EFL Betting Tips and Preview: Leeds United to get back on track with unbeaten Mansfield Town marching on

After football fans put in the miles up and down the country in midweek, it’s time to head back to the bread and butter of Saturday afternoon kickoffs in the English Football League.

With a quarter of the season gone already the divisions are starting to take shape - in the Championship there’s Leicester City running away with things, while both League One and League Two still have a team that’s yet to be beaten and are pushing for promotion.

As always we’ve picked out a fixture from each league to take a closer look at, and a couple of unbeaten runs are on the line.

Championship

Leeds United v Huddersfield Town

Kick off: 12.30pm Saturday

You have to go back to last season to find the last time that Leeds lost at Elland Road, and as they go up against a Huddersfield side with just two wins in their last nine away from home it’s not difficult to see why the hosts are at 1.36 to come out on top in this one - even after this week’s defeat to Stoke City.

The Terriers have had a bit of a topsy-turvy time of things since Darren Moore arrived to replace Neil Warnock, but a 4-0 loss at home in midweek was a real setback and made it 11 goals conceded in their last five matches. With the plethora of attacking talent available to the hosts you can see why Moore’s side are at 1.07 to not keep a clean sheet.

Big-money signing, Joel Piroe, is seen as the favourite to find the back of the net at 2.1, and if you back Daniel Farke’s side for victory without conceding then you can find that outcome at 2.3. Huddersfield have, however, scored in all but two away games since April began.

Prediction: Leeds United to win and over 2.5 goals @ 1.88

League One

Reading v Portsmouth

Kickoff: 3pm Saturday

These two sides couldn’t be experiencing much different fortunes at the moment… While the Royals flounder with five defeats in their last six League One fixtures, Pompey haven’t lost a single game in 90 minutes since a loss to Sheffield Wednesday back in March.

An away draw with Cambridge United may have brought a six-game winning streak to an end, but John Mousinho’s side are still favourites (2.02 to win) against a Reading side that have conceded 11 goals in October and have kept just five clean sheets in the league since the start of 2023.

The third-tier leaders aren’t as solid defensively as they are at home, but have scored 13 goals in seven on the road across all competitions since 2023/24 – one reason why the hosts are at 1.19 to not keep a clean sheets.

Pompey also have top scorer, Colby Bishop, due a goal having failed to score in the last two. He hasn’t gone three League One games without a goal all season.

Prediction: Portsmouth to win @ 2.02

League Two

Mansfield Town v Walsall

Kick off: 3pm Saturday

Like Portsmouth, you also have to travel back to last season to find the last time that Mansfield lost a competitive fixture – that defeat coming at the hands of Harrogate Town in April.

The Stags don’t always manage to win, but Nigel Clough has built a team that is proving increasingly difficult to beat, and with 11 goals in their last three games they’ve now found their shooting boots as well.

With six clean sheets in nine at home an away win (5.9 for Walsall) is seen as a long shot, however the Saddlers aren’t goal shy themselves and have only failed to score in three of their 18 matches. If you back Mat Sadler’s side to get on the scoresheet you can go against a home shutout at 1.54. 

Prediction: Mansfield Town to win and both teams to score @ 3.1

Recommended Bets

Back Leeds United to win and over 2.5 goals @ 1.88
Back Portsmouth to beat Reading @ 2.02
Back Mansfield Town to win and BTTS @ 3.1