The action never stops in the English Football League, and there is another full slate of games this weekend before we take a breather for the international break. (There will still be games in Leagues 1 and 2 next weekend, though).
Championship clubs will want to go into the two week break with a good feeling, so will be looking at this weekend as crucial to get a positive result, while those clubs in leagues 1 and 2 will either want to continue with their momentum or look to arrest a slide.
I have picked out a selection of games from across the three divisions for our latest acca.
Saturday, November 9th
Leeds vs QPR
Much is expected of Leeds this season, which is usually the case, and they have started well, currently sitting in third place. However, they suffered a setback on Tuesday, going down 1-0 to Millwall which saw them slip out of the top two. It is not a time for panic, and manager Daniel Farke has been down this road before, gaining promotion with Norwich from the Championship in the past, so he knows what it takes. It is imperative they bounce back quickly and will certainly be targeting three points at Elland Road on Saturday.
QPR are in trouble and boss Martí Cifuentes is under big pressure. There were loud boos aimed at him and the team in midweek as they were hammed 4-0 at home to Middlesbrough, a result that leaves them second bottom of the league and raising big questions about the future of this team. Cifuentes is “100% confident” he can turn it around but they need results very quickly.
I can’t see past Leeds for this one, they should have far too much quality for a struggling QPR side.
Leeds to win outright @1/4
Wrexham vs Mansfield
Unless you have been living under a rock, you will know Wrexham have been one of biggest stories of the English Football League over the last few years since the Ryan Reynolds and Rob Rob McElhenney takeover. After gaining promotion from league 2 last year Wrexham have made a seamless transition to the higher level, currently sitting in third in the league 1 table. They were seconds away from winning at Charlton two weeks ago and were dumped out of the F.A Cup by Harrogate last week, so manager Phil Parkinson will be looking to put those results right on Saturday.
It won’t be easy for Wrexham to do that, though, as they welcome fellow newly promoted side Mansfield to the Racecourse Ground. Not as much was expected of Mansfield this season but Nigel Clough has his men up in fourth position, an excellent start to the campaign. They held big spending Birmingham to a 1-1 draw in their last league game and cruised past Curzon Ashton in the F.A Cup last week. Clough will be hoping they can continue to go under the radar and maybe even push for a playoff spot.
These two teams know each other very well and have both started the season in great form. I can see both sides scoring but think Wrexham will nick it.
Wrexham to win outright @ 3/4
AFC Wimbledon vs Grimsby
It has been quite the week for AFC Wimbledon. After losing their last game 3-2 at league leaders Port Vale, they went into an F.A Cup clash at hated rivals MK Dons. Any game against MK means so much to Wimbledon supporters, so they would all have been absolutely delighted to come out with a 2-0 win, and will now be looking for that result to really push them on in the league. They are currently mid-table but like a lot of clubs will feel they can mount a playoff push.
There was no such F.A Cup success for Grimsby. The Mariners were on the end of a big cup shock last week, losing 1-0 at home to Wealdstone. Grimsby just haven’t been able to find any sort of consistency so far this season, often following a good result with a poor one. Manager Dave Artell has been keen to point out he believes there is a lot of talent in his squad, but they just need to show that ruthelss and consistent streak that all clubs at this level strive for.
This could be a tight game, both clubs sit in mid-table and are hard to predict. I think Wimbledon will be on a real high after beating MK Dons and think they will win by the odd goal.
AFC Wimbledon to win outright @ 8/13
Norwich vs Bristol City
Norwich have been highly entertaining so far this season, but results have been up and down. They had a disappointing 2-0 defeat at Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday, when they didn’t look themselves and were restricted to very few chances. The good news is they have a star in Borja Sainz, who is the Championship’s top scorer with 11 goals and has been electric for the Canaries this year. Norwich have the firepower to cause any team problems and after a few indifferent results will be looking to get back in the wins column pronto.
Bristol City were on the verge of a superb result on Tuesday, leading Sheffield Utd with five minutes to go. However, City collapsed in the final moments, losing 2-1 and also seeing centre back Rob Dickie sent off to compound things. The nature of the defeat will sting for a while but there was plenty to admire in the performance before that, and that’s what Liam Manning will be drilling into his players before this game.
I expect goals in this one, but I think Norwich have more firepower and think they will get the three points at home.
Norwich to win outright @ 5/4
EFL Acca
Any games in the EFL are notoriously tricky to predict, but I am confident in the selections this week. If you want to try your own EFL acca, have a look at what payout you can get with our free accumulator odds calculator.
