**UPDATE: Harrogate vs Cheltenham and Barrow vs Exeter have both been postponed to unplayable pitches**
*All odds in copy correct at time of publication and they’re always bang on with our clever live betting banners.
3pm: Birmingham v Blackburn – Blackburn to Win
Birmingham welcome Blackburn to St Andrew’s on the back of a humbling 4-0 loss to Derby and with questions over the future of Aitor Karanka growing harder to ignore. The Blues sit 18th and have taken just one point from their last five games.
Blackburn have been in slightly better form with a win, a draw and three losses in their last five as a promising first third of the season threatens to go off the rails. They’re 14th in The Championship and have a knack of beating the teams below them.
However, that’s come at a price and they’ve struggled against those above them – a group that is steadily growing. Tony Mowbray’s men will be looking forward to getting back on track against a woefully out of form Birmingham with a Blackburn Win on Saturday.
3pm: AFC Wimbledon v Lincoln
One of the worst home records in League One takes on one of the best away records as Lincoln travel to AFC Wimbledon’s new Plough Lane stadium this weekend. Lincoln have risen to the top of the table on the back of some convincing wins against the league’s lesser lights recently.
The Dons, despite having some games in hand, fall into that category. They’re 18th in the league and have picked up just one point from their last five games with their last win coming six back.
The Imps have won won four and lost two over the same timeframe, slaying the league’s 19th, 20th, 22nd and 24th-placed teams on the way. It’s been a pretty kind run for them and they’ve proven time and time again that they can dispatch the weaker sides. We’re expecting that trend to continue with a Lincoln Win.
3pm: Barrow v Exeter – Over 2.5 Goals
Exeter are comfortably the EFL’s highest scoring side despite having up to two games in hand on many of the other 71 clubs in the pyramid. They’ve scored a whopping 40 goals but they’re far from watertight at the back which explains why they’re only 7th in League Two and not running away with the division.
In all, their 19 league games this season have seen 66 goals – an average of 3.47 per game. The goals have been shared out fairly evenly home and away but they’ll be coming into this contest fresh after recent postponements due to an unplayable pitch at Newport and Stevenage’s Covid cancellations.
This weekend they travel to Barrow who are 20th in League Two. The Cumbrian outfit have also been in the goals with an average of 2.86 per game in their 21 games this season. Exeter’s away form isn’t amazing and with these two’s combined average goals per game working out at 3.17, backing the Over 2.5 Goals makes good sense.
3pm: Harrogate v Cheltenham – Cheltenham to Win
This game sees another in form away side heading to a team who are struggling at home. Harrogate have taken a shocking six points from a potential 27 on their own patch this season with 19 of their 25 points coming on the road.
Cheltenham sit one place below Town in the away form table in fourth with five wins two draws and three defeats on their travels. At home Harrogate have won one, drawn three and lost five.
Cheltenham are 4th in League Two while Harrogate have slumped to 17th after some early-season promise. The Robins’ good form and Town’s woeful home form means backing the Cheltenham away Win is the way to go here.
Tips for Saturday’s EFL games
Birmingham v Blackburn – Blackburn to Win
AFC Wimbledon v Lincoln – Lincoln to Win
Barrow v Exeter – Over 2.5 Goals
Harrogate v Cheltenham – Cheltenham to Win
*All odds in copy correct at time of publication and they’re always bang on with our clever live betting banners.
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