last round of fixtures before the World Cup break and Gaz has selected a juicy treble for this weekend’s EFL action.
Gillingham v Northampton
Sat 12th Nov 15:00
Northampton are currently third in the League 2 and that’s mainly due to their performances on the road, losing on just one occasion. While their recent league run (W1, D3, L1) doesn’t make for great reading, they’ve faced some of the leagues top sides over that period. The Cobblers travel to Gillingham on Saturday to face a side that are languishing in 22nd position. The Gills are hard to beat at Prietsfields (W2,D4, L2) but lack firepower scoring just 4 goals in their 8 home matches. Northampton have scored in all but one away league game (against table toppers Leyton Orient) and if they get on the scoresheet here they should cruise to 3 points. At 31/20 a Northampton win looks a great bet.
Crewe v Colchester
Sat 12th Nov 15:00
Colchester sit rock bottom of the Football League and need a sharp turnaround in fortunes if they are to save their league status. The main reason they’re bottom is their toxic away form, picking up just 1 point from a possible 24 (W0, D1, L7). The U’s haven’t won any of their last 5 league matches (W0, D2, L3) and look like a team bereft of confidence.
Crewe are the home side on Saturday and although they’ve come through a sticky spell in the league themselves (W0, D3, L2), last weekends FA Cup victory is just the tonic they needed. The Railwaymen are tough to beat at Alexandra Stadium (W3, D3, L2) and they should be able to turnover Colchester in this one. A Crewe win at 13/10 is the bet here.
Luton v Rotherham
Sat 12th Nov 15:00
Luton are fast earning the tag of “draw specialists”, particularly at home where they’ve drawn 6 of 10 matches (W2, D6, L2). The Hatters currently sit in ninth position in the Championship table and will very much be looking at another tilt at the playoffs. The last week may but a spanner in the works though with manager Nathan Jones jumping ship to take the vacant Southampton job. Jones is a hero at Kenilworth Road and I don’t think his departure should be underestimated. With that in mind I think it’s worth taking them on in this one.
Rotherham ended a pretty atrocious run of 3 losses on the spin in mid-week with a 0-1 victory over high flyers Sheffield United. The Millers will be buoyed by that and definitely have the ability to cause the home side problems. They’ve only failed to get on the scoresheet in 3 of their 20 league matches and with that in mind the 11/10 for Rotherham double chance is tempting. I’m going for full greed with a Rotherham win though as I can’t allow 4/1 to go unbacked.
Smart Bets
Gillingham v Northampton : Northampton Win @ 31/20 (5 points)
Crewe v Colchester : Crewe Win @ 13/10 (2 points)
Luton v Rotherham: Rotherham Win @ 4/1 (1 point)
Above in a treble 29/1 (1 point)
