EFL League Two 2025/26 Preview

30th July 2025

The football league’s return is upon us after a summer of the usual heavy transfer activity, and anticipation is building ahead of new season kicking off this Saturday with twelve traditional 3pm fixtures. EFL League Two waved goodbye to Morecambe and the long away day to Carlisle, while Doncaster, Port Vale, Bradford and AFC Wimbledon left through the front door after strong campaigns. Statz.ai takes a look at who could be leaving this time round—and highlights some of the best season-long betting angles to consider for 2025/26.

New Signings

MK Dons bringing in Nathaniel Mendez-Laing is clear statement of intent, with the experienced Guatemalan forward bringing proven quality from his time in the Championship and League One—he should be in among the best signings of the off-season. Also strengthening in attack are potential title rivals Chesterfield, who have secured Northern Ireland international Lee Bonis from Dutch side ADO Den Haag. Bonis arrives off the back of an eleven-goal campaign and was previously linked with a move to MLS, underlining his pedigree at this level.

Title Challengers

Statz.ai projected league table—weighted on historical data, wage bills, betting odds, and transfer activity—predicts both MK Dons and Chesterfield will finish in the top three. The model offers up value in Chesterfield to win the league at 7/1 (Bet365), ahead of bookies’ favourite MK Dons, who are projected to finish third. Margins are tight, with Chesterfield forecast at 78.7 points, Notts County sandwiched between on 77, and MK Dons at 75.6. The Spireites possession-heavy approach had them in great form at the tail end of last season, but despite over 70% of the ball in the Playoff Semi-final it couldn’t prevent a 4-1 loss to Walsall. That experience, combined with the additions of Lee Bonis, Dilan Markanday, and Zach Hemming, alongside existing talents like Armando Dobra and Will Grigg, puts them firmly in the title conversation. Notts County, last season’s other semi-final losers, aren’t widely tipped by pundits, but the model suggests improvement under new boss Martin Paterson. A top 7 finish at 11/8 (Bet365) looks like solid value.

Statz.ai Top of the Table Tips

Promoted Teams

Barnet return to League Two after seven years away and absolutely stormed the National League last season, finishing with over 100 points. The Bees aren’t expected to be heading back down anytime soon, with some even tipping them for a potential back-to-back promotion push. Statz.ai is more cautious, projecting a 16th-place finish—but with a possible points ceiling of 93, there’s clear volatility and upside here. National League Playoff winners Oldham Athletic may have more reason for concern, with the model predicting a 22nd-place finish and the fewest goals scored in the division, making a third-bottom outcome a real possibility—at 9/1 (Bet365) the price on the Latics returning to the National League is attractive.

Relegation Candidates

Newport County’s new manager David Hughes returns to senior management after years in youth development, but his comeback could be a baptism of fire. Newport aren’t just the bookies’ favourites for relegation—they’re also tipped to go down by Not The Top 20 and Statz.ai – making the triple whammy prediction hard to ignore and 9/2 (Bet 365) to finish bottom a tempting offer. The Welsh club finished last season on a nine game winless run and are predicted to concede a worrying  80 goals this season. The last team Newport beat were Harrogate Town, who are expected to join Newport in the relegation zone according to the projections and at 3/1 (Bet365) are of decent value.

Statz.ai Bottom of the Table Tips (Bet365)

Relegated Teams

Not a lot is expected of the four League One relegated sides this season in League Two. Bottom of the pile last season Shrewsbury Town could even be candidates for a double drop with odds of 10/1 (Bet 365) quite appealing. Statz.ai has them in relative safety of 12th place but anything above that feels unlikely. Top of the relegated teams is expected to be Bristol Rovers, who have re-appointed Darrell Clarke as their manager, the man who has got them promoted to League One before. Rovers to finish in the top seven offers some value at 11/8 (Bet 365)

Best Statz Prices

Best prices measured against Bet365 odds