5 things to watch for in the EFL – Matchday 28

It’s another important weekend around the Football League with plenty at stake in the Championship. No fewer than three games are live on TV, including a few sides in the promotion mix.

League One sees two of the tightest defences meet at Pride Park, while there’s a lot going on in League Two. You’ll find a big game between the top two, as well as six-pointers between four of the bottom-six sides.

In our latest Football League preview, we’ve picked out five things to look out for this weekend.

Check out all the latest Football League betting at William Hill.

Baggies to pose Burnley some problems?

The Vincent Kompany revolution continues at Burnley with the Clarets sitting pretty at the top of the table, five points clear of Sheffield Utd.

Kompany’s side made it seven league wins on the spin after Jordan Beyer’s late goal earned them three more points against Coventry last weekend. Burnley are 21/20 to make it eight wins in a row in front of the TV cameras.

But West Brom will prove a stern test. The Baggies have climbed the table under Carlos Corberan and now find themselves in the play-off places.

They’ve won their last four in the Championship after completing a great comeback at Luton. They found themselves 2-0 down inside 10 minutes, but Conor Townsend’s strike earned the Baggies a valuable three points. It’s 13/5 they record another victory, with the draw at 9/4.

Daryl Dike started the comeback at Kenilworth Road and now has three goals since returning from injury. The American striker is 29/10 to score anytime and 9/1 to score a header – he’s scored two of those this term.

Canaries to fly on the road once again?

There’s more televised action from the Championship, this time on Saturday lunchtime, when Coventry entertain Norwich at the Coventry Building Society Arena.

David Wagner made a winning start to life as Norwich boss with an emphatic 4-0 victory away at Preston. The Canaries flew out of the traps and raced into a 3-0 lead before Teemu Pukki bagged his second of the game to add the icing to the cake.

The Canaries are 6/4 to record an away win, which could see them climb into the play-off places before the 15:00 matches. They did beat Coventry 3-0 at Carrow Road in September, and a Norwich win with three or more goals is 3/1.

Since the Championship returned in December, Coventry have only recorded one win in seven. They put in a spirited performance that caused leaders Burnley some problems last weekend, but ultimately lost the game 1-0.

Mark Robins knows there’s a long way to go and that his Sky Blues side are still in the race for a play-off spot. However, they need to start winning games, and they are 17/10 to do so in this one.

Goals the play in the Tees-Wear derby?

The Championship action wraps up on Sunday with a tasty Tees-Wear derby, as Middlesbrough make the trip to face Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

Boro continue to be revitalised under Michael Carrick. After last weekend’s 1-0 win against Millwall, it’s now 25 points from 11 games since the former England midfielder took over. They’re 6/4 to leave with all three points.

Sunderland were beaten 3-1 by Swansea last weekend, with Luke O’Nien’s early red card a contributing factor. Tony Mowbray will want his side to bounce straight back, and this will be an atmosphere to spur his side on. The Black Cats are 9/5 to win, with the draw at 11/5.

One angle to consider is goals. Sunderland’s last six in the league have seen both teams find the net, while that’s happened in six of Boro’s last seven in the second tier. BTTS is available at 4/5.

Watch the play-off race at Pride Park

Stepping down into League One takes us to Pride Park, where it’s fourth v fifth when Derby host Bolton in a game of fallen Premier League clubs.

Derby are in flying form and have climbed the table under Paul Warne. The Rams are unbeaten in 11 (W6 D5) after last weekend’s 3-2 win at Cheltenham that saw Max Bird score a screamer. It’s EVS they continue their fine run with another victory.

Part of Warne’s success has been at the back. They’ve kept seven clean sheets in this unbeaten sequence. While only Sheffield Wednesday (15) and, today’s opponents, Bolton (13) have had more shutouts this season than the Rams (12).

Just one defeat in 10 has seen Ian Evatt’s side put themselves into the mix for a play-off spot. But it’s their patchy away form that will give Evatt a few worries. However, they did beat Barnsley 3-0 at Oakwell at the start of the month and are 27/10 to win this one.

Despite the strong Derby defence of late, Dion Charles could be the man to unlock it. The striker has nine for the season, already one more than last term, and has scored in six of his last eight. Charles is 14/5 to score anytime.

The top two tussle at the Lamex

It’s second v first in League Two that pits the best home record in the division against the best away record.

Stevenage have won 11 of their 13 home matches in League Two this season (D1 L1), conceding just six goals in the process. It’s part of the reason that they are 6/5 to beat the league leaders.

No side can better Leyton Orient’s 24 points on the road in the league. They’ve picked up a positive result in 10 of their 12 away games, losing just twice – at Northampton (1-0) and AFC Wimbledon (2-0).

Get 23/10 on the O’s extending their lead at the top of the table with victory. While, the last four meetings have ended level – the draw is priced up at 11/5. Three of those have been goalless, so could 0-0 be the way to go at 7/1?

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