Expert Saturday football predictions and betting tips from Dan Childs

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Saturday's National League matches and Holstein Kiel v Cologne in the Bundesliga relegation playoff second leg.

Where to watch

Dagenham & Redbridge v Wrexham
BT Sport 1, 12.30pm

Holstein Kiel v Cologne
BT Sport 2, 5pm

Best bets

Wrexham
1pt 11-10 Betfred, Hills

Chesterfield
1pt 31-20bet365

Cologne
1pt 11-10Betfred, Hills

Verdict

Seven of the last eight Bundesliga relegation playoffs have been won be the team defending top-flight status and all is not yet lost for Cologne, who succumbed 1-0 at home to promotion-chasing Holstein Kiel in Wednesday's opening leg.

Holstein Kiel's narrow success at the RheinEnergieStadion revived their hopes of promotion after they finished their Bundesliga 2 campaign with back-to-back defeats away to Karlsruhe and at home to Darmstadt.

However, the opening leg was largely dominated by Cologne, who won the shot count 16-8, and, if a similar pattern unfolds in the return match there could be a sting in the tail.

Cologne have played well on recent road trips – defeating Augsburg 3-2 and drawing 0-0 with Hertha Berlin – and may do enough to preserve Bundesliga status.

Wrexham returned to the National League playoff places after a 5-3 success at home to Kings Lynn last Saturday and they can make sure of staying there by registering an away victory over mid-table Dagenham & Redbridge on the final day of the regular season.

A tense finish to the campaign is in store with five clubs chasing the final two playoff berths and sixth-placed Wrexham need a victory to make sure they are not overhauled.

The Welsh club are finishing the season strongly – taking 20 points from their last ten games – and another three points should follow at the expense of the Daggers, who cannot finish any higher than 11th.

Seventh-placed Chesterfield are the other team trying to defend a playoff place and can succeed by defeating tenth-placed Halifax at the Shay.

A home win for Halifax could see them reach the top seven although they would be relying on slip ups from eighth-placed Eastleigh, who visit Solihull Moors, and ninth-placed Bromley, who host Notts County.

Chesterfield's situation looks more straightforward thanks to a recent haul of ten points from four matches and they can get the victory they need.

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