Expert Football League predictions and free football tips from Dan Childs

Free football tips, best bets and expert accumulator advice for this weekend's EFL matches.

When to bet

Kick-offs from 3pm

Best bets

QPR
2pts 7-5 Betfair, Power

Wimbledon draw no bet
3pts 17-20Hills

Ipswich
2pts 5-4Betfair, Betfred, Hills

Leyton Orient
3pts 5-6 bet365

Reading v QPR

The Championship title could boil down to a two-horse race with Fulham and West Brom setting a searing pace but several teams have top-six aspirations including QPR, who can extend their unbeaten start with a victory over Reading at the Madejski Stadium.

QPR were fast finishers last season, winning six of their final nine games, but were nine points short of the playoffs and two behind seventh-placed Reading.

However, QPR's 68-point haul continued an upward trend (they had registered tallies of 51 and 58 in the previous campaigns) and the Londoners' desire to keep on improving has been obvious with their transfer business.

Loan deals for Charlie Austin, Stefan Johansen and Jordy de Wijs were turned into permanent moves and rising stars Rob Dickie, Ilias Chair and Chris Willock were retained as QPR boss Mark Warburton eyed up a promotion push.

The closure of the transfer window is likely to have come as a relief and Warburton's side will be looking to push on, starting with their trip to Berkshire.

Problems have been piling up for cash-strapped Reading, who have lost four of five games and look strong candidates for relegation.

The impact of a summer transfer embargo left Veljko Paunovic with a youthful, threadbare squad and his task has been made even more difficult by long-term injuries to talented forwards Lucas Joao and Yakou Meite.

Paunovic's side were hammered 4-0 at Huddersfield before the international break.

Morecambe v Wimbledon

Wimbledon manager Mark Robinson is reluctant to put a ceiling on his team's ambitions in League One but the Wombles are tenth after six games and can climb higher by winning at mid-table Morecambe.

Robinson has been with the club since 2004 – working primarily in youth development – and must be proud of the progress of academy graduates Nik Tzanev, Will Nightingale, Anthony Hartigan, Jack Rudoni and Ayoub Assal, who have been first-team regulars this season.

A youthful Wombles side should improve as the season progresses but they are already at a good level and came from behind to win 3-1 at home to promotion hopefuls Oxford last weekend.

The Londoners could emerge as surprise playoff contenders and have better short-term prospects than Morecambe, who face a battle to establish themselves in the third tier.

Morecambe have started well – taking seven points from five games – but the deadline-day sale of captain Sam Lavelle to Charlton was a blow and could leave them exposed.

Ipswich v Bolton

Well-fancied Ipswich have made a disappointing start to the season but they can get their promotion push up and running with a home victory over Bolton.

The international break came at a good time for Ipswich manager Paul Cook, giving him time to work with his new-look squad.

There is plenty of talent at Cook's disposal and he can come up with a winning formula against the Trotters, who laboured to a 0-0 draw at home to injury-hit Burton on Monday.

Leyton Orient v Oldham

Leyton Orient have made an encouraging start to the League Two season under experienced manager Kenny Jackett and look solid favourites to see off Oldham.

Jackett has put together a decent squad with particular strength in attacking areas.

Centre-forward Harry Smith and forwards Aaron Drinan and Ruel Sotiriou are all capable of scoring -in the fourth tier and their quality could be too much for the Latics, who are just one point off the bottom having lost five of six matches.

Accumulator

Fulham 4-7, Charlton 21-20, Wigan 8-13, Mansfield 29-20
£1 acca returns £12.77 with Hills

First scorer

Jayden Stockley Charlton v Cheltenham
at 5-1 bet365

Cheltenham's defence has been weakened by the sale of former captain Ben Tozer to Wrexham and could be exposed by powerful Charlton centre-forward Jayden Stockley, who has netted two of his team's four league goals.

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