James Milton: Weekend EFL predictions & free betting accumulator tips

Free football tips, bets and analysis for this weekend's Premier League, EFL and European action.

Best bets

Preston draw no bet
2pts 5-4 bet365, BoyleSports

Stevenage
2pts 23-20 Coral, Ladbrokes

AFC Wimbledon
1pt 27-10 Coral

Nottingham Forest v Preston North End

12.30pm Saturday

The title, automatic promotion and playoff places are all decided in the Championship so the final-day focus is on the battle to avoid relegation.

However, the best value on Saturday's second-tier coupon may come in a mid-table dead rubber between Nottingham Forest and Preston at the City Ground.

Forest fans are probably more interested in whether rivals Derby drop into League One, although there must be a sense of 'there but for the grace of God go I' as the Tricky Trees look down on the relegation-threatened Rams.

For the first half of the season, Forest looked in just as much trouble as Derby, winning only four of their 22 league games until the turn of the year under Sabri Lamouchi and his successor Chris Hughton.

The experienced Hughton slowly hauled them clear of danger but they are still struggling for goals and wins, with just two victories in their last 13 outings.

Preston's change of manager has sparked a more immediate improvement in results as interim boss Frankie McAvoy has led the team to four wins and two draws in seven games since Alex Neil's departure.

Their one defeat under McAvoy was a 5-0 hiding by playoff contenders Brentford but North End have conceded just once in their other six matches, in a 1-1 draw with champions Norwich.

Their defence has little to fear from a Forest side who have scored just 36 goals in 45 games this term and Preston, with the draw no bet, are worth backing to add to recent wins over Swansea, Derby, Coventry and Barnsley.

Scunthorpe United v Stevenage

3pm Saturday

Two teams in dismal form met in League Two last weekend as Bradford, on a five-game losing streak, drew 0-0 at home to Scunthorpe, who had lost six of their previous seven.

A run of four straight wins in January and February proved enough to keep Scunny in the Football League as they are four points clear of 23rd-placed Southend with one game left.

There may not be a celebratory mood in the camp, however, and the Iron look set for another defeat against solid Stevenage on the final day.

While their hosts have failed to score in seven of their last nine league games, Stevenage drew 3-3 with Crawley last time out and won 1-0 at title-chasing Cambridge in their previous away fixture.

That win featured their seventh clean sheet in their past eight road games and, while four of those ended 0-0, Stevenage should be backed to take maximum points against their struggling hosts.

Lincoln City v AFC Wimbledon

Midday Sunday

Lincoln are assured of their place in the League One playoffs despite blowing a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3 at Peterborough last weekend and losing 3-1 at Charlton on Tuesday.

AFC Wimbledon, Sunday's visitors to Sincil Bank, have also had a 3-3 draw and a 3-1 defeat in their last two games but only after they had stormed clear of the relegation zone with four wins in five.

Mark Robinson's men scored 14 goals in those victories and their charge was only halted by a 0-0 draw at Ipswich where top scorer Joe Piggott had a penalty saved – one of 18 attempts at goal for the visitors.

Stakes should be kept modest given that Wimbledon have achieved their primary objective of survival.

However, they look a big price against a Lincoln side who are focusing on the playoffs and have won only two of their last ten at home, conceding 16 goals during that run.

Weekend accumulators

Banker
Morecambe
League Two's surprise packages are still in with a chance of automatic promotion and they should make no mistake against Bradford, whose five-game losing streak was only ended with a 0-0 draw at home to struggling Scunthorpe.

Blowout
Middlesbrough
Wycombe are set to come up short in their bold bid for Championship survival but, having won five of their last ten games, they will want to sign off with another competitive display at mid-table Boro.

Accumulator
Morecambe 7-10, Oxford 4-6, Portsmouth 4-7, Athletic Bilbao 4-5. £1 accumulator returns £8.02 with Betfred.

Both teams to score
Games at Liverpool 4-5, Blackburn 4-5, Oldham 7-10. £1 treble returns £5.51 with Hills.

Thought for the week

Chelsea's impressive Champions League semi-final win over Real Madrid may bode well for Germany's chances at Euro 2020.

Die Mannschaft finished bottom of their group at the 2018 World Cup and were a fair way down my list of possible winners after two draws with Switzerland and a 6-0 drubbing by Spain in the Nations League.

Coach Joachim Low criticised Chelsea's Timo Werner for a dreadful miss in March's shock World Cup qualifying defeat at home to North Macedonia but Low will have enjoyed the progress made by Werner and Kai Havertz since Thomas Tuchel's arrival.

Another German, Antonio Rudiger, is part of an exceptional Chelsea defence while in-form midfielders Toni Kroos and Ilkay Gundogan were also in Champions League action for Real and Manchester City.

Bayern Munich have an unusually low-key end to the season after early exits from the Champions League and German Cup and that should benefit the national team.

Bayern's Manuel Neuer, Niklas Sule, Joshua Kimmich, Leroy Sane, Leon Goretzka, Serge Gnabry and teenager Jamal Musiala were all in Low's most recent squad and Thomas Muller, who by some witchcraft is still only 31, is pushing for a recall.

Germany are in a brutal group alongside world champions France and European champions Portugal but I'm no longer quite so keen to write them off.

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