Although the Championship takes a break this weekend, there is still plenty of Football League action taking this on this international weekend. We backed some winners in this column last week, including Bury at 17/10 to defeat Colchester. Today, we focus on three more key League One contests. All odds are taken from our designated bookmaker BeanBagSports.
Walsall v Burton Albion (Saturday 3pm)
This is certainly the game of the day in League One this weekend as top meets second at the Bescot Stadium. The odds for that being the case after 11 games this season certainly would’ve returned a tasty profit! Nevertheless, both certainly deserve to be where they are and they’ll be confident of mounting a promotion challenge for the season ahead. Burton maintains a three point gap at the top of the table but Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink will be pushing for another three point haul. One thing that is noticeable about these two sides in the strength of their defensive records. They are the only two League One sides to concede single digit goals so far. They aren’t big scorers either, proven by the fact that the next five teams in the table and all achieved more goals in this campaign. It is a top of the table clash, so naturally it will be quite a tight and possibly nervy contest. Under 2.5 goals at 4/6 seems the way to go in this encounter. Eight Walsall games and six Burton games have seen under 2.5 goals in their league matches. Burton has the best away record in the league, winning four out of five and avoiding defeat in the other. Walsall surprisingly only have the 11th best home record, with these gaining most points on the road. They drew at home to bottom of the table Crewe in their last home game so teams can frustrate them. The draw seems like a good shout at 17/8 and why not back the draw and under 2.5 goals combination at 14/5.
Fleetwood Town v Coventry City (Saturday 3pm)
The game perhaps takes on more added significance in the fact that former Coventry boss Steven Pressley takes charge of his first Fleetwood game in this match. He was appointed earlier this week and was in the stands to witness their last gasp JPT victory over Shrewsbury. Although they are second from bottom in the league, that victory and a fresh face in the dugout can only serve as major positives for them heading into this game. It is amazing how often a new manager in the lower leagues especially sees a dramatic improvement in short-term results. Fleetwood had their goalscoring problems last season but although they have struggled so far this season, it is mainly defensive issues which are the concern. They have achieved only one clean sheet so far this season but only failed to score in three matches. Coventry have an inconsistent away record, winning two and losing three. They have scored in all bar one match in this campaign but only have one clean sheet on their travels. 7/10 for both teams to score has a great chance of coming in. We’ll also back the Fleetwood draw no bet at 11/10 as well. A Fleetwood win would see us in profit and a draw would see the stake returned. Pressley knows plenty about this Coventry side still as well, so the Cod Army have an advantage in that regard.
Bury v Wigan Athletic (Saturday 3pm)
Wigan are slowly getting to grips with League One football now and are proving quite difficult to beat at this moment in time. They sit in 9th place but are unbeaten in their last four. However it is certainly their away record which has been the biggest concern this season. They only better five other teams in terms of their overall away record, suggesting that perhaps tactically Gary Caldwell hasn’t quite got it right on the road. Bury have started the season incredibly well and sit in 3rd spot after 11 matches. David Flitcroft has really got his team playing and are on a fantastic six game winning run. Surprisingly they only have the 12th best home record this season but that is a big compliment to them in some ways. Teams are coming to Gigg Lane looking to avoid defeat, seeing it as a good result. This season, home teams have won 40% of League One games and considering Wigan’s poor away record, they could be vulnerable. We are backing Bury to make it seven wins on the spin at 7/5. However Wigan have scored nine in their last four away games in all competitions and Bury have scored in every game this season. Both teams to score is worth a play at 7/10.
Feeling confident? Why not back all six single tips in a six-fold accumulator!
A £5 stake would return a healthy £383.44! Alternatively, click here to pick your own selections.
