Bromley pipped MK Dons to the EFL League Two title in 2025/26 and James Milton has picked out his best bets for a fascinating promotion race this season.
Salford City are aiming to bounce back from a painful end to last term, when they missed out on automatic promotion by one point before losing 3-0 to Notts County in the play-off final.
Their title rivals include the four clubs relegated from League One – Exeter City, Port Vale, Rotherham United and Northampton Town – as well as National League champions York City.
League Two Tips and Predictions
Outright Prediction: Port Vale (11/1)
Alternative Tip: Chesterfield to finish in top three (3/1)
Dark Horse Tip: Exeter - each-way (33/1)
Opening Weekend Fixtures
Newport County vs Rochdale
Oldham Athletic vs Port Vale
Accrington Stanley vs Colchester United
Barnet vs Salford City
Cheltenham Town vs Rotherham United
Chesterfield vs Fleetwood Town
Crawley Town vs Crewe Alexandra
Gillingham vs Walsall
Grimsby Town vs Exeter City
Northampton Town vs Swindon Town
Tranmere Rovers vs Shrewsbury Town
York City vs Bristol Rovers
League Two Favourites
Salford City narrowly missed out on automatic promotion from EFL League Two last season and they head this term's betting at 15/2.
Barnet, who finished just outside the play-off places in 2025/26, are 8/1 and Bristol Rovers, managed by the experienced Steve Evans, are 8/1.
National League champions York are 10/1 to win the League Two title on their return to the EFL and Chesterfield are 11/1 shots.
Port Vale were relegated from League One last season but they also reached the FA Cup quarter-finals and are 11/1 to be crowned League Two champions in 2026/27.
Top Goalscorer Favourites
Swindon striker Aaron Drinan will be hoping to defend the League Two Golden Boot, which he won with 22 goals in 40 appearances last season.
Grimsby winger Jaze Kabia was second in the scoring chart with 18 goals but Salford's summer signing Macaulay Langstaff should be a leading contender in 2026/27.
Langstaff arrives from Championship club Millwall and he was the top goalscorer in League Two in 2023/24, finding the net 28 times for Notts County.
Data-Led League Two Predictions & Analytics
When diving deeper into potential outcomes, advanced metrics like xGF (expected goals for) and clean sheet percentage give a more predictive edge than headline form.
Here’s what the data tells us about the League Two contenders:
Crawley scored only 44 League Two goals last season but they had an xGF (expected goals for) of 58
Oldham finished 10th in the table in 2025/26 although only promoted Cambridge United kept more clean sheets than their total of 19
Crewe's xGA (expected goals against) was 66.6 so they were fortunate to concede only 58 goals in 46 matches
Barnet claimed 40 points away from home last season – a tally that was only beaten by runners-up MK Dons (41)
League Two Outright Prediction
Port Vale (11/1)
Port Vale met with triumph and disaster in 2025/26 as their run to the FA Cup quarter-finals included a famous 1-0 home victory over Premier League Sunderland.
But Vale's cup run ended with a 7-0 rout at Chelsea and they were relegated from League One after a terrible start to the campaign.
They had some decent results after Jon Brady took charge in January, beating promoted Bolton Wanderers at home and claiming away victories at Leyton Orient, Northampton, Peterborough United and third-placed Stockport County.
Forward Max Watters and midfielder Kyle Dempsey should improve Vale's attacking output after arriving in the summer.
Onel Hernandez and Mo Faal, who spent time on loan at Vale last season, return for this term's promotion push and goalkeeper Jackson Smith is another smart signing.
Salford are understandably favourites to win the division, having narrowly missed out last term, but Barnet and Bristol Rovers are worth opposing at the prices.
Alternative Tip
Chesterfield to finish in top three (3/1)
Stability is often an advantage in League Two given the turnover of players and managers so Chesterfield look a good bet to make the top three.
Long-serving manager Paul Cook returned for his second spell at the club in February 2022, since when they have made steady progress, winning the National League in 2023/24 and finishing seventh in League Two the following year.
The Spireites lost to Walsall in the play-offs that season and suffered the same fate against Notts County in last term's semi-finals.
Cook's men finished just three points off the top three in 2025/26 and veteran defender Kyle McFadzean has extended his contract at the club.
Defenders Jack Simpson and Alfie Pond have arrived from Leyton Orient and Wolves and that solid foundation may help Cook find the recipe for success this season.
Dark Horses to Watch
Exeter - each-way (33/1)
Exeter were the highest-ranked of the four teams relegated from League One last season, finishing only three points from safety.
They conceded 61 goals in the third tier, just three more than third-placed Stockport, and are worth a small each-way bet at 33/1 for the title.
The Grecians must rebuild after releasing a host of players including captain Pierce Sweeney and veteran forward Josh Magennis.
But manager Matt Taylor is excited about new arrivals Taylor Perry, Josh Gordon and Gwion Edwards and Exeter could be underrated in the outright market.
Read more football betting tips and predictions on site
Who wins League Two?
Salford continue to show ambition in the transfer market and they are worthy favourites after going close in the regular season and the play-offs.
But they should expect serious competition from Port Vale, whose squad is shaping up nicely despite relegation from League One in 2025/26.
Chesterfield, Barnet and Bristol Rovers could kick on after their solid campaigns and York have to be respected after winning the National League with 108 points.
Northampton, Rotherham and Exeter are the other clubs dropping down from League One and Grimsby, who knocked Manchester United out of the EFL Cup last term, also pose a threat in the promotion race.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
