EFL BETTING INSIGHTS: THREE KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM LAST WEEKEND'S FIXTURES

The international break meant there was a reduced EFL schedule last weekend, but there were still some interesting results across League One and League Two.

Plymouth Argyle picked up an important away win; Salford City moved to the top of League Two, while Bristol Rovers suffered another defeat.

With the season starting to take shape, there are a few betting trends worth looking at ahead of the next round of fixtures. Here are three key takeaways from last weekend's EFL action.

IS LEAGUE ONE HOME ADVANTAGE BECOMING LESS IMPORTANT?

Home advantage hasn't been particularly reliable in League One this season, and last weekend was another example.

Only three matches took place in the league, but none of the home sides managed to win.

Plymouth Argyle beat Leyton Orient 2-0; Huddersfield Town secured a 3-1 win at Burton Albion, while Bradford City picked up a point away at Reading.

That meant two away wins and a draw, which would have been disappointing for anyone backing the home sides.

I actually looked at home advantage in my previous EFL betting insights article. At the time, home teams had won just 35% of the opening 87 League One matches.

Saturday's results suggest it's still a market worth paying attention to.

Of course, three matches aren't enough to make any major conclusions, but there is a wider trend here.

Plymouth are a good example of how unpredictable League One can be. They lost 1-0 at home to Burton Albion before bouncing back with a 2-0 away win at Leyton Orient.

I'd be cautious about backing teams simply because they're playing at home. The double chance and away win markets could be worth looking at, particularly when the hosts are priced as favourites.

ARE BRISTOL ROVERS BEING OVERRATED?

Bristol Rovers started the season well, but I'm not convinced their early results tell the full story. Rovers suffered a 3-1 defeat away at Crewe Alexandra on Saturday, which was their fourth league loss in nine matches.

They have won five of their opening nine games, but they've also conceded 14 goals, the same number they've scored. Crewe, meanwhile, extended their unbeaten start to nine matches. They've drawn six of those games, which suggests they haven't always been clinical in front of goal, but they've been difficult to beat.

What interests me is whether Bristol Rovers are being priced too short because of their early wins. Five wins from nine matches look decent on paper, but four defeats in the same period is concerning.

Rovers face Barnet next, who have also made an impressive start and were unbeaten after seven matches. I'd be reluctant to back Bristol Rovers at short odds against a side with that record.

There's also an argument for looking at the goals markets. Rovers have scored 14 and conceded 14 in their opening nine matches, an average of 3.11 total goals per game.

That doesn't automatically make Over 2.5 Goals a good bet, but it's a market I'd consider when looking at their upcoming fixtures.

SHOULD PUNTERS BE BACKING SALFORD CITY AT SHORT PRICES?

Salford City moved to the top of League Two following Saturday's 1-0 win against Fleetwood Town. The result took them to 16 points from nine matches, with five wins, one draw and three defeats.

The Ammies have scored 13 goals and conceded 10, leaving them with a goal difference of just three. Those numbers are interesting when considering whether Salford deserve to be backed at short prices.

Although they finished the weekend top of the table, they have already lost a third of their league matches. Crewe, who were just one point behind Salford, remained unbeaten after nine games. Barnet were also only one point behind, despite having played two less matches.

There's very little separating the leading sides in League Two . Salford deserve credit for their start, but I wouldn't necessarily be rushing to back them simply because they are leading the league.

Bookmakers are likely to take their league position into account when pricing upcoming fixtures, and that could make them shorter than they should be in certain matches. Their next league fixture comes away at Cheltenham Town, which could provide another interesting test.

As the EFL returns this weekend, I'd be wary of backing teams purely because of their league position.