Football
5 things to watch for in the EFL – Matchday 23
There’s still the small matter of crowning a champion at the World Cup in Qatar, but domestically, there’s a full programme of Football League action this weekend.
Across the three leagues, there are plenty of pre-Christmas crackers before the busy Boxing Day and New Year schedules, so here are five things to watch out for.
Rejuvenated Boro face league leaders
Championship league leaders Burnley welcome Michael Carrick’s Middlesbrough to Turf Moor on Saturday afternoon. The Clarets are three points clear at the top and are the only side in the division with an unbeaten home record (W7 D4).
Vincent Kompany’s side have won their last five at home and are 11/10 to make it six in a row. But the arrival of Boro won’t be an easy task – they’ve won four of their last five away games. It’s 12/5 on an away win.
Michael Carrick has taken charge of six games at Middlesbrough, winning four, including a 2-1 victory at promotion-chasing Norwich. Five of those six games under Carrick have seen both teams on the scoresheet, so BTTS at 4/5 could be an angle into this one.
Baggies on the up
Another of the Championship’s in-form sides is West Brom. The Baggies have won four on the spin under Carlos Corberan and the ‘new manager bounce’ seems to be coming to the fore. They fell behind at Sunderland on Monday night but responded well with Daryl Dike heading home the winner.
West Brom have won their last two at the Hawthorns, keeping clean sheets in both. They welcome a Rotherham side who have had the fewest shots in the Championship this season (196). It’s 5/4 that West Brom win to nil.
Rotherham find themselves four places above the relegation zone, with just one win in their last eight league games (D2 L5). That did come against high-flying Sheffield United, and you can get 13/2 that the Millers pull off another surprise.
Fourth v Third at Carrow Road
The late game in the Championship is between two sides in the promotion mix. Norwich were touted to be in this sort of position before the start of the season, but not many will have expected it from Jon Dahl Tomasson’s Blackburn.
Norwich are unbeaten in their last eight against Blackburn (W6 D2) and are odds-on to extend that sequence. Teemu Pukki comes alive against Rovers, scoring three goals in four appearances against them. The Finland international is 10/3 to strike first, while it’s 13/10 he scores anytime.
Intriguingly, Blackburn are the only side in the Championship yet to draw in their 22 league games – it’s the longest run form the start of a second-tier season without a draw since 1934-35. The points to be shared here is 13/5.
Barnsley in the play-off mix
Barnsley have won their last four league games putting themselves firmly in the play-off mix. They welcome Burton to Oakwell, who are at the other end of the table and are five points from safety.
The Tykes are 19/20 to pick up a fifth consecutive league win, something they last did in March 2021. Adam Phillips has been key to this recent run, scoring in each of the last three – the midfielder is 12/5 to score anytime.
It’s not all bleak for Burton, despite no league win in their last six (D4 L2). Dino Maamria has made them tough to beat and they scored late to draw with Derby last weekend. And the Brewers are unbeaten in their last three visits to Oakwell (W1 D2). The away side are 14/5 to leave with three points, while a share of the spoils is 12/5.
Stevenage to maintain promotion push?
Second-place Stevenage have only fallen to one defeat in their last 12 League Two matches (W7 D4). They make the 40-mile trip to Plough Lane to face an AFC Wimbledon side unbeaten in eight (W5 D3).
The Boro have never lost to Wimbledon in four previous meetings (W3 D1), coming from behind to win both away games. Steve Evans’s side are 13/10 to win, while it’s 9/2 that the visitors win with both teams scoring.
But this won’t be easy with Wimbledon’s recent upturn in form. The Dons have kept five league clean sheets in a row, including one in a 2-0 home win against leaders Leyton Orient, so they could prove tough to breakdown. Three points for Wimbledon is 11/5. Meanwhile, there have only been three goals scored in their last four league games – under 1.5 goals is 7/4.
Check out all the latest Football League betting at William Hill.
