League 2 betting tips:
- MK Dons to win the league - 10/3 Betfred
- Colchester to get promoted - 5/1 Bet365
- Newport to be relegated - 9/4 William Hill
- Cheek to finish as top scorer again - 14/1 BetVictor
League Two returns this weekend with fans so full of hope ahead of the new season. For many, though, it will be another hard slog, while the extra promotion place at this level gives more teams hope that they will still be in the mix in May.
With Bradford City and Doncaster Rovers among those who went up last season, it feels a more level playing field, while the four teams who came down, Crawley Town, Bristol Rovers, Cambridge United and Shrewsbury Town, feel more suited to this level.
All four will be hoping that they can bounce straight back up, but they face some stiff competition throughout the league.
League Two betting: Warne to secure another promotion
MK Dons are top of the League Two betting odds to be promoted at odds of 10/3 despite finishing 19th in the league last season, just 10 points above Carlisle United, who lost their league status.
It will be quite a turnaround if they are promoted just 12 months later, but in Paul Warne, they have a manager who is used to success. He has achieved promotion from League One on four separate occasions, and his arrival at the club in April was a surprise to many, as he signed a four-year deal.
He must believe in the direction the club are going, and it would seem from their signings so far that they have big ambitions.
New names at the club include experienced midfielder Callum Paterson from Sheffield Wednesday, Will Collar from Stockport County and Derby winger Nathaniel Mendez Laing, who all come with bags of experience from higher levels.
They have also paid undisclosed fees for forwards Rushian Hepburn-Murphy from Crawley and Aaron Collins, who scored 19 goals in all competitions for Bolton Wanderers last season.
Hepburn-Murphy, who began his career at Aston Villa, also scored 10 goals in League One last season, so they certainly have the firepower and experience to be competing at the top of the table.
Chesterfield, who were beaten in the play-off semi-finals by Walsall, are second favourites to go up this time around, with football betting sites offering odds of 7/1.
Paul Cook has bought in eight new players, including Fulham duo Devan Tanton and Matt Dibley-Dias on season-long loan deals.
With that extra automatic promotion place, they are worth a punt with a squad which has a good blend of youth and experience, the quality of Premier League youngsters and a manager who always gets the best out of his players
League 2 winner prediction: MK Dons to win the league - 10/3 Betfred
League Two prediction: Colchester to be the dark horses
We’ve already mentioned Chesterfield, and you can get odds of 6/4 on them getting promoted behind MK Dons at 10/11.
Third favourite is Notts County, who finished one place and two points above the Spireites last season, with odds of 3/1.
They have lost veteran striker David McGoldrick, who scored 17 league goals, after he opted to join Barnsley after failing to agree a new deal at Meadow Lane.
They have managed to keep star striker Alassana Jatta, though, who netted 22 goals in all competitions last season, and their success this season will largely depend on the season he has in front of goal.
New boss Martin Paterson is relatively inexperienced as a manager with just one brief spell in charge of Burton, but he was assistant to Michael Duff at Huddersfield Town, Swansea City and Barnsley.
There is a new look at Meadow Lane with a technical committee that takes charge of everything from recruitment to team selection and tactics - three players were signed when the club was without a manager.
This could either be a roaring success or dangerous territory for Paterson if he doesn’t get off to a good start.
A dark horse for promotion could be Colchester United, who finished 10th last season, just three points off a play-off place.
With Danny Cowley in charge, you should never rule them out, after all, he took Lincoln City out of this division in 2019, and he knows what you need to succeed at this level.
At odds of 5/1 on betting sites, they’re definitely worth considering to go up either automatically or via the play-offs; they just need a better start to the season than they had last time. They won 10 of their last 20 games but won just two of their first 16, which meant they were always trying to play catch-up.
League 2 promotion prediction: Colchester to get promoted - 5/1 Bet365
League Two tips: The Exiles to be exiled
Newport County had a torrid end to last season, losing 10 of their last 16 games and winning just two to plummet down the table and eventually finish third from bottom with just 49 points.
It’s no surprise, then, to see betting sites having them as favourites for the drop in May at odds of 9/4.
They have a new manager in charge, with former Manchester United under-21s coach and assistant manager David Hughes appointed on a two-year contract back in May.
He has no managerial experience, but he has used his connections to bring in defender Habeeb Ogunneye from Old Trafford.
It looks like being a tough season for the Exiles who could be very much exiled by the EFL come May.
League 2 relegation prediction: Newport to be relegated - 9/4 William Hill
League Two tip: The Cheek of it
Bromley striker Michael Cheek finished last season as the leading scorer with 26 goals in his 49 appearances, including eight in his last eight games.
He netted 25 goals the season before as Bromley were promoted from the National League, and we expect him to be the star man again for Andy Woodman’s side.
Betting apps are offering 14/1 on him finishing top scorer behind the new MK Dons striker, Aaron Collins, who is the favourite at 6/1.
Collins, 28, scored 19 in all competitions last season but just 12 in League One and it was the fifth season in a row he has scored in double figures for the season.
League 2 leading scorer prediction: Michael Cheek to finish as League Two top scorer - 14/1 BetVictor
Please gamble responsibly
When having a bet, it’s vital to practice responsible gambling.
Betting can be addictive and it’s important to stay in control of your betting. Never treat gambling as a way to make money, never bet more than you can afford and when the fun stops, stop.
Gambling sites offer punters tools, like deposit limits, profit and loss trackers and self-exclusion options, to help them stay in control.
But if you ever feel like you need help or advice on gambling addiction, don’t hesitate to contact one of the charities or organisations below.
We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
