Dan Childs: Saturday's free EFL football tips, odds, predictions & accumulator

Free football tips, bets and analysis for Saturday's EFL games.

When to bet

Kick-offs 3pm Saturday

Best bets

Colchester
3pts 17-20 general
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Oxford
2pts 27-20 Coral, Ladbrokes
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Doncaster
2pts 29-20 bet365
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Forest Green draw no bet
2pts 11-10 general
Back this tip with Paddy Power

Morecambe v Colchester

Sky Bet League Two promotion hopefuls Colchester failed to make the most of their dominance in a 0-0 draw at struggling Stevenage last Saturday but they may have better luck against basement boys Morecambe.

Colchester were hugely frustrated by Stevenage, who kept them at bay despite losing veteran midfielder Tom Soares to a 19th-minute red card.

However, they are unbeaten in 11 league games and handily placed just a point outside the playoff positions and four outside the top three.

Colchester lack a prolific striker, with six-goal forwards Theo Robinson and Luke Norris sharing top spot in their league scoring charts, but there are not many other weaknesses in a squad who look well equipped to sustain a promotion push.

While Colchester pursue a path to Sky Bet League One, Morecambe are battling to avoid sliding into the National League.

A change of manager has made a little difference to the Shrimps, who have collected five points from eight games under Derek Adams.

This week they loaned midfielder Adam Phillips and right-back Ryan Cooney from Burnley and snapped up midfielder Toumani Diagouraga on a free transfer from Swindon.

But Phillips and Cooney need time to settle and Diagouraga is likely to be short of fitness, having not played in a league match this season.

There is unlikely to be an immediate improvement and a fourth successive defeat could be inflicted by Colchester, who haven't lost on their league travels since October.

Oxford v Rotherham

Fourth-placed Oxford are the favourites for the League One title and can show why they are held in such high esteem by defeating second-placed Rotherham.

Oxford had a poor start to the season and were fourth-bottom at the end of August with just five points from seven games.

Since then they have collected 34 points – more than any other third-tier club – and look well-equipped to maintain their high standards over the rest of the campaign.

Manager Karl Robinson is leaving nothing to chance and has clinched three deals this week, re-signing winger Marcus Browne on loan from Middlesbrough and loaning midfielder Liam Kelly and winger Nathan Holland from Feyenoord and West Ham.

Those additions add further quality to one of the strongest squads in the division.

Oxford have excelled in knockout competitions, reaching the EFL quarter-finals and setting up an FA Cup fourth round tie at Newcastle or Rochdale, but the league is their priority and they will be fully focused on Rotherham, who are on a decent run.

The Millers have posted three successive league wins for the first time this season and have the best away record in the division with seven wins from 12.

However, their trip to Oxford is as tough as it gets in League One and they are weakened by the absences of suspended defenders Adam Thompson and Joe Mattock.

Bristol Rovers v Doncaster

Doncaster have found some consistency in League One and can make it three wins from three by defeating Bristol Rovers at the Memorial Ground.

Going into the game the home side are eighth and the visitors 11th, but the markets favour Doncaster, who look worthy favourites.

Only Rotherham and Oxford have a better goal difference in the division than Donny's +11 and they probably deserve to be higher in the table.

However, Doncaster still have more than half of their matches remaining and they are only two points behind sixth-placed Peterborough, who have played two games more.

Darren Moore's side defeated the Posh 3-0 on their last EFL road trip and should fancy their chances against the Pirates, who have gone through some choppy waters since losing manager Graham Coughlan to Mansfield.

Rovers have gone five games without a win under Ben Garner and further disappointment looks likely.

Mansfield v Forest Green

Coughlan's switch to Mansfield has not brought instant success for the Stags, who are 18th in League Two going into a tough match at home to promotion-chasing Forest Green.

Mansfield are favourites but that looks questionable given their dreadful performance in a 1-0 loss at home to Grimsby last Saturday.

That effort prompted Coughlan to launch an immediate search for new players but it will take time for his rebuild to bear fruit.

There is much less wrong with the Forest Green squad and the biggest weakness - a lack of goals - was addressed this week by the signing of prolific striker Josh March from National League North side Leamington.

March steps up two divisions but was reportedly on the radar of other EFL clubs and his eye for goal could be the icing on the cake for a team renowned for intelligent approach play.

He could make an instant impact by helping Mark Cooper's side to post their first win of 2020.

EFL accumulator

West Brom 6-10, Leeds 8-13, Colchester 17-20, Exeter 7-10. £1 accumulator returns £8.15 with Sky Bet.

First scorer

Brandon Thomas-Asante (Salford v Northampton)
1pt each-way 15-2 bet365

Verdict

Salford have offered a greater goal threat in recent weeks and a lot of their improvement is down to exciting attacker Brandon Thomas-Asante, who has bags of pace and skill and is full of confidence after scoring four goals in four Sky Bet League Two matches.

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