We have a ton of EFL action on Tuesday night with fixtures in the Championship, League One & League Two.
Our tipster, and EFL guru, James O’Rourke, have dives into the markets and found five value picks for a rather tasty-looking Acca.
With this being a five-fold Acca, too, Paddy’s footy acca betting offer kicks in, so we’ll get our stake back if just one leg lets us down.
Tuesday’s EFL Acca tips
7:45pm Middlesbrough v QPR – QPR+1
7:45pm Bristol Rovers v Bolton – Bolton to win
7:45pm Wimbledon v Cheltenham – Wimbledon to win
7:45pm Colchester v Port Vale – Under 2.5 goals
8pm Sheffield United v Bristol City – Sheffield United to win
- An Acca with these selections pays at approximately 16/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP.
Middlesbrough v QPR – QPR+1
Championship match at the Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough
TV: Sky Sports+, 7:45pm
The 1-0 away defeat to mid-table Swansea on Saturday was pretty reflective of Middlesbrough’s season in general. It was a great chance to make it three wins in a row and really pile the pressure on others in the Play-Off race, however they flattered to deceive.
It brings back the pressure on manager Michael Carrick, who hasn’t been able to get a consistent tune out of his team. In fairness, injuries have played a part, but the fact is they’ve won just four of their last 16. It is tough to have any faith in them at odds-on on this occasion.
QPR aren’t exactly in great shakes themselves. Their own play-off aspirations do look all but gone following a third consecutive loss at the weekend. It’s also four defeats in five for Rangers, but all those setbacks were against largely in-form opposition and all by a slender one-goal margin.
It could, therefore, be argued they are not doing a lot wrong and that fine margins are just going against them. Considering QPR have taken away points versus the likes of Sheffield United, Burnley, Bristol City and Norwich, they won’t fear heading to the Riverside, and Boro have failed to win in six of their previous eight at home in all competitions.
Bristol Rovers v Bolton – Bolton to win
League One match at the Memorial Stadium, Bristol
TV: Sky Sports+, 7:45pm
Bristol Rovers earned a vital three points on Saturday when edging past Play-Off candidates Huddersfield 1-0 at home. They will face another home encounter against a team in the race for the top-six on Tuesday.
It may not be so easy this time around, considering that Bolton are one of the form teams in the division, while Huddersfield are somewhat stumbling at present.
Back-to-back clean sheets give Rovers boss Iñigo Calderón something to build upon. However, he wants his team to play an attractive style of play. This may play into the hands of Bolton, who play an all-action style under Steven Schumacher. Wanderers are unbeaten in six League One games, five of which ended in victories, including against Birmingham, who are running away with the league this season.
What should be the main deciding difference on the night is what happens in the final third.
Bristol Rovers have an xG amongst the worst in the league, with only Exeter, Burton Albion, and Northampton creating less over the season. In that category, Bolton are in the top six, plus they’ve netted two or more goals in six of their last eight league fixtures.
A repeat here makes them incredibly difficult to beat, particularly as the home team has lost 12 of 17 season meetings against current top-half opposition. Schumacher’s side are unbeaten against bottom-six League One clubs this season in nine clashes, during which they scored two or more goals scored in seven of those.
Wimbledon v Cheltenham – Wimbledon to win
League Two match at the Plough Lane, London
TV: Sky Sports+, 7:45pm
AFC Wimbledon’s charge towards the automatic promotion places continued on Saturday with a handsome 2-0 home win over Notts County, which saw them overtake their opponents in the table. This leaves them just two points behind the top three, knowing three points here will them into those converted spots.
All indications suggest that is highly likely, although it could be argued it is just one win in five, three of those were away, where they are less reliable.
At Plough Lane, they are a different animal. Johnnie Jackson’s side has the third-strongest home record in League Two. They’ve won 12 of 18 here in league action, plus their previous ten here reads a record of won seven, drawn two, and one defeat. Given how well they dispatched County at the weekend, they’ll expect to take care of mid-table Cheltenham.
Horse racing may be taking centre stage in the town of Cheltenham at present, which is something the football team might appreciate in one way. It’ll take the attention off the fact that The Robins are winless in four and enter Tuesday’s game following back-to-back losses without scoring.
Michael Flynn’s team has actually failed to score in five of their last six away league matches, which is not ideal considering AFCW has only not scored in three of 18 at home in 2024/25.
Colchester v Port Vale – Under 2.5 goals
League Two match at the JobServe Community Stadium, Colchester
TV: Sky Sports+, 7:45pm
This is a huge game in the battle for a Play-Off place in League Two on Tuesday. Colchester sit four points behind 7th place, whereas Port Vale only have a two-point cushion inside those desired positions. This contest puts together two teams that have been incredibly hard to beat for a little while now.
Colchester extended their run to 11 without loss when securing a third win in a row when defeating Cheltenham 0-1 on the road on Saturday. The Valiants are also enjoying an 11-game run in league action, although each of their previous three ended in draws. Everything is pointing towards a tight and rather tactical affair when they both collide here.
Those wanting to see loads of goals are not advised to attend too many of Colchester’s clashes this season. Only ten of their 35 league encounters this season have featured over 2.5 goals, the fewest of any side in League Two. Their league contests are averaging 2.06, again a league low.
Port Vale fixtures average a higher number, but not by a huge amount. Four of their last five ended with two goals or fewer within them, and the sheer presence of Colchester naturally increases the chances of that sequence extending.
As mentioned, this is a big game in the Play-Off race, and the visitors would be more content with a point here compared to the home team. They’ve lost just four away league games all season, so they know how to get a positive outcome on the road.
Sheffield United v Bristol City – Sheffield United to win
Championship match at Bramall Lane, Sheffield
TV: Sky Sports Football/Main Event, 8pm
The Blades have the Steel City derby on the horizon this Sunday but they know they cannot afford to think too much about it with Play-Off chasing Bristol City first up.
Chris Wilder will be more than aware of how important it’ll be to head into the derby with three points under their belts. The race for the top-two is very much a three-horse race, and United will be more than aware that Burnley are hot on their heels in third.
This is going to be a tough match, but given they’ve won eight of their past ten, they’ll be pretty confident of extending their winning streak to three in a row. Only Leeds have collected more home points than Sheff United in the Championship this season.
One defeat in nine certainly reads well for the visitors but they’ll make the trip to Yorkshire more than frustrated having only drawn at home to Hull on Saturday. They had a man advantage over their relegation-threatened opponents from the 14th minute. Generating an xG of 2.41 suggests they should’ve really got all three points.
The concern for them heading for Bramall Lane is they are not so reliable on the road. To their credit, they did defeat Millwall 0-2 in their previous away contest, which was only their fourth away league triumph of the campaign.
A major concern for Liam Manning’s side is they are winless in all seven meetings versus the current top-six this season. Also, they failed to score in four of those, so a difficult assignment awaits.
Tuesday’s EFL betting tips
7:45pm Middlesbrough v QPR – QPR+1
7:45pm Bristol Rovers v Bolton – Bolton to win
7:45pm Wimbledon v Cheltenham – Wimbledon to win
7:45pm Colchester v Port Vale – Under 2.5 goals
8pm Sheffield United v Bristol City – Sheffield United to win
- An Acca with these selections pays at approximately 16/1 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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