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The Championship, League One and League Two seasons are well underway with some big shocks already witnessed across the Football League.
Alarm bells are already ringing at Leeds United, Doncaster and Reading, while Bolton are flying and Wrexham are holding their own after their high-profile promotion to League Two.
There is a long season ahead of teams up and down the EFL and Saturday is another chance for managers to figure out their best teams as we inch towards transfer deadline day.
A big win here and perhaps clubs will decide against splashing the cash, but suffer a heavy defeat and there will be demand for the board to open their wallets.
Here is our Football League accumulator bets for Saturday:
Leg 1: Bristol City vs Birmingham City
Leg 2: Middlesbrough vs Huddersfield
Leg 3: Portsmouth vs Cheltenham
Leg 4: Morecambe vs Bradford City - Under 2.5 goals
Most football betting sites will give you odds of around 9/1 for this four-fold acca
Leg 1: Bristol City to beat Birmingham
Bristol City and Birmingham are two Championship clubs to have made a profit in the transfer window so far this summer. City have slowly reinvested following Alex Scott’s departure to Bournemouth while Birmingham have used up most of the £4.7m earned from Tahith Chong’s sale.
Last weekend the Blues pinched three points against crisis club Leeds in the dying seconds while City also scored in the last minute to beat Millwall in east London. It’s fair to say the Robins have had a better transfer window and the team looks more cohesive.
Yes, Birmingham have Tom Brady’s backing now but there will be no overnight success here.
City put four past the Blues when these sides last met and don’t be surprised if we see another home win on Saturday.
Leg 2: Middlesbrough to beat Huddersfield
Huddersfield Town are yet to get going under Neil Warnock this season and, with the club struggling both on and off the field, expectations in West Yorkshire are fairly low.
Another relegation battle looks ominous and Saturday is unlikely to provide the ray of sunshine the Terriers crave when they come up against Middlesbrough.
Boro beat Town 3-2 in the EFL Cup last week and dominated the game at the John Smith’s Stadium. Warnock set out to hit on the break and it worked in that Town scored twice. However, defensive frailties – a hangover from last season – remain.
Michael Carrick's side haven’t got off to the best start in the Championship themselves, but bookmakers suggest they should edge this encounter. Samuel Silvera shone against the Terriers earlier this month, while Matt Crooks could get more of a look now Chuba Akpom is out the door.
Leg 3: Portsmouth to beat Cheltenham
Portsmouth's promotion push fell apart at the end of last season but they finished the League One campaign in relatively good spirits under John Mousinho.
Kusini Yengi has been the standout acquisition of the summer and the 24-year-old could, perhaps, be the 25-goal forward Pompey need for a sustained promotion push this term.
On Saturday they face Cheltenham, a side that are yet to score this season and haven’t claimed a win since April. To make matters worse, midfielder James Olayinka is out with a dislocated shoulder for the foreseeable future. Cheltenham finished 16th in League One last term but this campaign already looks like it will be a slog to avoid the drop.
Portsmouth, at home and in fine fettle, should win this game by a distance. Tuesday’s dogged 1-0 win over Exeter was the sort of display and result promotion chasers need this early in the season. It won’t be so tough on Saturday.
Leg 4: Morecambe vs Bradford City: Under 2.5 goals
There is already a feeling at both Valley Parade and the Mazuma that goals may be hard to come by this season. Between them, Bradford City and Morecambe have scored just five times from six league games.
Defensively there are issues but not problematic enough to threaten either side with relegation. It’s going forward that is the main concern.
Bradford can at least lean on Alex Pattison, who has scored in each of his last three games, to provide inspiration in attack. At Morecambe, boss Derek Adams is relying on a young squad to hold their own in League Two. Burnley loanee Michael Mellon is leading the line but support from out wide is limited.
It’s hard to see this game producing more than two goals, largely because both sides will try and keep things tight. Adams doesn’t mind a tactical battle and Mark Hughes isn’t worried about Andy Cook’s lack of goals up front.
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Last Updated: 14th March 2024, 07:22 AM
