5 things to watch for in the EFL – Matchday 33

It’s been a busy week in the Football League with midweek action providing yet more drama, including a late Burnley leveller against Watford and a flying start from Bolton.

And now with the third games in the space of seven days, how will teams fare? With plenty at stake at both ends of all three divisions, we’ve picked out five things to watch in this round of fixtures.

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

Royals to complete Cardiff double?

Both Cardiff and Reading picked up vital wins in midweek to end winless runs, now they face off in South Wales in front of the TV cameras.

Reading beat Rotherham 2-1 on Tuesday with Tyrese Fornah’s late winner giving the Royals their first three points after a run of three draws and three defeats. It saw them climb to 15th; 11 points clear of danger.

Now Paul Ince’s side travel to Cardiff looking to complete their first league double over the Bluebirds since the 2016/17 season. And the Royals have only lost one of their last 12 meetings with the Welsh side (W6 D5). It’s 13/5 they pick up three more points.

Cardiff are teetering precariously above the drop zone, just two points clear of the bottom three. Tuesday’s away win at Birmingham was a welcome one for Sabri Lamouchi’s side, but they need to put a run of results together. Get 11/10 on a home win.

Callum Robinson netted Cardiff’s second in stoppage time at St Andrew’s, and he features in our Enhanced Odds #YourOdds selection, which is priced at 10/1.

Lions to blunt the Blades?

There might be 15 points separating Millwall and Sheffield Utd in the Championship table, but our traders can’t split them. Either side is 13/8 to pick up three points in an important game in the promotion race.

The Lions have only lost twice at home this season and are on a nine-game unbeaten run in front of their own fans (W5 D4). And they’ve got a solid home league record against Sheffield Utd, winning four of their last five.

However, the Blades won 2-0 here in the third round of the FA Cup in January. And Paul Heckingbottom’s side are strong on their road – no side can beat their 28-point tally (W8 D4 L3) in away contests.

The Yorkshire club also beat Millwall 2-0 at Bramall Lane earlier in the season. A repeat of that scoreline is 11/1. While Oli McBurnie – looking to score in his third consecutive game – is 23/10 to score anytime.

Bilic to get one over his old club?

The Championship action wraps up on Monday night when Slaven Bilic’s Watford entertain one of his former clubs West Brom – it’s another key game in the race for the play-offs.

Watford are on a five-game winless run, however, they’ve drawn four of those games, including against league leaders Burnley in midweek, when they conceded in a stoppage-time equaliser. Like the Hornets, West Brom also conceded a late equaliser in their home draw against Blackburn on Wednesday night. Get 11/5 on the points to be shared at Vicarage Road.

But the Baggies are one of the league’s form sides, winning six of their last 10, and it’s 8/5 they pick up three more points in their quest for a top-six spot. However, their away form will be a cause for concern after losing their last three on their travels in all comps. Think Watford can capitalise on that? A home win is 17/10.

Ismailia Sarr opened the scoring at the Hawthorns when the sides met earlier this season. The Watford forward is on eight league goals for the season. He’s 9/2 to repeat the feat by putting the hosts 1-0 up, while it’s 2/1 he scores anytime.

In-form League One rivals clash

One of the games of the weekend across the Football League sees two in-form sides collide at Adams Park when Wycombe host Bolton.

Ian Evatt’s Bolton have climbed into third place after only losing once in their last 12 league games, winning each of their last five. They’ve been scoring for fun, netting 10 goals in the last week – beating both Peterborough and MK Dons 5-0.

The visitors beat Wycombe 3-0 in August and are looking to complete their first ever league double over the Chairboys – something they’re 7/5 to do.

Wycombe have won seven of their last 10 in League One, including their last four, keeping clean sheets in three of those. Only two sides have kept more shutouts than the Chairboys (13) – today’s opponents, Bolton (17) and Sheffield Wednesday (18). We’ll pay out at 15/8 on a home win.

Despite those clean sheet stats, are you expecting goals? Sam Vokes has opened the scoring in Wycombe’s last two home games, doing so before 20 minutes each time. He’s 11/2 to bag the opener.

While Bolton’s Dion Charles is in the running for the league’s top scorer accolade. He’s netted seven in his last nine, including a hat-trick last weekend. Get 13/8 on him to score at any time.

Leyton Orient v Crawley

In League Two, Leyton Orient have a 10-point lead heading into their game with relegation-threatened Crawley.

The O’s have been strong at home, winning 12 of their 16 games (D3 L1) – no side in the division can boast a better record. And the last time they won more in a season was back in 2013/14 when they were victorious in 13 home games. Richie Wellens’s side are odds-on to equal that record.

Rather impressively, Orient have kept nine clean sheets in their last 10 home games, meaning Crawley will have their work cut out to breach this solid backline.

But one thing Crawley do is battle until the end. That was shown in last Saturday’s 2-2 home draw with Crewe, where Ben Gladwin’s stoppage-time equaliser earned them a point. However, Scott Lindsey’s side slumped to an away defeat in midweek after taking the lead, and they’re yet to win on the road this term.

Could this be an omen? Crawley have won on their last three visits to Brisbane Road, including a couple of 2-1 victories. The Red Devils are 5/1 to win, while that correct score is 20/1.

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