5 things to watch for in the EFL – Matchday 34

All eyes will be on Wembley on Sunday as either Newcastle or Manchester United will lift the first piece domestic of silverware this season in the EFL Cup final.

But we’ve got a full EFL fixture list to look forward to, with plenty of intriguing games across the divisions which mean so much to so many. It’s not just the Championship that has a congested mid-table, as Leagues One and Two see plenty of teams in the hunt for a play-off spot.

With plenty to digest, here are five things that you should watch out for in the Football League this weekend.

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

Sky Blues to keep play-off hopes alive?

The EFL action kicks off in the West Midlands when Coventry welcome play-off chasing Sunderland to the CBS Arena.

The Sky Blues have won their last two league games to nil, which has helped keep them on the periphery of the top six, sitting five points away. A win here could help to reduce that gap, while they’d close to within a point of their opponents.

And Coventry are unbeaten in their last five against Sunderland (W2 D3) after the sides played out a 1-1 draw at the Stadium of Light in July. Meanwhile, the Black Cats are winless in nine visits to Coventry (D4 L5). Mark Robins and his side are 5/4 to win, while the draw is 21/10.

Sunderland have had a couple of slip-ups within the last week. After conceding a stoppage-time penalty to draw against Bristol City, the Black Cats lost 2-1 at struggling Rotherham to miss out on climbing into the play-off places.

Their forward issues have been well documented, but the Black Cats still have some of the fire power that has seen them score 48 league goals this season – only the top three have more. While only Boro (30) and Burnley (28) have scored more away goals than the Black Cats (27).

Jack Clarke put Sunderland into the lead when the sides met on the opening weekend. And the attacker scored twice at QPR the other week. He’s 15/2 to grab the opener again, while you can get 15/4 on him to score anytime and take his tally to eight.

The Blades to return to form?

Back-to-back defeats have seen Sheffield Utd’s strong grip on second loosen somewhat. And a home game against seventh-placed Watford will be a stern test to maintain their league position.

The Blades have been fairly strong at home, losing just three of 16 games. That’s part of the reason you can back them at 4/5 to win. But it’s also because they score plenty at Bramall Lane.

Only leaders Burnley (36) have scored more in home games than Paul Heckingbottom’s side (34). While they are defensively solid, with only Coventry (15) keeping more clean sheets than their 13. If you score goals and keep clean sheets, you’re onto a winning formula.

Watford ended a three-game drawing streak on Monday, beating 3-2 West Brom in an entertaining encounter that saw Ken Sema score twice. Now, they look to extend their unbeaten run to five.

The Hornets haven’t lost in any of their last six against Sheffield Utd (W4 D2) and are 10/3 to win at Bramall Lane, with the points being shared at 5/2.

Going back to August when the sides met at Vicarage Road, Joao Pedro scored the only goal of the game. Watford’s joint-top scorer is 7/1 to strike first and 10/3 to find the net at any time.

Swans to see off the Millers?

This round of fixtures wraps up in South Wales on Monday night when Swansea host Rotherham. These two sides both played in midweek with contrasting fortunes. Rotherham beat Sunderland 2-1, while Swansea fell to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Stoke.

The pressure is now on Russell Martin after his side have won just one of their last five league games (L4). But the Swans have beaten Rotherham on their last two visits to the Liberty Stadium – 4-3 in 2019 and 1-0 in 2020 – and the hosts are odds-on to record another win against them here.

Rotherham have a five-point buffer above the relegation zone after Tuesday’s important win, but Matt Taylor will want his players to back up that victory with another solid showing.

However, the South Yorkshire club have only won consecutive games once this season, while their away record leaves a lot to be desired. They’ve only picked up two wins on the road, with only Huddersfield (10) and Reading (11) collecting fewer away points (13).

Get 9/2 on a Rotherham win, while the draw is priced at 27/10. The spoils were shared when the sides met earlier in the season, with both teams scoring in the first half. A repeat of that is 7/2.

Rams to prove tough to beat at Oakwell?

Things are heating up in League One as well, with the game at Oakwell pitting sixth-placed Barnsley up against Derby, who sit just one place and one point ahead of them.

Over the last six league games, Barnsley top the division’s form table with five wins and a draw. Meanwhile, in that time, Derby have picked up four wins (D1 L1).

A tight defence has been key to the Tykes of late, conceding just four goals in those last six. And the hosts will need to stand firm if they want to make it four wins on the bounce – something they’re 9/5 to do.

However, Derby have been a tough side to beat under Paul Warne. The Rams have also won nine of their 15 league meetings with Barnsley (D3 L3). That includes Derby’s 2-1 win at Pride Park in August, while the Rams ran out 3-0 winners when the sides met in the FA Cup third round last month.

Derby have kept 14 cleans sheets so far, including last weekend in their 2-0 win over Charlton. Although, eight of those have come on their travels. We’ll pay out at 8/5 on three points to the Rams.

League Two play-off race in the balance

Dropping into League Two sees another game that brings the play-off picture firmly into the spotlight. That’s at the One Call Stadium when Mansfield host Salford.

After a little wobble, Mansfield are unbeaten in their last six (W4 D2), scoring 14 goals in that run. Nigel Clough’s men have climbed into sixth on the back of it and are now just three points behind Carlisle in the final automatic promotion place – something they’ll eye up to avoid the same heartache as last season.

Only Stevenage (29) have scored more home league goals than Mansfield (27), while the Stags have only slipped to three defeats in front of their home fans. It’s 19/20 that the hosts claim all three points.

Salford are a place and three points behind Mansfield after failing to win any of their last three (D1 L2). After taking an early lead at home to Swindon last weekend, they slumped to a 2-1 defeat, allowing those below them to reduce the gap.

The Ammies are also without a win in four on the road since they beat Grimsby 4-1 in December but will look back to the start of the season when they beat Mansfield 2-0 at the Peninsula Stadium. Salford are 11/4 to do the double over the Stags.

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