EFL Betting Tips: New signings galore as clubs look for gains – Derby County aim for top spot

The January transfer window is well underway, and as English Football League sides do battle this weekend there should be a fair few debuts on the cards.

So many teams across the Championship, League One and League Two have already bolstered their ranks, and heading into the next round of games chances are opening up across the divisions for real progress to be made up the table.

We’ve picked out a game from each of them to keep an eye on, and it wasn’t easy to choose just three this time around…

Championship

Blackburn Rovers v Huddersfield Town

Kick off: 3pm Saturday

Blackburn are the favourites (at 1.76), but with five defeats in their last six Championship games, and with only four wins from their last 10 home matches, Darren Moore’s Huddersfield will head to Ewood Park with a certain degree of confidence. 

The Terriers aren’t in good form themselves, make no mistake, but boosted by the arrival of Rhys Healey and a come-from-behind point against Plymouth Argyle last time out they will be backing themselves for this one.

It’s less than a month since they last faced off, doing so on Boxing Day, and the 3-0 win for Moore over Jon Dahl Tomasson’s men then will also give them a bit of a psychological advantage. That was only Huddersfield’s fourth clean sheet of the campaign, and with Blackburn in exactly the same boat it’s worth looking at both teams to score here (1.65).

Prediction: Huddersfield Town to win @ 4.80 

League One

Lincoln City v Derby County

Kick off: 3pm Saturday

The LNER Stadium isn’t the fortress this season that it was last time out, and though the Imps have only lost two of their last six on home turf in all competitions, they’ve only won one of them.

Add to that the fact that Derby have lost just one of their last 12 League One matches, winning 10 of them, and it’s no surprise to see the visitors go into this tie as heavy favourites (1.75)… You can back them for a clean sheet at 2.52, but they haven’t kept too many of them lately.

Rams games do tend to have goals in them, at both ends, with five of their last six matches ending with both teams to score at over 2.5 goals – if you fancy that here then it’s at 2.36. A win for Derby could take them top depending on what happens elsewhere, and Paul Warne’s men won’t want to miss that opportunity.

Prediction: Derby County to win and over 2.5 goals @ 2.82

League Two

Notts County v Stockport County

Kick off: 3pm Saturday 

It’s a battle of County clubs as Notts face Stockport in League Two, and for the home side it’s a huge chance to reignite their promotion hopes after a very sticky patch in the third tier.

They’re seen as the outside bet, but not by much (2.78/2.56), and with the Hatters hardly in sparkling form themselves they will certainly be eyeing the chance to take a scalp and close the gap on the automatic places to just four points. They were involved in a 10-goal thriller with Grimsby Town last time out, and you have to go back to mid-November to find the last time a league game of theirs didn’t have three goals or more in it.

Stockport were back to winning ways against Walsall last week after picking up only two wins from their previous eight, and Dave Challinor will be looking for his side to make a statement at Meadow Lane and open up their lead at the top once again. Both teams to score is at 1.51, but if you fancy that and an away win that’s at 4.

Prediction: Both teams to score and over 2.5 goals @ 1.80

Recommended Bets

Back Huddersfield to beat Blackburn @ 4.80
Back Derby to beat Lincoln and over 2.5 goals @ 2.82
Back BTTS and over 2.5 goals in Notts County v Stockport County @ 1.80