Football betting tips: EFL
Bromley vs Cambridge (Thursday, 20:00)
2.5pts Bromley draw no bet at 11/10 (bet365)
0.5pt Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu & Will Hondermarck card double at 20/1 (bet365)
0.25pt Mpanzu, Hondermarck & Zech Medley card treble at 100/1 (bet365)
Blackburn vs Coventry (Friday, 20:00)
2.5pts Coventry to win at evens (General)
1pt Frank Onyeka to be carded at 15/4 (bet365)
*Anytime Goalscorer Trixie to appear later in the week...
Considering how often I tout red cards, I can’t believe I am going to have a moan about them but what happened last weekend was galling.
Every single angle was affected by red cards.
Start with Hull. They were 1-0 up and cruising before John Lundstram got controversially sent off for two bookable offences. Sheffield United then got a penalty for a bit of argy-bargy as a corner was swung in. They converted it and then scored again, both goals in the final five minutes.
It scuppered a 16/5 shout - not the end of the world considering who I support.
In League Two’s early kick-off Bromley were two down and getting spanked at MK Dons until Jon Mellish got two yellows in the space of a minute and walked with 23 minutes left.
Perfect I thought. I’d fancy the league leaders to turn it on with a man advantage.
Bromley got one back and forced Craig MacGillivray into a number of big saves but at 2-1, it wasn’t enough to salvage the 21/20 double chance shout.
The last one was the toughest to take. The first two legs of the 76/1 anytime goalscorer Trixie were in leaving Notts County’s Lee Ndlovu.
His side were 3-0 down but a man up by half-time at Cambridge giving them 45 minutes to make the scoreline respectable at the very least. They went on to lose 4-0 and our man Ndlovu had four shots, three of them were deemed ‘big chances’ and he hit the woodwork twice.
Getting a 76/1 Trixie chinned by the woodwork not once but twice makes you wonder. Especially after the 66/1 red card debacle the weekend before. Oh, and in midweek Adam Phillips missed a penalty to let down a 55/1 goalscorer Trixie.
How's your luck...
Bromley vs Cambridge
- Kick-off: Thursday, 20:00 BST
- TV: Sky Sports Football
- Live odds, form and stats
BROMLEY outsiders again? This time on their own patch. What is going on?
Andy Woodman’s side are soooo close to a historic promotion to League One, reaching that level for the first in the club's history, and sure they're stumbling towards the finish line.
They lost at Barrow. It ended a 21-game unbeaten run for the Ravens and in true EFL style, it ended a run of eight games without a win for Barrow in a game between the league leaders and bottom club.
That loss clearly rocked Bromley who went on to draw with the 10 men of Barnet and lose to the 10 men of MK Dons.
On their own patch it’s a different story though.
They’re the only club in England’s top four leagues yet to lose at home (W12 D8) and they’ve won three on the spin. Plus, another win guarantees promotion.
Opponents Cambridge are third and a formidable side, at home anyway. The U’s have actually taken the most points in the league on their own patch (48), away from home though they’ve taken the 11th most.
It all points towards a Bromley result, I’ve been stung by them a lot recently and with the visitors drawing three of their last four on the road, I am going to err on the side of caution and back the hosts TO WIN DRAW NO BET.
The referee is also a good 'un so given the context of this fixture, the player card markets have to be worth a look.
Sam Mulhall is the man in the middle, he has dished out 51 cards in 10 EFL appearances this term (5.1 per game) and six or more on six occasions.
PELLY RUDDOCK MPANZU is the standout price TO BE CARDED at 9/2.
He’s got seven cards this season making this the most cynical campaign of his career; he'll be in the thick of the action at Hayes Lane.
In close quarters will be WILL HONDERMARCK. The Bromley man has picked up three cards in his last five appearances, taking him to 10 for the season - doubling his career total.
His price of 3/1 TO BE CARDED is marginal value and although I wouldn’t put anyone off the singles, I am just going to take the CARD DOUBLE at 20/1.
ZECH MEDLEY’s price of 5/1 is good value as well. He’s got seven cards across his last 35 League Two appearances (0.28 cards per 90).
He’s not a guaranteed starter though so I’ll just put him in the CARD TREBLE to take it to 100/1.
Blackburn vs Coventry
- Kick-off: Friday, 20:00 BST
- TV: Sky Sports Main Event
- Live odds, form and stats
What is the bookies' obsession with Blackburn? They love ‘em.
Hull were a longer price at home to COVENTRY the other week… Hull are sixth, 20pts and 14 places above Rovers by the way.
Data, data, blah, blah, blah I know the answer.
Anyway, Friday night’s hosts are only four points above the drop zone and at Ewood Park have only won four games - against bottom club Sheffield Wednesday, mid-table Preston, Southampton (before they were good) and Millwall (fair enough).
They play champions elect Coventry and although a point is good enough for the Sky Blues to confirm promotion, they’ll want to put this one beyond doubt after what happened in their last game.
Frank Lampard’s side were supposed to go up by beating Sheffield Wednesday. After Portsmouth beat Middlesbrough, a win would’ve done it but they couldn’t break the deadlock.
I think they’ll make amends and at evens backing the visitors TO WIN is a bet.
Coventry’s away form was bad - they went eight without a win - but they’re unbeaten in their last five, winning four.
I also think FRANK ONYEKA's price TO BE SHOWN A CARD is too big.
The midfielder has been a revelation in the middle of the park and he loves to get stuck in, picking up three cards in 10 starts.
Odds correct at 16:30 BST (15/04/26)
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