League One winner odds, promotion and relegation predictions: Owls can go up

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for League One.

Best bets

Sheffield Wednesday to be promoted
1pt 4-1 bet365, Betfred, Hills

Cheltenham to be relegated
1pt 16-1 Hills

League One predictions

The league table says there's no immediate sign of worry but the goals-against column says something very different, and at 16-1 the price screams that Cheltenham are worth backing to be relegated.

Michael Duff's Robins are 14th in the table, seven places and eight points above the danger zone, which is certainly a decent buffer.

But last year's League Two champions were among the pre-season relegation favourites for a reason, and signs of frailty are starting to creep in.

Since beating Oxford 1-0 three months ago the Robins have chalked up just four wins, three against teams in the bottom five. Draws against Sheffield Wednesday and Portsmouth also merit a mention but wins are what matter.

And Cheltenham will struggle to win games defending as they are. They've shipped 12 goals in their last four, kept one clean sheet in ten and defensively they could be weakened further if Portsmouth, as expected, come in for a bid next month for well-regarded central defender Will Boyle.

Below them, Shrewsbury are improving, so too Fleetwood, Doncaster have sufficient funds to go out and get the striker they crave and Gillingham will get better as their injury crisis comes to an end.

At the top end, it's hard to see too many challengers to Rotherham, Wigan or Sunderland for top spot.

The Millers have been relentless during a 16-match run and we shouldn't be overly surprised. They came down from the Championship with a good squad, as they've done before recently, and a fourth promotion from tier three in the last eight years (what would be a third under Paul Warne) indicates they know how not to flinch.

There is a classy chasing pack and Sheffield Wednesday are a solid pick for promotion at 4-1.

The Owls aren't the first big noise coming down who needed time to adjust, but they've found their feet and have lost just three times. If they turn some of those draws into wins they can make a charge which may not secure an automatic berth but should nail down a playoff spot when they'll be considerably shorter than 4-1.

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