League 1 & League 2 are probably two most of the most complex & difficult leagues for football punters to assess with confidence & the weekly challenge of finding winning selections is indeed a very tough one.

Both Leagues are intensely competitive & on their day all teams are capable of beating each other so nothing can be taken for granted by punters when considering League 1 & League 2 fixtures.

In order to try & help on that front, we have had a good look at all the fixtures for this weekend in League 1 & League 2 to try & find the most solid bets & hopefully the best value.

League 1:

Southend United vs Southampton – Friday 7.45pm

In our view this is the most interesting game in League 1 this weekend & certainly looks a cracking game in prospect here.

Southend United & Southampton are two teams in excellent form having both had excellent wins at the weekend so we expect both teams to have a real go in this game.

Southend United are quite solid at home & their excellent 2-0 away win at Stockport at the weekend will give them a lot of confidence for this match.

Southampton sit bottom of the table due to their 10 point deduction but despite that Alan Pardew’s team have started to come to terms with that & the confidence levels now seems high within the squad.

A very impressive 4-1 home win at the weekend illustrates their confidence & form & although they have not yet won away, they have had 3 draws so they will be confident of getting a positive result at Southend.

We really do like the look of this game & good, positive football should be the order of the day here but at the same time it looks set to be incredibly competitive & we like a scoring draw as a sensible, value bet.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Betting: Draw

Correct Score options: 1-1/2-2

First goalscorer each way/Player to score anytime: Lambert/Barnard/Lallana

Double Result: Draw Half Time & Full Time

Carlisle United vs Norwich City – Saturday 3.00pm

This is a very interesting game in prospect with 7th place Norwich City travelling to 19th place Carlisle & this certainly could be an entertaining game.

The betting for this match suggests it is a tight game to call & something has to give looking at the records of both sides.

Carlisle have a poor home record of only 1 win in 5 & Norwich have a poor away record with only 1 win in 5 so if there is to be a winner here.

Current form is a factor & both teams should come into this match with confidence after Norwich won 5-1 & Carlisle had the massive boost of scoring in the last minute to draw 2-2.

This is a tough game to call & competitive game looks certain so could go either way but we were impressed by Norwich City on saturday & they look a good bet to make the most of their extra attacking quality and win this match.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Betting: Norwich City to win

Correct Score options: Norwich City to win 2-1 or 3-1

First goalscorer each way/Player to score anytime: Holt/Cureton/Dobie

Double Result: Norwich City Half Time & Full Time

Leyton Orient vs Colchester United – Saturday 3.00pm

16th place Leyton Orient welcome 4th place Colchester United to what should be a decent, competitive game.

Confidence is a massive factor in football & the fact both Leyton Orient & Colchester United won last time out will mean they both approach this game in a positive manner.

Leyton Orient received a massive boost to their confidence ahead of this game by winning 1-0 away at Wycombe & that should guarantee a positive approach in front of their own fans here.

Colchester United have had a fantastic start to their season with only 2 defeats in 11 & they certainly do look strong contenders for promotion this season.

Aidy Boothroyd has taken over as manager & has made an immediate impact illustrated by their solid 1-0 win at home to promotion rivals Huddersfield Town at the weekend.

We expect a good, physical & competitive match here with Leyton Orient sure to have a go but for we like the look of Colchester United this season & they have the extra quality in the attacking areas which makes them a solid bet to get the away win here.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Betting: Colchester United to win

Correct Score options: Colchester United to win 2-0/2-1

First goalscorer each way/Player to score anytime: Odejayi/Platt

Double Result: Colchester Half Time & Full Time

The rest of the fixtures for League 1 look very tough to call & it certainly could pay to consider the DRAW as a value bet in those fixtures.

League 2:

In the last few weeks & particularly the last two rounds of fixtures, punters have suffered great frustration with how complex league two has proven to be.

A major factor in that frustration is that the more fancied, stronger teams in League 2 have been away from home & they have failed to win their games with some even suffering surprising defeats.

However, this weekend all the major teams in League 2 are at home & they all look to have solid chances of winning & here are our thoughts on those teams:

Bradford City to beat Crewe
Correct Score options: Bradford City to win 2-0/2-1
First Goalscorer options: Boulding/O’Brien

Dagenham to beat Darlington
Correct Score options: Dagenham to win 2-0/3-0
First Goalscorer options: Benson/Scott

Rotherham United to beat Hereford
Correct Score options: Rotherham to win 3-0/3-1
First Goalscorer options: Le Fondre/Ellison

Notts County to beat Torquay
Correct Score options: Notts County to win 3-0/3-1
First Goalscorer options: Hughes/Rodgers

Shrewsbury Town to beat Port Vale
Correct Score options: Shrewsbury to win 2-0/3-0
First Goalscorer options: Robinson/McIntyre