Our tipster, James O’Rourke, loves a bit of EFL football, and Saturday’s lunchtime kickoff finds him diving into five matches from the Championship and League Two.
He’s poured over the stats and has five value picks, so let’s get right into it.
Oh, and since he’s made five selections, we’re covered by Paddy’s Acca-Cracker insurance, meaning if one leg does let us down, we get our stake back.
Saturday’s EFL Footy Acca tips
*All games kickoff at 12:30
Blackburn v QPR – Both teams to score
Sheffield Wednesday v West Brom – West Brom to score the first goal
Derby v Norwich – Norwich to win either half
Harrogate v Bradford – Under 2.5 goals
Walsall v Colchester – Both teams to score
- An acca with these bets pays at approximately 18/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP.
Blackburn v QPR – Both teams to score
TV: Sky Sports+
Against all odds, Blackburn are riding high in the Championship, and they possess one of only three unbeaten records in the division.
Of course, this will end at some point, and it could even happen this weekend, knowing that QPR are more than capable on their day. However, only Burnley and Sunderland have scored more league goals than Rovers, who are netting an average of 2.00 per game.
That is a major reason they are so hot right now. Although they’ve kept back-to-back clean sheets, those remain their only shutouts of the season, so it remains to be seen if they can continue this strong defensive rearguard.
QPR manager Marti Cifuentes is incredibly focused on what he wants from his team. His philosophy is always to play to win, and he is never totally satisfied with a draw. Therefore, Rangers’ approach will be clear this weekend, as it always is week-to-week.
This style often contributes to entertaining games with big chances at either end a constant sight. It is highlighted by the fact that each and every match they’ve played this season, in league and cup, has seen both teams scoring.
Possessing a striker in top form always helps in regards to a goal threat and Michael Frey has enjoyed a rather rapid rise of late having recorded four goals over his last six appearances.
Sheffield Wednesday v West Brom – West Brom to score the first goal
TV: Sky Sports+
Hopes were high at Hillsborough in pre-season of a much-improved campaign for Sheffield Wednesday, but it seems their 4-0 win over Plymouth on the opening weekend was a bit of a false dawn.
That is, at least, based on recent form in the Championship, given it is five without success, including four defeats where only one goal collectively was scored in reply. Despite this, they continue to use a second string in the League Cup effectively.
Their issue is that heads quickly drop when suffering a setback, and nothing falls for them. The Owls were in line for a great away win at Luton last time out, but Di’Shon Bernard’s red card changed everything. West Brom are one of the hardest opponents they could ask for now.
The Baggies have caught the eye in a big way this season. They impressed in 2023/24 to make the playoffs despite transfer limitations, but already, they sit top of the table, further enhancing the reputation of their Head Coach, Carlos Corberan.
He and his team can do no wrong right now, as they have yet to taste defeat. They also have a striker in Josh Maja in the form of his life. He was a free transfer signing a year ago, and 12 months on, he proudly sits as the Championship’s top scorer with six.
Albion have won all four league contests this season when netting the opening goal, and they’re facing an opponent with only one first-half league goal so far.
Derby v Norwich – Norwich to win either half
TV: Sky Sports Football
Derby County have enjoyed a solid start to life back in the Championship. Context is everything, and it has to be remembered that they’ve spent the last few seasons in League One.
They have been excellent at home, with a 100% record in league and cup this season. Of course, this will end at some point, and it may be this weekend against a talented Norwich, but Rams’ boss Paul Warne knows how to negotiate these sorts of games.
They’ll aim to be hard to beat and look to play on the break, yet it is always risky to play in such a manner at home. Supporters could get restless seeing the opposition dominate the ball, especially if they aren’t offering a threat themselves going forward.
On the flip side, if they do manage to take a lead into half-time, a nervy second half could await, knowing they’ll come under lengthy periods of pressure.
Norwich have taken time to adjust to life under Johannes Hoff Thorup, but there have been big positive signs in recent weeks. Last weekend’s 4-1 home victory against Watford was surely their best performance and best result of the campaign, so they will travel to Pride Park in high spirits.
A few weeks back, they also won at Coventry, so the next port of call is to discover a level of consistency. Given the drastic change in the playing style compared to last season under David Wagner, it isn’t a big shock that they lacked this early in Thorup’s reign.
They look pleasing to the eye, and one positive in their camp ahead of Saturday is that they should be given the luxury of controlling the match in terms of ball possession. They’ll aim for a fast start to try and continue the momentum gained from the Watford triumph, but even if they fell behind, the game plan wouldn’t exactly have to change.
Harrogate v Bradford – Under 2.5 goals
TV: Sky Sports+
North Yorkshire meets West Yorkshire on Saturday lunchtime as Harrogate welcome Bradford to Wetherby Road.
There is a big gulf between the two in terms of the clubs’ sizes, but the fact is this is a League Two fixture. Anyone can really beat anyone on their day, so while City are favourites to gain three points this weekend, Harrogate earned four points from the two meetings played last season.
Perhaps what may swing this contest is knowing that the away side have a considerably greater goal threat, as proved by the Expected Goals statistics. Also, the hosts have the worst Expected Goals Against figure, but it still doesn’t change the fact that anything can happen on the day.
Bradford have just one away clean sheet this season in all competitions, and that was in the EFL Trophy, where clubs heavily rotate their starting X.
They lost away to Grimsby, plus Harrogate defeated Doncaster 2-0 in their previous home league fixture; a team a few spots above Bradford in the table right now.
The local derby element also has to come into play, and such occasions very much fall into the anything-can-happen category. After initially struggling for goals, Harrogate have now scored two or more in back-to-back home clashes in all competitions, which may be a sign of better things to come from them.
Walsall v Colchester – Both teams to score
TV: Sky Sports+
Walsall have finished no higher than 11th over their five seasons at this level following relegation out of League One in 2019, however they currently sit third in the standings seven games in, leading to plenty of excitement from Saddlers supporters.
They took Premier League Leicester City to penalties in a midweek cup tie, which saw them fail to progress, but they have yet to lose at home in 90 minutes this season. In fact, they won their first six at the Poundland Bescot Stadium in 2024/25.
The club holds the third-strongest Expected Goals return in League Two, plus only Gillingham and Barrow have conceded fewer goals, so they’re doing plenty right.
Although Walsall may not ship too many goals, they are facing a Colchester outfit that knows where the back of the net is.
Danny Cowley’s team have fired in more league goals than Saturday’s home side despite possessing six points fewer. It is only Notts County that have scored more goals, but the issue for Colchester is retaining only two out of a possible ten clean sheets in all competitions.
Their three away league encounters this season have averaged 4.67 goals, so a case can always be made on the goal front whenever they are involved. Walsall defensively look set to face a rather unique test, which could drag them into the kind of open match their opponents tend to be involved in.
EFL betting tips
Blackburn v QPR – Both teams to score
Sheffield Wednesday v West Brom – West Brom to score the first goal
Derby v Norwich – Norwich to win either half
Harrogate v Bradford – Under 2.5 goals
Walsall v Colchester – Both teams to score
- An acca with these bets pays at approximately 18/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD IT 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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