Will Rook and Adam Drury provide their football tips for Saturday’s action in the Premier League, Championship, League One and League Two.
WIN/DRAW/WIN
Brentford to beat Birmingham (12:30)
Brentford won eight of their final 10 matches of the regular season last term before falling painfully short in the play-off final against Fulham.
The Bees have long been one of the most effective attacking outfits in the Championship and the arrival of 24-goal Ivan Toney from Peterborough will only help that.
Birmingham finished 2019/20 having failed to win any of their final 15 league games.
Norwich to beat Huddersfield (15:00)
Norwich have managed to retain key players Max Aarons, Ben Godfrey and Teemu Pukki among plenty of others despite relegation.
Along with a handful of eye-catching additions like Oliver Skipp, Kieran Dowell and Jordan Hugill, they look in better shape now than at the end of last season, so represent great value here.
Huddersfield flirted with the drop towards the end of 2019/20, winning just two of their final 10 matches, and with few players coming in over the off-season, it could be a similar story for them.
Peterborough to beat Accrington (15:00)
Following the return of midfielder Sammie Szmodics on a permament deal, Peterborough look well placed for a promotion push.
Posh did the double over Accrington last term and won seven of their final nine matches before the season was curtailed. At odds-against, they are worth backing to get back to winning ways.
Accrington won just one match against any side that finished in the top 10 last season, so starting against one of the favourites to go up does not bode well.
Harrogate to beat Southend (15:00)
This feels like a massive price for one of the EFL’s crisis clubs to be beaten.
Southend were relegated with 19 points last season – just five more than Bolton, who started on -12 – and it’s difficult to see where they have improved, with a host of first-teamers having left and not been replaced.
Harrogate proved their EFL credentials in their penalty shoot-out victory over Tranmere in the EFL Cup last week and are worth siding with at a generous price.
Liverpool to beat Leeds & over 2.5 goals (17:30)
The boosted price of this bet makes it too good to ignore.
Liverpool have dropped just six points at Anfield over the last two seasons, while they are unbeaten in their last 59 home league games – a run that stretches back to April 2017.
Jurgen Klopp’s side were miles ahead of the competition as they won the Premier League by 18 points last season.
BTTS
Fulham v Arsenal (12:30)
BTTS landed in four of Arsenal’s last five league games of last season, as well as in both the FA Cup final and Community Shield.
The Gunners conceded away at Brighton and Aston Villa after lockdown, suggesting that their defensive frailties have not been solved under Mikel Arteta.
Fulham – who will field bully Aleksandar Mitrovic – should fancy their chances of a goal, too, having scored in all but two of their last 17 home matches of last term.
Plymouth v Blackpool (15:00)
Plymouth were prolific at Adams Park last season, scoring at least twice in 11 of their last 16 home matches.
That trend is unlikely to stop in League One after Argyle signed Frank Nouble, George Cooper and Lewis Macleod, but they may struggle a little more defensively.
Blackpool scored in eight of their last 10 games of last season, and have added lots of attacking firepower this summer.
Walsall v Grimsby (15:00)
Grimsby are bound to be an entertaining watch under Ian Holloway this season.
BTTS landed in eight of the Mariners’ last 11 matches under Holloway last term, with two of the three exceptions finishing 3-0.
Walsall look set to go well themselves, while their last three matches before last season was curtailed finished 3-2, 2-2 and 3-1.
MYTHBUSTER
Forest Green to win or draw v Bolton & under 4.5 goals (15:00)
Forest Green lost just two of their last eight away games before last season was curtailed, all but one of which featured fewer than five goals.
Only five teams conceded fewer goals than Mark Cooper’s side, who take on a Bolton team that has been thrown together at quite short notice this summer.
Considering that this tip is based on Forest Green’s solid defence and Bolton’s lack of chemistry in attack, throwing in under 4.5 goals seems safe.
ANYTIME GOALSCORERS
Cauley Woodrow (Barnsley) to score v Luton (15:00)
Woodrow was impressive last season, scoring 15 goals and ranking fourth in the division for shots per game in a Barnsley team that stayed up by the smallest margins.
The Tykes are expected to fare much better under Gerhard Struber this season, so Woodrow should continue to flourish.
He can open his account for the campaign against Luton, who had the Championship’s second-worst defence last season.
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