All the key betting information needed
Bristol City v Yeovil TownSky Bet League 1 promotion favourites Bristol City are odds-on shots to bounce back from their shock defeat at bottom-of-the-table Crewe when they host lowly Yeovil. City are 4/6 with the League sponsor and Yeovil 4/1 with the draw a 14/5 shot. It was City's second 1-0 defeat in their last four league matches and another 1-0 reverse on Boxing Day is a 12/1 shot. The Glovers also went down by the same margin on Saturday to Colchester and will be looking to inflict only a second home league defeat on the Robins this term. City's top scorer Kieran Agard is 7/2 to open the scoring and 9/2 to net a brace, while James Hayter is an 11/4 shot with the League sponsor to net in 90 minutes for the Glovers.
Top Tip: Over 2.5 goals in the match at 5/6.
Chesterfield v Peterborough United
Chesterfield (6/4) and Peterborough (9/5) go head-to-head at the Proact Stadium with both sides desperate to secure the three points to get them back into the promotion race in Sky Bet League 1. Posh currently sit in ninth, while the Spireites are two points behind their opponents in 11th, but only three points off the play-off places. Posh might not be in the greatest form of late, losing three of their last four in the league, but have a great record at Chesterfield winning on their last three visits including a 3-1 win back in March - it's a 25/1 with the League sponsor for a repeat scoreline on Boxing Day. It's no surprise to see the League's top scorer Eoin Doyle favourite to net the first goal at 4/1 and the 16-goal hitman is 7/4 to score in a home win, while Kyle Vassell is the pick of the Peterborough attack and is priced at 2/1 to net during the 90 minutes.
Top Tip: Draw and both teams to score at 3/1.
Colchester United v Gillingham
Colchester are favourites for their Sky Bet League 1 Boxing Day clash with fellow strugglers Gillingham. The U's are 11/10 with Gills 12/5 and the draw 5/2. Colchester's form going into the clash has been disappointing with four defeats in their last five league matches and at home they have only netted eight points from a possible 30. Equally the Gills’ form away from home has been poor with only one win on their travels, but they have improved of late with only one defeat in their last five league outings. The U's have netted three goals in each of the last two meetings between the sides at the Weston Homes Community Stadium and it's 100/30 for that trend to continue, while Freddie Sears is 9/2 to net the first goal for the hosts and Danny Kedwell 11/2 for the visitors in the same market.
Top Tip: The draw at 5/2.
Doncaster Rovers v Coventry City
Doncaster (6/5) will be hoping to put an end to their disappointing home Sky Bet League form when they welcome Coventry (23/10) to the Keepmoat Stadium on Boxing Day. Rovers have won only one of their nine home matches and scored only six in front of their own fans and come up here against a Sky Blues side they have failed to beat in their last four home meetings. Coventry head north on the back of a run of two wins and two draws from their last four matches and can be backed at 7/2 with the League sponsor to win by exactly one goal. With three of the last four meetings at the Keepmoat ending in draws a draw and both teams scoring looks a value bet at 100/30.
Top Tip: 1-1, 2-2 or 3-3 draw at 100/30
Fleetwood Town v Bradford City
Fleetwood are Football League sponsor Sky Bet’s marginal favourites at 6/4 for the Boxing Day clash with Bradford. The Bantams are considered 9/5 outsiders with the draw priced up at 9/4, while a 1-1 stalemate, which was the score in both sides’ last game, is available at 9/2. With just eight scored in the Cod Army’s last six league games, over 2.5 goals is odds-against at 11/10. The first goalscorer market is a wide-open one, with James Hanson considered the 11/2 favourite, while Jamie Proctor is rated the hosts’ biggest threat at 6/1 to net first.
Top Tip: A 1-1 draw at 9/2.
Leyton Orient v Crawley Town
Leyton Orient are Football League sponsor Sky Bet’s odds-on favourites at 7/10 for the Boxing Day clash with Crawley. The visiting Red Devils are 4/1 while both sides to extend their respective winless runs with a draw is available at 13/5. With neither team netting more than once in their last three league games, under 2.5 goals could be worth looking at here at odds of 4/5, although those expecting one or both times to find their scoring boots may prefer a speculative play on both teams to score in both halves at a meaty-looking 20/1. David Mooney and Chris Dagnall head the first goalscorer betting at 11/2 apiece, while Gavin Tomlin is considered the visitors’ biggest threat at 13/2 in the same market.
Top Tip: Draw and under 2.5 goals at 11/4.
Notts County v MK Dons
MK Dons are Sky Bet’s odds-on favourites to collect the Boxing Day spoils when they visit fellow promotion contenders Notts County. The visitors arrive in red-hot form after extending their unbeaten run to 11 league games with Saturday’s 7-0 hammering of Oldham and are just 17/20 to win again. The Magpies will be to desperate to both end that run and their own winless streak here but are 3/1 to do so and 13/5 to record a third draw in five. Karl Robinson’s men head into the fixture as the Football League sponsor’s 5/2 second favourites for the League 1 title, while their hosts have drifted out to 14/1 for promotion, but a good run in the second half of the season could yet see them contend.
Top Tip: Over 3/5 goals at 2/1.
Oldham Athletic v Crewe Alexandra
Oldham are Football League sponsor Sky Bet’s strongly-supported 8/13 favourites for victory when Crewe visit on Boxing Day. The Railwaymen are League 1’s biggest outsiders of the day at 9/2 but are sure to tempt a few punters fancying an outsider, having defied expectations as they beat leaders and promotion favourites Bristol City on Saturday. Their hosts will be desperate to make amends after being thumped 4-0 and 7-0 in their last two league fixtures, results which have seen them drift to 11/1 for promotion despite being just a point off the play-off places as things stand. Jonathan Forte heads the first goalscorer betting at 4/1, while Marcus Haber is considered the visitors’ biggest threat at 7/1 in the same market.
Top Tip: Over 3.5 goals at 2/1
Port Vale v Sheffield United
The Blades have lost only one of their last nine games in all competitions and are mounting a challenge for promotion from Sky Bet League 1, a feat for which they are priced at 7/2 with the sponsors. They are 20/1 with Sky Bet for the title - whereas hosts Port Vale are 100/30 for relegation and sit some seven points and 10 places below the Blades. The Valiants’ recent form has been a little in and out – winning two and losing two in their last five – and they have struggled against the Steel City side historically. Sheffield United won both fixtures by 2-1 last season and that scoreline is rated at 15/2 with the visitors 11/10 to claim all three points. Vale last took a point from United when drawing at home back in 1997 and the stalemate is rated at 12/5 with a home win 5/2. Former Blade Michael Brown has scored three in his last five and is 6/1 to score again during this match but Tom Pope’s ongoing absence remains an obstacle for Vale to overcome.
Top Tip: Sheffield United to win 1-0 at 11/2.
Preston North End v Barnsley
Deepdale has been something of a fortress in Sky Bet League 1 this season with North End’s only defeat in 10 games coming courtesy of a late Bradford goal in mid-November. Preston are riding high in the table as a result and are 3/1 with the sponsors to lift the Sky Bet League 1 trophy and just 8/11 for promotion. The Lilywhites are 8/13 to add another three points to their tally by defeating a Barnsley side in mid-table sitting five points outside the play-offs and six above the relegation zone. The Tykes won both fixtures when these teams last met in the Championship in 2010/11 and they are 9/2 to come out on top again with the draw rated a 14/5 chance. Barnsley come into the game on the back of two wins and they haven’t conceded in their last 180 minutes of football. They are 9/1 to win this game to nil. Jermaine Beckford scored his first for North End when bagging the only goal of the game against promotion rivals Peterborough and he’s 5/1 to net first again here.
Top Tip: The draw at 13/5.
Scunthorpe United v Rochdale
Scunthorpe could do with a strong festive season to cement their position in Sky Bet League 1 but The Iron face a Rochdale side who have been excelling on their travels. However, Scunthorpe haven’t lost in eight games and they are 2/1 with the league sponsors to claim all three points with the draw at 5/2. Rochdale have won six and drawn one of their 10 away games and the Dale are back in form after a brief stutter, winning two and and drawing two of their last four, and they are 5/4 to win away again. Glanford Park hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for them though with five of their last seven visits ending in defeat and you have to go back to the last millennium to find their last win here. This Rochdale side does have plenty of goals in them, however, with Ian Henderson, Matt Done and Peter Vincenti already contributing 27 between them. Henderson is the 5/1 joint-favourite to score first alongside Paddy Madden, while Done is 11/2 and Vincenti 6s.
Top Tip: Rochdale to win and both teams to score at 3/1.
Walsall v Swindon Town
Walsall lost three straight games in Sky Bet League 1 in October but have since embarked on a run that has seen them taste defeat just once in 11 subsequent games in all competitions. They welcome a Swindon side to the Bescot that is riding high in the Sky Bet League 1 table and is rated 5/4 by the sponsors to be promoted and 13/2 to win the league. The sponsors can’t split these high-fliers and rate both sides at 13/8 with the draw at 9/4. Doncaster ended a run of four straight wins for Swindon with a 1-0 victory at The County Ground and Walsall are 7/1 to triumph by the same scoreline here. Twenty-two-year old striker Tom Bradshaw has been leading the line for the Saddlers since signing from Shrewsbury and is enjoying a fine season with nine goals in 13 and he’s 5/1 to score the opener with Swindon counterpart Andy Williams (11 goals) the same price.
Top Tip: Walsall ‘draw no bet’ at 5/6.
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