Expert EFL predictions and free football tips from James Milton

Free football tips, best bets and expert accumulator advice for Saturday's EFL matches.

When to bet

3pm Saturday

Best bets

Luton to beat Birmingham
3pm Saturday
3pts 20-23 Coral, Ladbrokes

Preston to beat Wigan
3pm Saturday
1pt 2-1 general

Peterborough to beat Cheltenham
3pm Saturday
1pt 11-8 BoyleSports

Luton v Birmingham

Luton were one of the Championship's success stories last season, claiming a surprise sixth-placed finish before losing 2-1 on aggregate to Huddersfield in the playoff semi-finals.

Nathan Jones's men are 100-30 to make the top six again this term and they have a great opportunity to start the campaign in style with a home victory over Birmingham.

Blues were top of the Championship table on alphabetical order before a ball was kicked but that may be as good as it gets for the visitors, who parted company with manager Lee Bowyer less than a month before the start of the season.

They had taken just two points from their last six games of 2021-22, suffering a humiliating 6-1 loss at Blackpool and finishing 20th in the division.

Despite Birmingham's struggles, they managed to beat Luton 3-0 at home and 5-0 at Kenilworth Road but that rout was a rare blot on the Hatters' fine home record.

Jones's side won eight of their last 12 regular-season fixtures on their own patch, beating promoted Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest as well as West Brom, and they look worthy odds-on shots in their 2022-23 opener.

Wigan v Preston

Wigan return to the Championship after winning League One last season but they face a tricky Lancashire derby against progressive Preston.

The Latics' third-tier title success was largely based on their ruthlessness against the weaker teams. They did the double over each of the bottom seven clubs in League One and ten of their 13 home wins came against bottom-half opponents.

Leam Richardson's men won only two of their ten matches against the rest of the top six so there must be doubts over their ability to flourish in the Championship.

Preston's performances caught the eye after manager Ryan Lowe's arrival from Plymouth in December and they beat Barnsley 3-1 and Middlesbrough 4-1 in their final two fixtures of term.

Premier League loanees Alvaro Fernandez (Manchester United) and Troy Parrott (Tottenham) could make their debuts for North End and, while it may take time for Lowe's new-look team to gel, they merit an opening-weekend bet.

Cheltenham v Peterborough

If it's true that you're only as good as your last game then Peterborough should be confident about their League One trip to Cheltenham as they signed off last season with a 5-0 home win over Blackpool in the Championship.

That result wasn't enough to keep Posh in the second tier but they had rallied well following Grant McCann's return to the club in February, losing only four of their last 12 league games.

While Posh are aiming to bounce straight back to the Championship, Cheltenham may struggle to match last term's 15th-placed finish – the best effort in the club's history.

Manager Michael Duff, who led the Robins to the League Two title in 2020-21, has left for Barnsley and his successor Wade Elliott inherits a side who conceded 80 league goals last term and may be outclassed by promotion hopefuls Peterborough.

Accumulator

Luton 17-20, MK Dons 10-11, Bradford 17-20, Northampton 7-10
£1 acca returns £11.11 with Betfair & Betfred

First scorer

Michael Obafemi Rotherham v Swansea
at 13-2 Betfair, Paddy Power

Ireland forward Obafemi hit form for Swansea in the second half of 2021-22, scoring 11 goals in his last 19 Championship appearances, and he could trouble promoted Rotherham's defence.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER

Not got a bet365 account? Bet £10 & get £50 in free bets

Open account offer. Minimum deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as bet credits and are available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Minimum odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude bet credits stake. Time limits/T&Cs apply. 18+ begambleaware.org

MORE FREE BETS

Sign up to emails from Racing Post Sport and get all the latest news and tips

Today's top sports betting stories

Follow us on Twitter @racingpostsport