5 things to watch for in the EFL – Matchday 2

The first round of EFL fixtures is in the books, and there were plenty of surprises along the way. Whether your team won, drew or lost, keep in mind that no league is ever won after one game – and this is the EFL, where anything can happen.

Here’s what to look for in Matchday 2 of the Championship, League One and League Two.

Can the Canaries kickstart their promotion bid?

Norwich are among the favourites for promotion back to the Premier League, but suffered a shock 1-0 defeat at Cardiff last Saturday. To compound matters, centre-back Grant Hanley was sent off late on and will now miss their next game.

Norwich, though, have not lost their opening two games of a second-tier campaign since 1997 – and a home clash against newly-promoted Wigan looks like a fine opportunity to get points on the board. The Canaries kick-off at 12:30 on Saturday and are 13/20 to have an enjoyable afternoon with a home win. We also have Enhanced Odds of 4/1 on Norwich to win both halves.

Cooper’s curse to strike again for Millwall against the Blades?

Sheffield United have a poor recent record against Millwall, winning just two of their last 11 against the Lions. The Blades have also lost their first home league game in three of their last four seasons, and Millwall are 17/5 to win again at Bramall Lane.

Millwall centre-back Jake Cooper has scored a remarkable five goals in eight appearances against the Blades, including winning goals in both meetings between the sides last season. Since the start of last season, no Championship side has scored more set-piece goals than the Lions, and Cooper is 14/1 to score any time yet again on Saturday.

Promotion favourites go head-to-head at the Hawthorns

In the Championship’s final game of the weekend, the Hornets visit the Hawthorns as West Brom host Watford on Monday night. It’s the first time the two have faced each other outside of the Premier League in 12 years, and both will be feeling upbeat after the opening weekend.

West Brom battled back to draw away at Boro, while Watford eased to a 1-0 win over another promotion favourite, Sheffield United. That result means Watford have won 15 of their last 19 Championship games, and they are 2/1 to make it six points out of six. West Brom saw two debutants combine at Middlesbrough in the form of John Swift and Jed Wallace – Swift is 13/5 to score any time on his home debut, while Wallace is 8/1 to get the first goal.

Dons dreading the arrival of the Owls?

It’s a match-up between last season’s beaten play-off semi-finalists in League One this weekend, as MK Dons host Sheffield Wednesday at Stadium MK. The Dons have won just one of their 10 league meetings with Wednesday, and the Owls did the double over their hosts last season. Wednesday are 11/8 to win on Saturday, and a repeat of last season’s 3-2 scoreline here is 33/1.

Cobblers to continue their winning start?

Northampton are 15/2 to win League Two, and got off to a tidy start when Ryan Haynes’ late winner gave them three points on the opening day of the season. The Cobblers now travel to face a Grimsby Town side who they haven’t lost against in almost 18 years. Northampton have won each of their last three away league games and are 7/5 to make it four-in-a-row against Grimsby. The Cobblers have also kept a clean sheet in each of their last three league meetings with the Mariners – it’s 7/4 that they keep Grimsby off the scoresheet yet again in this one.