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The 2023/24 Championship, League One and League Two seasons are now under way and we’re back with another accumulator on the Football League action.
This week, we’ve raided the Championship for three of our four picks, with just one away win selected from the latest odds on football betting sites.
We now have some actual evidence of how teams are playing after the curtain-raisers last weekend, while there was also a round of EFL Cup games even though the majority of sides rotated their players.
Here is our Football League accumulator for Saturday:
Leg 1: Cardiff City vs Queens Park Rangers
Leg 2: Southampton vs Norwich City
Leg 3: Watford vs Plymouth
Leg 4: Cheltenham vs Bolton
Most UK betting sites will give you odds of around 10/1 on this four-fold bet.
Leg 1: Cardiff City to beat Queens Park Rangers
Cardiff City threw away a two-goal lead when drawing 2-2 at Elland Road last weekend, but the Bluebirds would have taken a point before the game.
The Welsh side were in the ascendancy at half time thanks to goals from Josh Bowler and Ike Ugbo, although Leeds totally dominated after the break.
Even so, we still think that Cardiff will land their first win of the season given how poorly Queens Park Rangers began their campaign. A 4-0 drubbing at Vicarage Road saw the Hoops fall behind in the first minute before reaching the interval having conceded a further three goals.
Gareth Ainsworth has been dealt a rough hand since taking the Loftus Road hot seat and we’re not convinced that Rangers will be able to get anything, with the visitors mustering just one shot on target in that opener. They could be vulnerable here.
Leg 2: Southampton to beat Norwich City
We were blown away by Southampton’s impressive performance at Hillsborough in their first game under Russell Martin, with the Saints deservedly landing a 2-1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday thanks to a late winner from Che Adams.
The way in which the Hampshire outfit dominated possession bodes well for the new season and we can see them securing another win over Norwich. They had 80 per cent of the ball against Wednesday and can continue to progress despite the likely departure of James Ward-Prowse to West Ham.
Norwich City began their season with a 2-1 win over Hull City, with the Canaries recovering from going an early goal down to beat the Tigers and it was a deserved win.
However, they only had 57 per cent of possession in that opener and could be chasing shadows against opponents who could potentially claim the Championship title this term.
Leg 3: Watford to beat Plymouth
While Watford might have been playing one of the more feeble teams in the shape of Queens Park Rangers last weekend, that 4-0 win was the ultimate confidence booster and Valerien Ismael’s side have the chance to double down at home.
The Hornets were in cruise control from the moment that Tom Dele-Bashiru put them into the lead and the game was done and dusted by half time.
Having mustered 13 shots on target, they might be too strong for a Plymouth side who began their Championship campaign with a win over Huddersfield.
The Pilgrims will have their tails up after that opening three points at Home Park but this is an altogether tougher assignment and it’s likely to be backs to the wall for Stephen Schumacher’s team here.
Leg 4: Bolton to beat Cheltenham
Bolton Wanderers confirmed their status as one of the League One title favourites by claiming a comfortable 3-0 win over Lincoln last weekend and we’re expecting the Trotters to record another three points when they head to the Cotswolds this weekend.
Ian Evatt’s team were head and shoulders above the Red Imps and they had 70 per cent of possession, with four shots on target compared to zero from their opponents. Josh Dacres-Cogley was among the debutants who impressed and they can profit against a shot-shy Cheltenham side.
The Robins lost Alfie May to Charlton Athletic in the summer and Wade Elliott’s side were edged out by Shrewsbury last weekend before a one-sided 2-0 defeat at the hands of Birmingham City in the EFL Cup. We’re expecting them to come off worse here.
We have a dedicated League One predictions page for further analysis of England’s third tier, while there’s also four picks to choose from on our League Two predictions page for those who prefer to bet on the lower reaches of the Football League.
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Last Updated: 14th March 2024, 07:22 AM
