Shrewsbury and Morecambe are Nick Hext's top two tips for victory in the Sky Bet EFL on Saturday.
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Shrewsbury to beat Coventry, Sky Bet League One
Shrewsbury are out to claim their sixth home win in a row on Saturday afternoon and they are a great price to do just that at 13/10 with betway. I expected the Shrews to be much shorter odds when they come up against Coventry, who sit bottom of the table and without a victory in their last 12 Sky Bet League One matches on the road. Paul Hurst deserves lots of credit for the job he has done since taking charge of Shrewsbury and I'm pretty certain he'll complete his mission and keep the Greenhous Meadow club in League One for another season. Coventry are doomed to relegation with a 15-point deficit to get out of the relegation zone and just 12 matches remaining. It has to be the home win in this contest.
Morecambe to beat Blackpool, Sky Bet League Two
Morecambe have been performing admirably to keep themselves well away from trouble despite the club facing financial problems throughout the campaign. Shrimps boss Jim Bentley's stock continues to rise and it's always surprised me that there hasn't been more interest in taking his services away from the Globe Arena. Saturday sees Morecambe travel to Bloomfield Road for an intriguing local derby against Blackpool and I reckon the 4/1 with BetBright is just too big for the away win. Morecambe have only lost one of their last 11 games and Blackpool are in poor form with just one victory in their previous 15 outings, that's taking both of their cup games that went beyond 90 minutes as draws. The odds-against for the Shrimps in the Double Chance market is also worth consideration but I'm confident enough to show support for the visitors to leave with the three points.
Other bets worth considering:
Reading to beat Wolves, Sky Bet Championship
It's back to a popular habit of mine on Saturday as I back Reading to pick up three points. The Royals have lost back-to-back games on the road at Huddersfield and Brighton to see their automatic promotion hopes crumble but they still have plenty to play for to remain in the play-offs. Reading's home form is still terrific as they've picked up eight wins, one draw and suffered just one defeat in their last 10 matches at the Madejski Stadium. Jaap Stam's men are odds-against to claim victory at home to Wolves this weekend and that's worth some interest. The men from Molineux have suffered five defeats on the spin and should be bigger outsiders in the odds for this match.
Huddersfield to score first against Newcastle, Sky Bet Championship
Saturday evening's live Sky Sports game from the Sky Bet Championship promises to be a cracker as third-placed Huddersfield host top-of-the-table Newcastle. The Magpies are favourites for the win after getting the better of Brighton, who dropped to second, in midweek but I'm finding this a really tough clash to call. I'm certain though that Huddersfield will be out of the blocks at incredible speed. The Terriers have scored in the first 20 minutes of both of their last two outings and I'm happy to back them to open the scoring against the Magpies. Newcastle have conceded the first goal in both of their previous two games so I reckon David Wagner's men to take the early initiative is the way to go.
Millwall to beat MK Dons, Sky Bet League One
Millwall are an easy suggestion at odds-against to win at home to MK Dons. The Lions have won nine and drawn two of their last 11 games at The Den to help make it through to the FA Cup quarter-finals and a play-off place in Sky Bet League One. I expect Neil Harris' men to remain in the top six and they can boost their claims by dispatching MK Dons, who have failed to close the gap to the promotion contenders since Robbie Neilson became manager.
Newport to draw with Leyton Orient
The big game of the weekend in Sky Bet League Two happens in Wales as bottom-of-the-table Newport host second-bottom Leyton Orient. Both sides have plenty of work to do to reach safety and I think a point apiece on Saturday will leave both sides disappointed. Newport have drawn six of their last nine games and Orient will have to improve on a dreadful 4-1 defeat at Stevenage on Tuesday night.
Posted at 2200 GMT on 02/03/17.
