EFL Betting tips: Three fancies on opening weekend

A long summer is over as the EFL returns on Saturday, when League One and League Two sides kick off their 2025-26 campaigns.

Our football tipster Matt HIll (@Matt_Hill93) is on hand to arm you with three betting tips for opening weekend, priced at 29/20, 15/8 and 21/20 respectively.

EFL Betting tips for Saturday 2nd August 2025

Yousef Salech anytime goalscorer in Cardiff vs Peterborough - 29/20 (Unibet)

Cardiff's summer has probably not been as smooth as many Bluebirds fans would've hoped for after the Welsh outfit slipped into the third tier for the first time in 22 years.

And yet, you take a look at their squad and still find yourself thinking there is simply too much quality knocking around for them not to be in at least the top six this term, barring disasters.

One man who definitely looks a cut above this level is towering Danish striker Yousef Salech, who arrived from his homeland for an undisclosed fee back in January.

Salech, 23, came into a struggling side and although he was unable to insprie them to safety, an impressive eight goals in 20 Championship appearances suggests he could have a lot of fun in League One.

Rumours are swirling about the striker's future amid interest from clubs higher up the pyramid and abroad. However, he stated this week that he is 'happy' in the Welsh capital and we'll have to take his word as gospel unless something concrete materialises.

On Saturday, he'll line up against a side in Peterborough who always seem to be involved in goal-fests, regardless of the year, manager or playing squad at their disposal.

While I expect Posh to give Cardiff a decent game, it's hard to see how the hosts won't carve out a good few gilt-edged chances and Salech is more than capable of converting any that come his way.

Bet365 make him an odds-on poke to find the net here and I must say, the just shy of 6/4 quote available with Unibet, BetMGM and co seems very generous.

Colchester vs Tranmere under 1.5 goals - 15/8 (Paddy Power)

I'm quietly excited to see what Tranmere can achieve under Andy Crosby this season, even if they aren't being heralded as promotion contenders by many (if any!).

Rovers looked destined for the National League last year before Crosby inspired a miraculous turnaround in the closing weeks of the campaign, taking 20 points from 12 games to secure survival with room to spare.

Having had one previous stint as a boss, when sacked by Port Vale after less than a year in charge, he strikes me as a man desperate to seize this latest opportunity and I like the transfer business they've done thus far.

Adding experienced heads in Nathan Smith, Justin Lowe and new skipper Richie Smallwood should add some real steel to what was a pourous outfit last term, while they have a good mixture of workhorses and flair in attack.

I do think they still need to add a striker or two, though, so expecting them to bang the goals in early is probably naive. In fact, Crosby has stressed the need for Tranmere to just pick up results early in the campaign by any means possible – so this trip to Colchester could be centred around keeping things tight.

The Us have progressed season-on-season under the Cowley brothers and many good judges are tipping them for promotion in 2025-26. They certainly are a defence-first unit to my eye, with only four teams having conceded less goals in 2024-25. And three of those sides went up!

There were too many draws for Colchester in the end last season and I wouldn't be surprised if another goalless one is on the cards here. By backing under 1.5 goals, we keep the 1-0 either way on side in what could be a trappy affair and 15/8 is still a very fair price.

Barnet to beat Fleetwood - 21/20 (Coral)

Now i'll be honest. Backing Barnet at a shade of odds on to beat Fleetwood is probably not a bet I'd be taking if we were a few weeks into the campaign. Perhaps not even this time next week.

However, the Bees have a crucial advantage over almost every other team this week in that they've already had a competitive match this campaign – losing on penalties to Newport after a bonkers 2-2 draw in the EFL Cup on Tuesday night.

That scoreline doesn't really tell the story of a match where the Bees found themselves two goals behind thanks to a pair of Newport stunners, before eventually battling back to force spot-kicks with 97th and 99th minute strikes. They won the xG battle by nearly two clear goals and I don't think boss Dean Brennan will lose too much sleep over exiting the competition, to be honest.

The Bees are normally electric at the Hive, having gone the entire National League campaign unbeaten (winning 18 and drawing five) – and I don't think the outspoken Brennan is the type to allow standards to slip in the fourth tier. Many, including myself, are expecting Barnet to be closer to the top seven rather than the relegation struggles.

I'm certainly not taking an anti-Fleetwood stance this season, with their marmite manager Pete Wild boasting an impressive record when having a full pre-season to work with a squad. He achieved top-half finishes with both Halifax and Barrow on shoestring budgets and with a bit more cash and quality to make the most of here, can have the Cod Army pushing for a top seven berth.

However, I just expect Barnet to be a bit sharper for their Tuesday run-out here and, adding in their impressive home record, think odds-against about them to get the victory here looks more than fair.

Matt Hill's best EFL bets for Saturday 2nd August 2025

1pt - Yousef Salech anytime goalscorer vs Peterborugh - 29/20 (Unibet)

1pt - Colchester vs Tranmere Under 1.5 goals - 15/8 (Paddy Power)

1pt - Barnet to beat Fleetwood - 21/20 (Coral)

0.5pts - treble - 11.67/1 (Paddy Power)