EFL pundit Gab Sutton has picked out four best bets from fixtures across League One and League Two this weekend.
Gab Sutton's EFL tips & predictions
- Draw/Plymouth Argyle - Double Chance v Sheffield Wednesday @ 4/7
- Under 2.5 goals - Bristol Rovers v Chesterfield @ 21/20
- Draw/Gillingham - Double Chance v Colchester United @ 7/10
- Shrewsbury Town to beat Oldham Athletic @ 6/4
As an accumulator, pays 12/1
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Draw or Plymouth Argyle: Double Chance – 4/7
Sheffield Wednesday v Plymouth Argyle
I think most of the football public see Dave Challinor as a common sense appointment for Sheffield Wednesday, giving his impeccable record in the lower leagues, culminating in successive top six League One finishes with Stockport.
I feel a lot of his methods, though, are better suited to non-league and League Two, unless he has a huge amount of power and autonomy at a club like he’s had at Stockport, and I think the same management style in a different environment will get a less favourable response.
When you go higher up the pyramid, players want a lot more coaching detail, and I think the Martin Drurys and Jimmy McNultys of this league are providing that, so I worry for Challinor that he might get left behind at this level.
It’s a start of successive defeats for the new manager in cup competitions, if you count the 4-0 EFL Trophy loss to Accrington Stanley in which a youthful team was fielded, whereas visitors Plymouth Argyle have won four out of seven on the road.
Under 2.5 Goals – 21/10
Bristol Rovers v Chesterfield
Steve Evans used a 4-4-2 diamond system with some success in his time at Gillingham, and he’s sometimes since reverted to that setup when circumstances have required it, and it may help stabilize things at Bristol Rovers.
I’m not confident enough to overtly side with the Gas, because they’ve taken a paltry four points from their last nine league games, and you’d need to give me bigger odds than 15/8 for me to see past that.
At the same time, they did beat League One high-flyers Cambridge 2-0 in the FA Cup, and seem to have benefited from Kofi Balmer, Ben Purrington, Russell-Denny, Tommy Leigh and Joe Quigley coming into the XI, handing them sturdier foundations.
In most circumstances, Chesterfield are a good attacking team, but in this one off match I see Evans coming up with a plan to secure the midfield and tighten the game up.
Draw or Gillingham: Double Chance - 7/10
Colchester United v Gillingham
I’m really surprised that Gillingham are as big as 12/5 for victory at Colchester, seeing as Gareth Ainsworth’s side are outside the Play-Offs only on goal difference, and their hosts are inside the bottom two.
I’m not sure I’d have been in favour of keeping Ainsworth in charge for this campaign after a challenging 2025-26 campaign, but this summer he’s had more scope to renovate the squad with more youthful exuberance, and I think that fresh energy has made all the difference.
There’s been some inconsistency but, for the first time in a while, I can see the direction of travel at Priestfield now, and I think the likes of Logan Dobbs, Harry Waldock and Conor McManus have really lifted things.
Colchester needed a solitary Jaden Williams strike to see off step-3 non-league side Worcester last weekend, and are 10 winless in the league – so I would struggle to justify backing them at 11/10.
Shrewsbury Town to Win - 6/4
Shrewsbury Town v Oldham Athletic
I’m a big believer that positive developments off the field, before a match, can have an impact on the feeling around the club, and therefore benefit things on the field, just because the atmosphere tends to be bouncing and that can give the players a lift.
Shrewsbury have had some terrific news, with regards to the takeover of an American consortium led by Scott Davidson, accompanied by a Sporting Director in Brad Friedel with a rich football background.
The proof will be in the pudding, of course, but the early indications seem hopeful, and the club certainly needed change from a Roland Wycherley ownership regime that had clearly run it’s course.
As such, I think that spirit of optimism will carry onto the field for the Shrews, who have ascended into midtable with 10 points from their last six games, with FA Cup 1st Round victory at Eastleigh to boot – and I see them defeating an Oldham side languishing in 18th.
All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
