Championship
Fixture: Plymouth 2-1 Scunthorpe
Venue: Home Park (Plymouth home)
Kick-off: 3pm BST
Verdict: A Massive TEN of the home teams in the 12 games in the Championship this weekend (count them, it's incredible) are odds against. Not just little odds against, either: eight of those are best-priced 6/4 or higher. Now do you realise how tough this league is going to be this season. On Wednesday, I went on a number of football betting forums (Punters Lounge, Betting Advice Forum) to warn the army of punters who were going full throttle for a Newcastle win that evening. As it came to pass, they were lucky to get a 1-1 draw. The thanks I get? None. So, I might keep my expert advice to my merry band of followers here.
The two odds on shots at home Newcastle (3/5), Sheff Utd (4/6) will be popular with those people who have little idea what they are doing.
But perhaps the best home value is at Home Park where Plymouth have an excellent opportunity to make it back to back victories and perhaps crawl out of the relegation zone.
Plymouth had been looking like a team ready to win before they went to Peterborough in midweek and grab all three points.
So, with the confidence that brings, a first home win is very much on the cards against a Scunthorpe side that are leaky and, quite frankly, punching well above their weight in this division.
Betting Advice: 3pts Plymouth to win at 6/4 (2.5 generally)
League One
Fixture: Norwich 5-1 Bristol Rovers
Venue: Carrow Road (Norwich home)
Kick-off: 3pm BST
Verdict: Once again Norwich look incredible value to win at home. They are now unbeaten in three and would be in the play-offs if they had converted their last two draws into wins (which they were unlucky not to do). The cream always rises to the top, and this Norwich side is definitely a contender for the top two places still. Bristol Rovers, meanwhile, have had a terrific start to the season and deserve to be top three but I am not wholly convinced. Other than Huddersfield they are yet to play anyone of note and their next two games Norwich here and Leeds will go a long way to dictating their season. Watch this space.
Betting Advice: 2pts Norwich to win at 6/5 (2.2 at Skybet)
Fixture: Oldham 0-0 Yeovil
Venue: Boundary Park (Oldham home)
Kick-off: 3pm BST
Verdict: Oldham are finally going places once again, and anyone with a sense of football history will be delighted. After some very iffy moments a few years ago financially, they have been slowly building up to a proper assault on League One in a bid to return to a level many people would agree is the right level Championship.
Their success since the middle of September has been built on a solid foundation at the back, with plenty of attacking options going forward. Against MK Dons in midweek they could have scored six or seven.
Which will put them in very good stead against a Yeovil side that is grabbing points on the road solely through resolute defending.
They are almost certainly going to be breached here.
Betting Advice: 5pts Oldham to win at 5/6 (1.83 generally)
League Two
Fixture: Chesterfield 1-0 Accrington Stanley
Venue: Recreation Ground (Chesterfield home)
Kick-off: 3pm BST
Verdict: While most of the focus on big spending has been on Notts County, people are forgetting that Chesterfield have not been shy with the chequebook this season. And their form is showing the class they have.
Stanley, meanwhile, are desperate and drifting after their fans agreed to service their crippling debt.
Brutally efficient home win expected.
Betting Advice: 3pts Chesterfield to win at 5/6 (1.83 at Coral)
Fixture: Hereford 1-1 Dagenham & Redbridge
Venue: Edgar Street (Hereford home)
Kick-off: 3pm BST
Verdict: Hereford have more than paid back our early season faith in them thanks to a 6/4 and a 10/3 winners in the last two weeks alone.
They are worth backing here again, because the Daggers current third-place is not convincing. They got 12 of their 20 points in August and have succumbed to Barnet and failed to beat Morecambe and Cheltenham in September.
A lack of confidence against a team that only needed a couple of wins to regain confidence and are, in fact, the better team on paper.
The bookies continue to go Bullish on Hereford.
Betting Advice: 2pts Hereford to win at 12/5 (3.4 at Skybet)
