The international break is amongst us, but fret not - we still have the National League and Matthew O'Regan has his best bets for Saturday's action.
After finishing fourth in the league last season, before losing to promoted Bromley, Altrincham have started this season in poor fashion and are currently 15th in the league.
Phil Parkinson's side have won two games, drawing one and losing three. The Robins have only scored four goals this season, a far cry from the side who scored 84 goals last campaign. The loss of top scorer Chris Conn-Clarke (22 goals) to League One side Peterborough is sure to have affected this, but Altrincham's last two matches have given belief that they may be able to turn things around.
Ebbsfleet have had a torrid start to the season, having lost five games and drawn one. Danny Searle's side survived by just two points last season, but things look arduous this year.
Altrincham had the third-best home record last season, picking up 46 points from 23 games at the J.Davidson. Ebbsfleet struggled on their travels, picking up just 20 points in 23 games, and conceding 48 goals.
The Fleet face a long journey to Altrincham - a journey they may leave empty-handed.
Best Bet: Altrincham to win @1.85
Hartlepool’s return to the National League was chaotic, and it saw them have three different managers, including 76-year-old Lennie Lawrence, who hadn’t managed for 12 years.
Now, the Monkey Hangers are settled, led by the steady and reliable Darren Sarll. They currently sit 10th in the league, just one point off the playoffs.
Hartlepool opened the season with three clean sheets in a row, with a 0-0 home draw at Southend sandwiched in between 0-1 away wins at newly promoted sides Yeovil and Tamworth. Sarll’s side have yet to win since then, drawing 1-1 and 0-0 at home to Wealdstone and Braintree, as well as throwing away a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 to Woking.
5/6 of their games have seen under 2.5 goals, including all three home games, with these six games seeing an average of 1.5 goals.
Halifax snuck into the playoffs last year owing to their fine end-of-season form. The Shaymen will be aiming for the top seven again this campaign and currently sit just two points off seventh place Aldershot. Chris Millington’s side started the season with a trio of home games, beating Barnet 2-1, losing 0-1 to Aldershot and drawing 1-1 with Gateshead.
A 1-1 draw at Dagenham was followed by a 0-1 defeat to Solihull Moors and a 0-1 win at Ebbsfleet, meaning five of their six games have seen under 2.5 goals, including both on their travels.
While Hartlepool games were high-scoring last season, FC Halifax again were low-scoring – their games averaged just 2.34 goals.
With two low-scoring teams with mean defences, expect a stalemate at Victoria Park.
Best Bet: Under 2.5 goals @1.70
Sutton United and Boston United were two divisions apart last season and now face off at Gander Green Lane in the National League.
The U's started the season five games unbeaten, before conceding a last-minute goal to lose to fellow relegated side Forest Green Rovers. Steve Morison's side only lost one of their final eight games in League 2 as they nearly pulled off a miraculous survival.
Boston United, like Sutton, ended the season strongly, sneaking into the playoffs on the last day. In the playoffs, Ian Culverhouse's side scraped through to the final, beating Alfreton and Scunthorpe on penalties after 0-0 draws. The final saw a 2-1 win at Brackley, with the Pilgrims promoted to the National League.
They had a tough start to the season, losing 0-3, 0-4 and 2-0 to Rochdale, Forest Green and Southend United respectively. Boston gained their first point of the season drawing at home with fellow promoted Tamworth. They then shocked York away from home, winning 0-2, before losing 3-1 at home to Yeovil.
There is quite a big gap in quality between the sides - a gap the hosts will look to showcase on Saturday.
Best Bet: Sutton United win and under 5 goals @1.90
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