EFL Best Bets and Acca Tips: December 11th
bettingexpert News is bringing you the very best selections from the English Football League with our EFL best bets. We’ve also got EFL acca tips with a five-match accumulator.
bettingexpert News EFL Best Bets: December 11th
MATCHES | COMPETITION | DATE/TIME (UK) | SELECTION | ODDS | STAKES |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Birmingham vs Cardiff | Championship | Sat Dec 11th, 15:00 | Yes on BTTS | 1.83 | 7/10 |
Derby vs Blackpool | Championship | Sat Dec 11th, 15:00 | Blackpool to Win | 3.30 | 4/10 |
Preston vs Barnsley | Championship | Sat Dec 11th, 15:00 | Barnsley to Win | 4.50 | 5/10 |
Swansea vs Nottingham Forest | Championship | Sat Dec 11th, 15:00 | Forest to Win | 3.50 | 6/10 |
Rotherham vs Burton | League 1 | Sat Dec 11th, 15:00 | Burton to Win | 6.50 | 3/10 |
Fleetwood vs Gillingham | League 1 | Sat Dec 11th, 15:00 | Fleetwood to Win | 1.91 | 8/10 |
Wigan vs Ipswich | League 1 | Sat Dec 11th, 15:00 | Wigan to Win | 2.20 | 7/10 |
Exeter vs Tranmere | League 2 | Sat Dec 11th, 15:00 | Under 2.5 Goals | 1.62 | 7/10 |
Hartlepool vs Scunthorpe | League 2 | Sat Dec 11th, 15:00 | Scunthorpe to Win | 4.33 | 4/10 |
Oldham vs Forest Green | League 2 | Sat Dec 11th, 15:00 | Forest Green to Win | 1.85 | 10/10 |
Odds listed are best odds available as at 10:30 am December 10th 2021. Odds may now differ.
Selection 1: Birmingham City v Cardiff City – Both Teams To Score at 1.83. 7/10 Stakes.
Birmingham’s Play-Off aspirations had seemed fanciful at best, even before last weekend’s 3-1 loss at Millwall, and now they find themselves eight points off.
Even in an open Championship season, in which the standards required for a top-six berth will not be especially high, Blues are not in a place where they can fully take advantage.
Rather, the B9 outfit are looking to keep the distance from themselves to the drop zone at 10 points and build the foundations of a side that can threaten the Play-Offs in future seasons.
The one positive at the Den, though, would be how Birmingham looked going forward, when target man Lukas Jutkiewicz replaced left wing-back Jeremie Bela, with Troy Deeney dropping into the number 10 role.
Deeney has physical qualities but he also has a very quick, agile mind that allows him to get involved in final third link-up play, as we saw for the former Watford stalwart’s smart finish, which ultimately proved a consolation goal.
Get more Birmingham vs Cardiff City Tips
Selection 2: Derby County v Blackpool – Blackpool to win at 3.30. 4/10 Stakes.
Derby find themselves 20 points from safety, due to having had a combined 21 points deducted from their natural tally.
The Rams battled admirably after the most recent deduction, taking four points off the two stand-out sides in the league Bournemouth and Fulham, but any faint hopes of the most miraculous recovery of all time have been scuppered by successive defeats.
On the one hand, Wayne Rooney’s side will see the hosting of a 15th-placed, newly-promoted Blackpool side winless in six as one of their more winnable fixtures, but they have to be careful about trying to be too expansive.
The financial situation at Pride Park means the only centre-backs available are youngsters who may not be ready for Championship starts like Eiran Cashin, or veterans like Richard Stearman, Phil Jagielka and Curtis Davies, with the latter two typically getting the nod.
Jagielka and Davies, though, have next to no ball-playing ability and are very vulnerable when dragged out into one-on-one scenarios, which may feed into Blackpool’s hands.
Neil Critchley is one of the best at coaching pressing in the EFL and his Pool side do it brilliantly: midfield battler Kenny Dougall, two-footed winger Josh Bowler, strong, quick wide forward Owen Dale and persistent poacher Shayne Lavery all contribute.
On the one hand, Derby are in trouble if they try to play out from the back against Blackpool, who can be dangerous in transition, but if they do not it may limit their attacking influence, so either way, the visitors have a great chance of adding to their tally in the East Midlands.
Get more Derby vs Blackpool Tips
Selection 3: Preston North End v Barnsley – Barnsley to win at 4.50. 5/10 Stakes.
Ryan Lowe could be an excellent appointment for Preston North End.
The Liverpudlian is a 3-5-2 disciple, like predecessor Frankie McAvoy, but the way he utilizes that formation could not be more different.
McAvoy picked defensive wing-backs and a flat midfield three, hoping that moments of individual brilliance from Emil Riis Jakobson – and to an extent Seani Maguire – could carry North End through in attack.
Lowe, meanwhile, picks full-backs as wide centre-backs, he picks enigmatic attacking midfielders and wingers as wing-backs and he wants his deep-lying playmaker to get on the ball as much as possible, in order to ensure a flurry of chances for his two strikers.
While this stylistic shift gives North End a much-improved chance of regaining their status as Play-Off outsiders from the mid-to-late-2010s, it seems fanciful to expect an overnight transformation in performances.
Barnsley, meanwhile, are making incremental improvements under Poya Asbaghi and have steadied the ship with successive draws, though they remain eight points adrift of safety with plenty of work to do – bringing three points back across the Pennines would be a great start.
Get more Preston vs Barnsley Tips
Selection 4: Swansea City v Nottingham Forest – Forest to win at 3.50. 6/10 Stakes.
Swansea and Forest are two sides with much in common, and not just because of the Steve Cooper link: the former England Under-17s coach, who led the South Wales club to successive Play-Off finishes, now hopes to work his magic on Trentside.
The two sides are separated by a solitary point at the top of the bottom half, with both hoping to recover from a slow start with sufficient conviction to take advantage of this open Play-Off scramble.
The Swans have played some excellent football this season and look great with the ball, but without it they are wide open and do not have a clear strategy for dealing with transitions.
That is partly why Forest are underrated here at 3.50 because they have the pace to exploit that vulnerability.
Brennan Johnson has the speed, intelligence and quality to pick teams off on the counter while Alex Mighten, if he plays, possesses searing pace that could really trouble the hosts.
Get more Swansea vs Nottingham Forest Tips
Selection 5: Rotherham United v Burton Albion – Burton to win at 6.50. 3/10 Stakes.
League leaders Rotherham are heavy favourites for Saturday’s game and, up to a point, understandably so.
The Millers are not undeserving of top spot in a congested promotion race in League One, but Burton are no mugs and should not be underestimated.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink’s troops have won two of their last three league games and while they may struggle to find the consistency required to push for the Play-Offs, they should not be as big as 6.5
Defenders Ryan Leak and Conor Shaughnessy will fancy their chances of heading balls out of the penalty area during the inevitable onslaught from Paul Warne’s side, while Daniel Jebbison can do damage on the break.
The Sheffield United loanee is starting to hit form with four goals in his last six appearances, he hassles and harries defenders and possesses plenty of pace.
Get more Rotherham vs Burton Tips
Selection 6: Fleetwood Town v Gillingham – Fleetwood to win at 1.91. 8/10 Stakes.
Everything is going against Gillingham this season.
Ordinarily, having Steve Evans in charge would give a team a certain amount of confidence that they would beat the drop, given the Scot’s ability to whip a team into shape.
After an FA Cup defeat at Cheltenham, though, Evans admitted that nobody at the club motivates him, barring occasionally Paul Raynor, which raises huge alarm bells.
It does not matter how good a manager might be, or what their track record is, if they are not motivated to do their job then how can they motivate the players?
It doesn’t help, either, that the Gills have been ravaged by injuries, so much so that in Tuesday’s 5-1 loss at Rotherham, Evans could afford to name only four players on the bench!
In that game, defender Max Ehmer was forced off after just 11 minutes and Ryan Jackson is now suspended after his red card.
The timing could not be better, therefore, for a young Fleetwood side led in an interim period by Stephen Crainey, after a 3-0 victory over Bolton in midweek.
Get more Fleetwood vs Gillingham Tips
Selection 7: Wigan Athletic v Ipswich Town – Wigan to win at 2.20. 7/10 Stakes.
Paul Cook might have been hoping to return to Wigan, where he was well-liked as a player and as a manager, as Ipswich boss, but that opportunity has been taken away from the Liverpudlian.
Cook was sacked after an FA Cup draw with Barrow and Town will be led by caretaker manager John McGreal, who oversaw a 2-0 defeat at Charlton in midweek.
That result saw the Tractor Boys find themselves nine points off the Play-Offs, which is well short of where they want to be after a summer of heavy investment which saw 20 players come in.
Ipswich will be looking up with some envy at Wigan, who are flying under Leam Richardson with the best record in the division: 41 points from 19 games.
The Latics have a destructive streak in them and love to play the ball forward quickly with positivity, setting up quick, slick, incisive final third interplay between the likes of Will Keane and Callum Lang.
Get more Wigan vs Ipswich Tips
Selection 8: Exeter City v Tranmere Rovers – Under 2.5 goals at1.62. 7/10 Stakes.
Sam Nombe is Exeter’s top scorer this season with nine league goals, so losing the energetic striker to injury is hardly ideal.
Matt Taylor hopes to have a ready-made replacement for Nombe in Pádraig Amond, who might not be quite as fast as the 23-year-old but is an equally persistent runner with experience and finishing ability, having scored 23 goals in 2018-19 for Newport.
Most of those goals, though, came when the Irishman was playing alongside a target man in Jamille Matt and Exeter do not have a striker in that mould.
One does question, therefore, who will be creating the space in the penalty area for Amond to poach?
It could be difficult, especially against a Tranmere side, marshalled by a vastly experienced defender in Peter Clarke, that have conceded just 14 goals – the fewest in League Two.
Get more Exeter vs Tranmere Tips
Selection 9: Hartlepool United v Scunthorpe United – Scunthorpe to win at 4.33. 4/10 Stakes.
Hartlepool look resurgent under Graeme Lee.
The former Middlesbrough Under-23s coach inherited a Pools side that had lost five on the spin, disrupted by Dave Challinor’s controversial exit for Stockport, and oversaw an FA Cup victory at Lincoln and a league win over Rochdale.
Nonetheless, the encouraging signs of life under Lee does not mean Scunthorpe should be discounted, even if they are winless under Keith Hill.
The Iron look much improved under the Mancunian and have been at least competitive in every game, deserving more than a point on numerous occasions.
A fully fit Alex Kenyon looks exactly the sort of gritty midfield enforcer Scunny have missed ever since Stephen Dawson left four years ago, right-back Ross Millen has put in some excellent deliveries while striker Aaron Jarvis has developed an appetite for powerful headers.
Get more Hartlepool vs Scunthorpe Tips
Selection 10: Oldham Athletic v Forest Green Rovers – Forest Green to win at 1.85. 10/10 Stakes.
One of the rules some like to apply when it comes to gambling on the EFL is never to be bet on an away team winning at odds-on quotes.
In this case, though, we’re prepared to make an exception.
Firstly, home advantage is not relevant for Oldham, because supporters are angry with the Lemsagam regime, the atmosphere at Boundary Park is sour and the team have lost seven of their 10 home league encounters.
Secondly, Forest Green have won seven of their 10 league games and thirdly, this match arguably pits the worst team in League Two up against the best.
The visitors are currently 10 points clear in the automatic promotion race and six points clear at the top with a game in hand, after a 4-1 thumping of Harrogate in midweek.
Rob Edwards’ side boast the best player in the league in left wing-back Nicky Cadden, but his opposite number, Kane Wilson, is having a fabulous season too, meaning Ben Stevenson’s assured midfield performances have gone under the radar.
With the Green Devils looking this good, rules are meant to be broken.
Get More Oldham vs Forest Green Tips
bettingexpert News EFL Acca Tips: December 11th
Match | Selection | Odds |
---|---|---|
Birmingham v Cardiff City | Both Teams To Score | 1.83 |
Fleetwood v Gillingham | Fleetwood to win | 1.85 |
Wigan v Ipswich | Wigan to win | 2.2 |
Exeter v Tranmere | Under 2.5 goals | 1.61 |
Oldham v Forest Green | Forest Green to win | 1.80 |
Total Acca Odds: | 21.69 |
Odds correct from bet365 as at 10:30 am December 10th 2021. Odds may now differ.
Previous EFL Best Bets Results: December 4th
MATCHES | SELECTION | ODDS | STAKES | RESULT | RETURN |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bristol City vs Derby County | Bristol City to Win | 2.45 | 6/10 | WIN | 8.70 |
Cardiff City vs Sheffield United | Both Teams to Score – Yes | 1.73 | 7/10 | WIN | 5.11 |
Middlesbrough vs Swansea City | Draw | 3.50 | 3/10 | LOSS | -3 |
Millwall vs Birmingham City | Draw | 3.10 | 4/10 | LOSS | -4 |
Reading vs Hull City | Hull to Win | 3.00 | 6/10 | LOSS | -6 |
Cambridge vs Exeter | Exeter to Win | 3.10 | 7/10 | LOSS | -7 |
Doncaster Rovers vs Mansfield | Mansfield to Win | 3.50 | 8/10 | WIN | 20 |
Carlisle vs Shrewsbury Town | Under 2.5 Goals | 2.00 | 6/10 | LOSS | -6 |
Ipswich Town vs Barrow | Ipswich to Win | 1.45 | 9/10 | LOSS | -9 |
Portsmouth vs Harrogate Town | Portsmouth to Win | 1.55 | 8/10 | LOSS | -8 |
Odds were correct as at 2pm December 2nd 2021.
What is an EFL Acca?
An EFL Acca is a type of betting that involves combining several selections across different matches with one single stake. An acca or accumulator usually has at least four selections but it can include many many more. An EFL acca is one such bet that only involves matches from the EFL or English Football League, the second to the fourth tiers of English football. The benefits of an EFL acca are that the odds can be massive with a very small stake as the odds for all selections are multiplied together. Every pick needs to win or your EFL acca will lose.