There is plenty of midweek EFL action to whet your appetite on Tuesday as we continue full steam ahead towards the busy winter period.
PP footie tipster James O’Rourke has rolled up his sleeves, dived head-first into each game, and picked out a punt from games in the Championship, League One, and League Two.
Since this is a five-fold Acca, we’re covered by Paddy’s footy Acca betting offer, so should one leg let you down, you’ll get your stake back. Let’s get into it.
EFL Football Accumulator Tips
Leeds v Watford – Leeds to win and under 3.5 goals
Sheffield Wednesday v Swansea – Under 2.5 goals
Crawley v Lincoln – Lincoln to win
Stevenage v Cambridge – Under 2.5 goals
Chesterfield v Colchester – Both teams to score: yes
- An Acca with these bets pays at approximately 18/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP.
All games kick off at 7:45pm
Leeds v Watford – Leeds to win and under 3.5 goals
Leeds extended their unbeaten run to five after overcoming local and likely promotion rivals Sheffield United 2-0 on Friday night. Based on the 1.19 – 0.20 xG on the night, it was a deserving victory. However, they were still made to work for the three points.
They take on a Watford side that had a Saturday lunchtime nightmare when going down 3-0 to their arch-rivals Luton. Therefore, a trip to Elland Road is probably the last place they want to go. Although they remain on the edges of the play-off positions, it would be fair to say this is largely down to their home record.
Tom Cleverley’s side have claimed 13 of their 16 points at Vicarage Road.
Still, The Hornets will expect to produce some kind of reaction here after being a clear second-best over the weekend. As mentioned, Leeds is not an easy place to achieve that, but strange things can and will happen with the schedule as it is.
Watford may look to tighten up defensively after a defensive horror show, which could lead to frustrating their talented opponents in spells. However, they will still likely come off second best on the night.
United are starting to get their act back together at home, having won three of their past four at Elland Road. In each of those victories, they kept a clean sleet.
Both teams can say only two of their ten Championship battles this season featured at least four goals. On Tuesday, a home win with no more than three goals is the most likely outcome.
Sheffield Wednesday v Swansea – Under 2.5 goals
Inconsistency continues to plague both Sheffield Wednesday and Swansea. The Owls suffered a 2-0 home loss to Burnley on Saturday, which, in truth, wasn’t wholly unexpected, but it meant they couldn’t back up the away victory at Coventry from before the international break.
They’ve not yet won back-to-back league matches all season.
Swansea went down narrowly 1-0 away to Blackburn, who are in the play-offs, at the weekend, meaning their last six reads two wins, two draws and two defeats. They claimed four points in this head-to-head renewal last season, which gives hope of a positive outcome to come.
One thing that is highly likely on Tuesday night is Wednesday rotating their starting eleven. Manager Danny Röhl is well known for making a change or two when midweek games come around, but the fact they play again as quickly as Friday means his hands are somewhat forced anyway. A
n added advantage is that they are playing back-to-back home games, whereas Swansea are forced into a second long away trip in quick succession. Changes may mean the home side are fresher, but settling into a groove when rotation occurs isn’t straightforward.
The Swans may make some alterations themselves, which points towards this being a bit of a slow-burner.
Luke Williams’ side have developed a habit of being involved in low-scoring games anyway, and they may drag Wednesday into such an altercation. City’s league encounters this season are averaging only 1.50 per match.
This currently gives them the odd combination of being the joint-lowest scorers but having the joint third-strongest defence in the Championship.
Crawley v Lincoln – Lincoln to win
Rob Elliot is enduring a nightmare in the Crawley dugout despite only being in charge for four games. Since leaving Gateshead, he has been unable to halt their losing run, which has extended to seven in all competitions. Furthermore, Town are winless in their previous 12 league and cup games inside 90 minutes.
However, Elliot described his side as dominant despite losing 4-1 to Reading at the weekend. In his defence, they did enjoy 62% possession and won the xG battle 1.97 – 1.31.
However, they face a Lincoln team on Tuesday that tends to make something of a mockery of various statistics. They sit just outside the play-off positions on goal difference despite holding the lowest average ball possession in League One.
They also have an xG ranked 14th in the division, and the Imps have had the fewest shots on goal out of all 24 clubs.
Crawley may be the perfect opponent for Lincoln to have to bounce back from their weekend setback. There was no disgrace in losing to a Birmingham side looking far too good for this level, especially as it was only the second loss in their previous ten in all competitions.
Tuesday’s home side had plenty of the ball against Reading yet still conceded four goals. Lincoln boss Michael Skubala will be rubbing his hands at the prospect of this match, as it simply plays into his team’s strengths.
For all that Elliot may say, his team are starting to improve; the reality is they’ve conceded at least four goals in three straight games. Also, they take on a City outfit that has been unbeaten away from home since New Year’s Day.
Stevenage v Cambridge – Under 2.5 goals
If goals are your thing, then Stevenage probably aren’t your team! Only 16 times across their 11 League One battles has the net bulged at either end. It has proved that keeping games rather tight is a somewhat successful strategy for them, given they sit just a point outside the play-offs.
Manager Alex Revell has undoubtedly used the defensive framework set by former boss Steve Evans to make them incredibly hard to beat, particularly at home. Only Lincoln have managed to take any points off them at Lamex Stadium.
It was an impressive 1-0 triumph on the road for Boro on Saturday when overcoming fourth-placed Mansfield. Another team that had a great weekend was Cambridge, and yes, you read that right! Their winless start to the campaign is no more as under pressure, Garry Monk oversaw a 2-0 home success against Wigan.
A bad omen for Stevenage is that only 16 goals overall have been present in Wigan league contests this season. It wouldn’t be too harsh to say Wigan are a little more pleasing to the eye, but the biggest compliment about Stevenage is that no opponent enjoys facing them.
Cambridge’s challenge now is to arrest their away record, which reads that they played five and lost five in league action. Therefore, they wouldn’t be too unhappy to see this match become a little scrappy. Monk, a former centre-back, will make his side hard to beat to try and build upon a rare win.
As we all know, Stevenage love close matches, and it would be somewhat counterproductive if this had too many goals.
Chesterfield v Colchester – Both teams to score: Yes
Anyone lucky enough to have purchased a ticket to one or maybe even all Chesterfield home games this season will have certainly got their money’s worth. Goals have been the name of the game in that respect, as every one of their seven home encounters in all competitions involved both teams scoring.
Ironically, six of their eight away fixtures in league and cup did not, suggesting an open style in front of their supporters.
The Spireites enter this on a high after a confident 3-0 away success at Newport on Friday night. They are unbeaten at home but have suffered too many draws for their liking, so they’ll look to take the good of the last match into Tuesday.
Paul Cook’s side have one of four remaining unbeaten home records in the division, and they take on a Colchester outfit with one of two remaining winless away records in League Two.
Despite zero away triumphs, Danny Cowley’s side have mainly remained competitive in these encounters. Besides a 4-0 loss at Walsall last month, all other away assignments featured both teams scoring. They have a league xG that is only narrowly behind their Tuesday night opposition despite achieving seven fewer points.
Knowing Chesterfield have shipped two or more in back-to-back home fixtures will give any visiting side hope at SMH Group Stadium.
However, United are five without a win, so Cowley will look to fire up his players for a considerable effort here simply because they need to if they want a positive result, but that is entirely possible.
EFL Accumulator Tips
Leeds v Watford – Leeds to win and under 3.5 goals
Sheffield Wednesday v Swansea – Under 2.5 goals
Crawley v Lincoln – Lincoln to win
Stevenage v Cambridge – Under 2.5 goals
Chesterfield v Colchester – Both teams to score: yes
- 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.
READ MORE
- Shoot on over to Paddy Power News for the best Football Betting Tips & News
- Premier League top scorer odds: Who are the favourites to win the Golden Boot this season?
- Premier League title odds: Who will win the crown this season?
- Paddy’s Super Sub totaliser: Almost 100,000 EPL bets win from our ace offer so far in 2024/25
The latest football odds are on PaddyPower.com now