Two of the favourites for the title meet on opening day as Charlton take on Sheffield Wednesday. Tom Carnduff picks out his best bets.
Football betting tips: Charlton v Sheffield Wednesday
2pts Charlton to beat Sheffield Wednesday at 8/5 (William Hill, Betway)
Sheffield Wednesday begin life back in Sky Bet League One against a team who they can expect to be in and around the top-six for large parts of the campaign. Had Nigel Adkins taken the Charlton role a couple of weeks earlier than he did, they may have finished in the play-offs and could be a Championship side right now.
Instead, they go into the 2021/22 campaign with a strong looking squad and a manager who knows the division well. In Wednesday, they take on a team who will be hopeful that loan arrivals can fire them back up the rankings but it may not be as straightforward as the odds suggest. More needs to be done to tempt punters into taking their third-favourite odds for the title.
Just one of Adkins' ten games in charge last season ended in defeat - a run that included a 6-0 hammering of Plymouth - and they'll be hopeful of picking up where they left off. That can start with victory on opening day.
Kick-off time: 17:30 BST, Saturday
TV Channel: Sky Sports Football
Charlton 6/4 | Draw 11/5 | Sheff Wed 7/4
Sheffield Wednesday's competitive season has already started. They were beaten on penalties by second tier side Huddersfield in the first round of the Carabao Cup but they can consider themselves lucky that the game reached that stage - the Terriers did enough to win that in 90 minutes.
While we can point to their opponents being in the division above, they are widely backed for the drop and far from the Championship's strongest outfit. It's not the positive start the Owls would have been hoping for and hardly ideal preparation for a tough opening day fixture.
With a price of 6/4 across the board, and the 8/5 best price with a couple of bookmakers, it's worth backing CHARLTON TO WIN and secure three points to kick off their season. They seem a more settled side than the visitors, who still appear to be constructing their final squad for the campaign.
There is the uncertain feel to the opening weekend of a new season and backing certain results can often be tricky - particularly in a game with two of the leaders in the outright title market going head-to-head.
What we have seen in the off-season though is a Charlton side continuing to head in the right direction while Wednesday are battling to try and finally get things right. The Addicks will also be boosted by a home crowd who can give them an edge when required.
There's interest in Charlton's best price of 12/1 to win the title, with each-way value in the 11/1 with Sky Bet as they go down to four places. Michael Beardmore fancies the Addicks for promotion, as he wrote in his League One outright preview, but that's for the long-term though and their price for success in 90 minutes on Saturday looks too good to turn down.
Charlton v Sheffield Wednesday best bets and score prediction
- 2pts Charlton to beat Sheffield Wednesday at 8/5 (William Hill, Betway)
Score prediction: Charlton 2-0 Sheffield Wednesday (Sky Bet odds: 11/1)
Odds correct at 1600 BST (05/08/21)
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