Gabriel Sutton's EFL Tips

West Brom have enjoyed the ideal start to the Championship season with 13 points from a possible 15, with Josh Maja, Tom Fellows and Alex Mowatt in sumptuous form.

The Baggies went into 2024-25 feeling uneasy, even after last season’s Play-Off finish, having lost some key players and with a squad that looked weakened on paper, but Carlos Corberán seems to elevate the quality of any squad he might work with.

The Albion are well-drilled under the Spaniard, having conceded just twice in their first five league games: Darnell Furlong, Semi Ajayi, Kyle Bartley and Torbjørn Heggem have already established a real understanding.

As such, the hosts are rightly heavy favourites for victory over Plymouth Argyle, who achieved their first win of the season last weekend, coming from behind to defeat Sunderland 3-2.

Cardiff City are reportedly set to sack boss Erol Bulut, after starting with a mere one point from their opening five league games.

The Turk could be guilty of favouring profile over merit: for example, he often starts Aaron Ramsey in the number 10 position, despite the superior performance levels of Rubin Colwill, who is a far bigger long-term asset.

Leeds will feel they should have more than eight points to their name from their first five games: in the 3-3 draw at home to Portsmouth on the opening day, and Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Burnley, they either spurned a high-volume of chances, or saw their opponents take the only ones they had.

As such, the Whites’ performance levels probably merit them being up there with West Brom and Sunderland, and they should show their superiority in the capital, where their hosts are in a state of flux.

Hakeeb Adelakun’s arrival at Doncaster last season, on loan from Lincoln, was crucial to Grant McCann’s side’s stunning rise from 20th in March to a 5th-placed finish, before they lost in the Play-Off Semi-Final to Crewe.

Despite this, Adelakun is back in League Two, having earnt a permanent move to Salford, where his pace, strength and directness is already making a mark, with the recruit enjoying a brace on his first start for the Ammies in a 2-1 victory over Cheltenham.

As such, Adelakun is hoping to provide that injection of speed that Karl Robinson’s side missed last season and do more damage in Saturday’s hosting of Walsall.

Despite the red-hot start from Birmingham that many anticipated, the Blues are yet to keep a clean sheet in the league, shipping six goals in their first five.

Chris Davies’ side are so dangerous going forward now, though, with Alfie May and Jay Stansfield providing the firepower, and ammunition coming from the likes of Emil Hansson and Willum Þór Willumsson.

Rotherham create a high volume of chances themselves, though, even if that’s not reflected in their goal tally of five: but now marksman Jonson Clarke-Harris is up-and-running, there’s every chance the serial League One goalscorer can put some form together.

The Millers also boast the creativity of Mallik Wilks, who has looked a real bright spot with his ball-carrying ability in the number 10 position.

Leyton Orient have had a raw end of the bargain in terms of fixtures, with Richie Wellens’ side having faced a Bolton side expected to challenge, rock-solid Charlton and megabucks Birmingham in their first three games.

The O’s finally got the rewards their performances deserved last week at Reading, winning 1-0 courtesy of Charlie Kelman’s strike, so the 3-0 loss at relegation candidates Shrewsbury the week before looks the only outlier.

As such, the East Londoners are probably better than the table suggests and could therefore be underrated in the market for their trip to Stockport.

County have had a great start themselves – but Cambridge, Blackpool, Bristol Rovers, Mansfield, and Crawley represents a far favourable set of opponents, and those kinds of quirks can distort the odds at this early stage.