We have four Championship matches lined up for Wednesday night, and Paddy’s EFL tipster, James O’Rourke, has combed through the fixtures and found four value picks for you.
EFL Acca betting tips
*All games are televised on Sky Sports+
19:45: Leeds v Norwich – Leeds to win to nil
19:45: Sheffield Wednesday v Bristol City – Under 2.5 goals
19:45: Portsmouth v Stoke City – Half with most goals (second half)
20:00: Plymouth v Burnley – Burnley to win to nil
- An accumulator with these bets pays at approximately 22/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP.
19:45: Leeds United v Norwich City – Leeds to win to nil
Leeds United extended their unbeaten run to ten games when defeating Sheffield Wednesday 3-0 on Sunday. During that period, they’ve secured seven victories, of which six came alongside retaining a clean sheet.
Therefore, they clearly know how to do the job in this fashion. Only Burnley and Sheffield United have conceded fewer home league goals than Daniel Farke’s side.
Norwich visit Elland Road amidst something of an injury crisis. Full-back Kellen Fisher started the weekend loss to Sheffield United in midfield, whilst Canaries boss Johannes Hoff Thorup could not start an out-and-out striker.
It was, therefore, no surprise that they fell to a 2-0 defeat at Bramall Lane. On the day, they only created an xG of 0.35, and a repeat showing would give them a mountain to climb on this second trip to Yorkshire in a few days.
Norwich’s Josh Sargent has appeared off the bench in recent games as he returns from injury. However, he will certainly need some time before returning to his fit and firing best.
Even so, Leeds will still fancy their chances of recording a 16th league clean sheet of the campaign, along with the three points. The away side have also failed to score in six of their 14 away league contests this season and have won only three times on their travels.
19:45: Sheffield Wednesday v Bristol City – Under 2.5 goals
This clash puts together two teams looking to get over weekend defeats. Sheffield Wednesday came off second best to Yorkshire rivals Leeds United on Sunday, whereas Bristol City narrowly lost at Coventry.
Given this, this Wednesday night fixture may become a slog as the two coaches aim to get back to winning ways.
Owls boss Danny Röhl may look to freshen up his team in a few areas, considering they last played on Sunday, a day after Bristol City last played. This is also game two of a three-game week. So, some fresh legs might be needed anyway.
Such changes can disrupt matters somewhat in terms of rhythm. Nine of Sheff Wed’s previous 13 home encounters have contained less than 2.5 goals. So, a repeat would be no shock at all.
They have had consistency issues at home this season, although they have won two of their past three at Hillsborough, both against struggling opponents.
The goals have dried up a little for Liam Manning’s men on the road of late. Over their previous six away games, of which they’ve won none, they’ve failed to score in four of those.
Those meetings have only averaged 2.17 goals overall, anyway. This team are certainly a little more measured on their travels, which should contribute towards a low-scoring contest.
19:45: Portsmouth v Stoke City – Half with most goals (second half)
Portsmouth secured arguably their best result of the season on Saturday after coming from behind to defeat Middlesbrough at Fratton Park. It was a much-needed triumph for John Mousinho’s outfit, having entered that match off the back of three consecutive defeats, all without scoring.
Those three, however, were away, where Pompey have struggled all season. At home, it is a different matter entirely. Six unbeaten at home for them, five of which resulted in victories.
However, the team are certainly playing within quite a hectic schedule. One suspects that it will eventually catch up with them. It would be no surprise if it did, considering the bulk of the team has largely remained unchanged in league action for a little while now.
This is also a high-pressure game against a Stoke team in and around the relegation picture. A tight first half could easily play out, with more goalscoring opportunities appearing after halftime.
As for Stoke, they’re still settling into life with Mark Robins at the helm. He has overseen three draws inside 90 minutes during his time in the dugout. Including Ryan Shawcross’s stint as caretaker, City are five unbeaten and have become much harder to beat.
Therefore, they can be backed to, at the very least, make this awkward for Pompey. They will believe they can get a result here and won’t be coming to park the bus completely. After all, they earned a creditable away draw at West Brom on Saturday, which will give them a handy boost of confidence.
20:00: Plymouth Argyle v Burnley – Burnley to win to nil
It is no surprise to see Burnley deemed relatively short pre-match favourites to get the three points here. The only real conundrum for them is having to negotiate a very long midweek away match and needing to sharpen up in the final third a little.
That second point may seem strange, considering Scott Parker’s side are firmly in the title race. However, it is three draws from their last four in league action, plus bottom-half clubs have frustrated them this season.
That may be the case, but facing Plymouth may be a less daunting prospect for them. The Miron Muslić experiment has yet to really take off. He must be yearning for some time on the training ground to get his team more used to his methods, and the hectic fixture schedule does them no favours.
The weekend home loss to QPR was most disappointing. A 1-0 loss actually flattered them, given Rangers won the xG battle 2.90-0.18 on the day. That is a huge concern for Argyle with Burnley coming to town. This a Burnley team that has conceded only nine league goals all season.
Playing a defensive game and inviting pressure has sometimes worked successfully against the Clarets this season. However, Plymouth don’t seem able to execute this method convincingly.
They possess the worst defensive record in the Championship and Burnley have seen ten of their 14 league victories this season come whilst keeping a clean sheet.
Wednesday’s EFL betting tips
Leeds v Norwich – Leeds to win to nil
Sheffield Wednesday v Bristol City – Under 2.5 goals
Portsmouth v Stoke City – Half with most goals (second half)
Plymouth v Burnley – Burnley to win to nil
- An accumulator with these bets pays at approximately 22/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP.
READ MORE
- Shoot on over to Paddy Power News for the best Football Betting Tips & News
- Introducing Super Sub 2.0: Now with even more markets including a raft of 2+ and 3+ options!
- Paddy’s Super Sub totaliser: Almost 100,000 EPL bets win from our ace offer so far in 2024/25
THE PADDY POWER GUIDE TO SAFER GAMBLING – EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
