Dan Childs: Saturday football tips and EFL accumulator

Free football tips, best bets and acca for Saturday's EFL games including Plymouth Argyle v Mansfield, Wycombe Wanderers v Rochdale, Crewe Alexandra v Cheltenham Town and Walsall v Crawley Town.

When to bet

Kick-offs 3pm Saturday

Best bets

Plymouth
3pts 19-20 bet365
Wycombe
2pts 3-4 bet365
Cheltenham or draw double chance
2pts 19-20 Betway, Hils
Crawley +0.25 on Asian handicap
2pts 37-40 bet365

Plymouth Argyle v Mansfield Town

Five of the Sky Bet League Two promotion-chasers are locked on 44 points, including fifth-placed Plymouth, who should justify favouritism at home to struggling Mansfield.

Argyle have won five of their last six league games, propelling them into the thick of the scramble for playoff and automatic promotion slots, and their exploits are attracting plenty of attention.

They drew a crowd of more than 15,000 for their 2-1 loss at home to leaders Swindon on New Year's Day and Plymouth's passionate home support could have an important role in lifting the team to new heights.

They are getting behind the players and will be loving the recent impact of academy graduate Luke Jephcott, who has netted four goals in two games since returning from a loan spell at Truro.

Plymouth play some of the most attractive football in League Two but have lacked a prolific goalscorer.

It is still early days for 19-year-old Jephcott but he looks a natural finisher and may have a crucial role to play.

Mansfield had expected to be involved in the promotion race but have slipped to 19th after winning one of their last 11 league games.

They had hoped that their season would turn around after appointing Graham Coughlan as manager last month.

But the anticipated improvement has not materialised and Coughlan was exasperated after watching his team throw away a 2-0 lead in a 4-3 loss at home to Forest Green last Saturday.

Coughlan's rebuild looks like being a long-term project and his struggling team are unlikely to take anything at Home Park.

Wycombe Wanderers v Rochdale

Wycombe have been dragged back to Sky Bet League One's promotion-chasing pack after taking one point from five games but remain well placed – second on goal difference to leaders Rotherham – and can get back on track by beating Rochdale.

The third-tier promotion race is tight with eight points covering the top 12 teams but Wycombe, given their limited budget, are having an excellent campaign.

They have the best home record in the division and should not be disheartened by recent struggles which have been influenced by a busy schedule and a tough set of fixtures, including five matches against the top eight.

Gareth Ainsworth has had a full week to dissect the reasons behind last Saturday's 4-0 loss at Sunderland and his players should respond positively against 18th-placed Dale, who are six points above the drop zone.

Rochdale bowed out of the FA Cup with a 4-1 loss at Newcastle on Tuesday, leaving them to focus fully on staying in League One.

They have the fourth-worst defensive record in the division and look ill-equipped to cope with a physical Wycombe side desperate to reignite their promotion push.

Crewe Alexandra v Cheltenham Town

Cheltenham have climbed into the League Two automatic promotion places after back-to-back wins and should fancy their chances of taking at least a point against fourth-placed Crewe in a key contest.

Both teams are on 44 points and the markets may be giving too much respect to Crewe, who are odds-on for victory.

Crewe missed a big opportunity last Saturday, losing 3-1 at leaders Swindon, who were inconvenienced by the departure of top scorer Eoin Doyle and the absence of several injured players.

And they should expect another difficult challenge from Cheltenham, who are unbeaten in four matches.

The Robins have been lifted by the performances of striker Alfie May, who has scored in each of his two appearances since joining from Doncaster.

May has given Cheltenham an added dimension up front and his hot streak may continue.

Walsall v Crawley Town

Crawley have lost one of eight games since appointing John Yems as head coach last month and should fancy their chances of avoiding defeat against Walsall at the Bescot Stadium.

Five of the games under Yems have been draws but that still represents improvement for a club who had lost six of their final eight games under previous manager, Gabrieli Cioffi.

Yems's side are growing in confidence and were worthy 2-1 winners at home to highflying Bradford last Saturday.

They are up to 13th and can achieve another positive result against 12th-placed Walsall, who were poor in a 3-1 loss at Cheltenham last weekend.

EFL accumulator

Preston 4-7, Portsmouth 3-5, Rotherham 4-9, Plymouth 19-20. £1 accumulator returns £7.05 with bet365.

First scorer

Abo Eisa (Scunthorpe v Bradford)
1pt each-way 10-1 bet365

Scunthorpe have fallen well below expectations in Sky Bet League Two but striker Abo Eisa has impressed for them in recent weeks, scoring six goals in his last nine appearances, and he may strike first when the Iron take on highflying Bradford at Valley Parade.

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