Football Tips: Your ultimate guide to the weekend EFL playoff games – including a 20/1 acca

Our tipster Colin Harvey leads us through the thrilling world of the EFL playoffs.

By / Football Tips / 12 months ago

Football Betting Tips

Saturday 3pm: Bolton v Barnsley
Best Bet: Barnsley to Win
Acca Play: Under 2.5 Goals

Saturday 5.30pm: Sunderland v Luton
Best Bet: Correct Score: 1-1
Acca Play: Both Teams To Score

Saturday 7.45pm: Salford v Stockport
Best Bet: Stockport to Win
Acca Play: Over 2.5 Goals

Sunday 12pm: Coventry v Middlesbrough
Best Bet: Coventry to Win
Acca Play: Under 2.5 Goals

Sunday 7pm: Bradford v Carlisle
Best Bet: The Draw
Acca Play: Both Teams To Score

An acca with these bets pays at approximately 20/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD TO YOUR BETSLIP

The latest football odds are on PaddyPower.com now

Strap yourselves in. It’s time for the greatest show on earth; the EFL post-season playoffs. We’ve got five first legs across this Saturday and Sunday so we thought we’d give them a good old shake down the a best bet and an acca suggestion for each game which adds up to a handy price.

We’ll kick off with Saturday’s first game and it comes from League One. Oh, and if you’re looking for Peterborough v Sheffield Wednesday tips on Friday night, just follow the link.

Saturday 3pm: Bolton v Barnsley

TV: Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football

League One’s 5th and 4th placed sides, Bolton and Barnsley, meet here to get us underway and helpfully these two have met three times this term with an FA Cup match adding to the two regulation league clashes. Less helpfully these two have won one each and shared a draw.

Best Bet

That’s the beauty of the playoffs, these are evenly matched teams knowing that a year’s work is on the line. One pattern we’ve noticed is that both wins went for the away side and Barnsley are undefeated on Bolton’s patch this term. In a close contest backing Barnsley to Win at the prices, with that 50% win record at the Unibowl this campaign, looks the way to go.

Acca Play

I think, like most of these games, this going to be a close, low-scoring affair. Goals have been hard to come by on Bolton’s turf in recent weeks with just eight goals in the last five games, an average of 1.6 per match and Unders landing 100% of the time. The Tykes are more entertaining but with this particular game being played where it is, Under 2.5 Goals looks a handy leg for a weekend-straddling acca.

Saturday 5.30pm: Sunderland v Luton

TV: Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football

It’s off the The Championship for Saturday evening’s fare next with the madcap Sunderland taking on the fairytale-chasing Luton. The Hatters have had a stunning season and finished 3rd while Tony Mobray’s Black Cats snuck in to 6th on the final day in trademark box-office fashion.

Best Bet

In the barmy and confusing of the EFL playoffs, it’s hard to find anything to cling to. However, the last four times these two have met in the league it’s ended 1-1. It’s a scoreline that’s got the feel of a semi final first leg about it and I’d kick myself if I didn’t put up Correct Score: 1-1 as your best bet here and it came in.

Acca Play

In terms of a leg for your acca, we’re going along a similar theme with Both Teams to Score but giving ourselves a fair bit of wriggle room at the same time. As previously mentioned both sides have netted in all four of their most recent league meetings as well as five of Sunderland’s last seven Championship matches and four of Luton’s last six.

Saturday 7.45pm: Salford v Stockport

TV: Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football

League Two calling on Saturday night and it’s all eyes on the sights and sounds of Salford’s Peninsula Stadium where Stockport are the visitors. County narrowly missed out on automatic promotion while Salford clung onto 7th by virtue of a one-goal better goal difference over Mansfield.

Best Bet

Momentum is everything in the playoffs. Stockport arguably have more of it despite missing out on a top three spot and they have beaten Salford away from home already this season. It was a draw at Edgeley Park but with the away side hunting back-to-back promotions, that away win and the better league finish, I fancy Stockport to Win here.

Acca Play

And it could be a bit of a barn burner. Salford’s games have generally seen plenty of goals in recent times. Before they misplaced their shooting boots in the 1-0 loss to Gillingham on the final day, Salford’s previous five games saw 22 goals at an average of 4.4 per game. For County, they’ve seen 16 goals in their last six games, an average of 2.67 per match. If you’re looking over or under it has to be Over 2.5 Goals.

22- ACCA CRACKER - NEW CAP 1024

Sunday 12pm: Coventry v Middlesbrough

TV: Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football

On to Sunday’s games now and getting the ball rolling is the Championship clash between Coventry and Middlesbrough at midday. Boro finished one place and five points clear of the Sky Blues but are without a win in three games heading into this.

Best Bet

Form can go out the window in the playoffs but, from a betting perspective, we simply can’t ignore it. Coventry beat Boro at home in October and claimed a point up at The Riverside on the final day of the season. City haven’t lost for seven games while the hosts have won just two games in that time. With home advantage in this game and a previous win at the CBS Arena this season over these opponents, Coventry to Win has to be our best bet here.

Acca Play

It’s likely to be a war of attrition, though. There have been just three goals across the two games between these two and one at this venue back towards the start of the season. Generally speaking Middlesbrough score loads of goals but they’ve dried up of late and Coventry have conceded just one a game on average. Under 2.5 Goals has clicked in three of Cov’s last four and Boro’s two most recent matches.

Sunday 7pm: Bradford v Carlisle

TV: Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football

We finish off the first round of EFL playoff matches on Sunday evening in League Two where Bradford, who finished 6th, host Carlisle who finished one place above them by virtue of goal difference. This should be incredibly tight if the team’s point tallies and previous matches this season are anything to go by.

Best Bet

I’ll be putting up The Draw as our best bet here. These two played out a 0-0 at this venue in March while Carlisle won up at their place earlier in the season. They both racked up 76 points, winning 20, drawing 16 and losing 10 apiece. There’s plenty of stalemates in these two’s recent form and I think both will be happy to share the spoils and take it to a one-game shootout up in Cumbria next week.

Acca Play

Another theme of recent games involving these two are both teams scoring. While Both Teams to Score has not clicked in the last four league meetings between these two, it has landed in all four of Bradford’s most recent games and three of the last four for Carlisle. There’s a chance they play out a 0-0 but both defences have been quite lapse of late while the forwards have been keeping up their end of the bargain.

Playoffs Betting Tips

Saturday 3pm: Bolton v Barnsley
Best Bet: Barnsley to Win
Acca Play: Under 2.5 Goals

Saturday 5.30pm: Sunderland v Luton
Best Bet: Correct Score: 1-1
Acca Play: Both Teams To Score

Saturday 7.45pm: Salford v Stockport
Best Bet: Stockport to Win
Acca Play: Over 2.5 Goals

Sunday 12pm: Coventry v Middlesbrough
Best Bet: Coventry to Win
Acca Play: Under 2.5 Goals

Sunday 7pm: Bradford v Carlisle
Best Bet: The Draw
Acca Play: Both Teams To Score

An acca with these bets pays at approximately 20/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD TO YOUR BETSLIP

*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.

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