Punters Panel: Weekend football betting advice from our experts

Another busy weekend of football action is almost upon us – and we’ve re-assembled a series of sharp minds to help mark your card in the form of our brand new Punters Panel here at Odds Now!

Introducing the Odds Now Football Punters Panel

Before we get stuck in, here’s a little bit more on the five men answering our key questions:

Matt Hill - Head of Content at Odds Now and an experienced football bettor with over a decade in the betting industry. Follow Matt on X HERE.

Felix Morson-Pate - Football trader at a leading bookmaker and our resident data expert – check out Felix’s latest weekly column HERE.

Gab Sutton - Leading EFL journalist, lower league expert and co-host of Odds Now’s EFL Betting Show – watch this week’s episode HERE.

Adam Drury - Odds Now’s primary football tipster, who is enjoying a stellar 2024-25 campaign. Check out Adam's Friday night fancies HERE.

Scott Redfearn - Veteran football punter and renowned value hunter. Follow Scott on X HERE.

Now, onto the fun stuff!

Can you give us your best bet of the football weekend?

MH - It was a devastating day for my club Carlisle last weekend, with their drop into non-league finally confirmed. That said, column favourite Georgie Kelly continued to be a bright light in a dire situation, netting his fifth goal in as many games in the 3-2 defeat to Cheltenham. The big Irishman is in fantastic form and despite the rotten circumstances, quotes of 15/4 with Bet365 about him netting against a Salford side under huge pressure to seal a play-off spot are, once again, way too big.

FMP -Salford win to nil (sorry Matt!) as they look to secure a play off place against already relegated Carlisle. It's the fixture you'd want as a team in their position and 2/1 about the visitors winning with a shutout could look a gift come 5pm on Saturday.

GS - Okay, here me out. I think Carlisle to beat Salford at 4/1 is a great bet. Remember when Rafa Benitez took charge of Newcastle in 2016? He oversaw improvement, it wasn't quite enough to keep them up before the final day, and fans were desperate for him to stay on for the Championship (which he did and they won the title the following season) - they beat Tottenham 5-1 on the final day. Although scaled down to a lower level, I see a similar situation at Brunton Park where Cumbrians will give Mark Hughes a warm reception and pull at the heartstrings for him to sign a new deal, made likelier by Sporting Director Rob Clarkson leaving this week. So, you can get the win at 4/1, or if you share my suspicion that this could be one of those weird games where United run away with it to go down with at least something to smile about, you can get the -1 at 12s or the -2 at 35s! If you still think I'm talking gibberish, out of the last 12 times a team has played their final home game in the Football League, none of them have ended in defeat (even with relegation mostly confirmed beforehand) - 7 wins and 5 draws.

AD - Perceived motivation has been heavily factored into the prices at Stamford Bridge, where we can take Liverpool draw no bet at 11/8 with Betfred against Chelsea. I don’t agree that the Reds will have their flip-flops on just yet – in fact, I think it far more likely they will want to see out their title-winning campaign in style. They’ve lost two of their 34 league games and extending that run will mean we can’t lose money here, which I’m very keen on.

SR -With so many of the teams that need to win this weekend being hit hard during the week, I’m happy to back Torquay to win in 90 minutes vs Boreham Wood at 29/20 with William Hill in the National League South play-offs. I’d expect a come down from Boreham's late drama vs Dorking this week and the well-rested Gulls have been impressive at home of late.

Which short-priced favourite would you be most keen to oppose?

MH - I don't fancy backing Colchester at odds-on. The Us had a play-off berth in the palm of their hands last month but two dire defeats mean they now need a freakish set of final-day results to get in – which simply won't be happening. Given how poor those two performances were, I have no faith in them seeing off a Barrow side proving tough to beat under Andy Whing.

FMP -I think Blackpool are plenty short enough hosting Bristol Rovers. Steve Bruce's hosts have nothing to play for, are now winless in three and face a Gas side who will want to give the travelling fans something to cling onto before a dreaded return to League Two.

GS - As you may have guessed, it would be Salford! They are favourites because they get play-offs with a win, but I still feel they're a flaky team that aren't going to turn up when it matters. 

AD -This isn’t the shortest price to be taking on, but Hull travelling to Portsmouth as comfortable favourites has to be nonsense. Ruben Selles’ side most likely must win to avoid relegation, which explains the price, but it does no justice to Pompey themselves, who have won 11 of their last 16 home games and will want to end an impressive season on a high. I’d be wary of falling into the ‘motivation’ trap – Hull are 22nd because they’ve been poor, winning just one away game in six.

SR - I think you could look at all the Champions League semi-finalists as possible favourites to avoid, but I wouldn’t be backing Leeds at 1/4 also. Plymouth have an excellent home record against the current top 10, having only lost to Burnley at home. Despite Leeds needing a win to guarantee the title, I’d be avoiding them at a super skinny price.

Can you find us a potential goal-fest for overs backers?

MH - Leeds don't thrash many teams on their travels, while Plymouth usually offer up stellar opposition at Home Park. And yet, I actually think this last-day clash stinks of goals. The Whites are chasing the title and come up against an Argyle side who could go either way, having been relegated last weekend despite a plucky win at Preston. One thing's for sure though – neither team has any reason to keep things tight. Over 3.5 goals at 11/8 makes strong appeal.

FMP - Aside from Leipzig-Bayern, which I've already written about in an individual match preview, it is hard to look past Leeds vs Plymouth, which could well be a cricket score.

GS - I think Coventry v Middlesbrough has goals in it. The nature of the fixture is such that you'll always have at least one team chasing a goal to secure a play-off spot. Plus, Cov have issues in the goalkeeping department, with Brad Collins favoured despite poor form, and Middlesbrough have players like Finn Azaz and Tommy Conway who can turn on the style, whereas the hosts have one of the strongest midfields in the league.

AD - I’m targeting Rotherham v Peterborough, in which you can back over 3.5 goals at 8/5 with Unibet and over 4.5 at 19/5 with the same firm. The Millers' last four home matches have finished 3-2, 4-1, 2-1 and 3-3, while Peterborough lost 4-2 at Mansfield on Wednesday evening. I can’t see why either team would bother doing much defending here and they are both capable of cutting loose.

SR - Derby games are usually considered tight affairs but Rangers have scored three goals in the three games they’ve played against Celtic this season, with 14 netted between the two clubs overall. I’m happy to back goals again as a result. We’re getting 7/5 with Unibet for over 3.5, which might seem a little low, but this game should deliver with the increased possibility of a red card/penalty too.

Any goalscorer or prop bets that take your eye this weekend?

MH - Away from Georgie Kelly, Jay Stansfield has had an up-and-down first season with League One champions Birmingham but, despite the noise aroud him from opposition fans at times, he's only two goals off potentially landing the Golden Boot. If he starts, I really like the 13/2 with Betfred on him netting a brace against relegated Cambridge. It'd be rude not to also cover the hat-trick at 35/1 with Betfair and Paddy.

FMP - Let's have a bit of fun with this and back Brentford's deadly duo of Yoanne Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo to both score/assist at home to the ever mercurial Manchester United. The beauty of this bet is that you could well get both legs up with one solitary strike. That pays 13/8 with Bet365.

GS - Matt made a great shout at Jay Stansfield going for the golden boot on the betting show, and he's 35/1 for a hat-trick – and he's convinced me. I think if he starts up top with Lyndon Dykes, there's a chance he might get chances because he'll have a striker to win the flick-ons and knock-downs, creating space for him to nip in behind and beat veteran Michael Morrison in those footraces. He's two goals off Charlie Kelman of Leyton Orient. Gwarn, Stanno!

AD - Josh Sargent is likely playing for Norwich for the last time and I’m confident he’ll go out with a bang at home to already-relegated Cardiff. The US international is the league’s fourth-highest scorer despite missing large parts of the season with injury and I like the 11/8 available for him to score with Unibet, as well as the brace at 7/1 with Sky Bet and hat-trick at 40/1 with Betfred.

SR - Backing a defender to score at 15/4 isn’t usually on the card but, considering the importance of the match, I’m going to Southend's 17-goal right back Gus Scott-Morriss to find the net again. Gateshead have shown their weakness at set plays over the last few months and I think this will be on the radar for an opponent who have the physical side of their game to punish such soft defending.

Are there any individual players who may have gone under the radar in 2024-25 that you think are set for a breakout season in 2025-26?

MH - I'm very interested to see where Dundee United youngster Owen Stirton plies his trade next term. The 18-year-old forward has netted nine goals in 13 games on loan with Scottish League One side Montrose and is reportedly being tracked by Celtic. Should he head out on loan again to the Scottish Championship or England's lower leagues, he could be a real one to watch in 2025/26.

FMP -I think Lazar Samardzic’s time will come very soon. Reliable for Udinese at a young age and solid but unspectacular at Atalanta, the Serbian has the talent to be a top creative midfielder in a Champions League side. I think he just needs to find the right home first, a la Xavi Simons.

GS - It'd be rude given my position to not give you one from each division! So, let's go for Raess Bangura-Williams at Millwall, Finn Delap at Burton (Rory's son!) and Joe Gbode at Gillingham.

AD -They say write about what you know, and as a Watford fan I’ve watched Kwadwo Baah burst into first-team life this season. Injuries have curtailed his campaign – and they are, admittedly, a concern, as his game relies on explosivity – but if he can put them behind him, and the Hornets can resist interest from elsewhere, I’m confident he will be one of the stand-out players in the Championship next year. He is rapid, strong and had the beating of virtually every left-back he has faced this term, posting a goal contribution every 200 minutes. I think he can improve upon that further as he matures.

SR - One player who isn’t being talked about enough (outside the North East) is Reyes Cleary. A forward by trade, he’s made the left flank his own at Hartlepool since joining in January having not got a look-in at Walsall during the first half of the campaign. At 21, he’ll probably leave West Brom this summer, but keep an eye on him next season – especially if he drops back into the National League, where he has six goals in 19 games from the left.

Can you pick us out a winning treble from the final set of EFL fixtures to see the season out in style?

MH - Let's go for three home sides to finish unremarkable seasons with some good vibes. Norwich to beat relegated Cardiff, Lincoln to see off a Wrexham side still in party mode and Bromley to overpower Cheltenham pays just over 8/1 with 888 Sport.

FMP - We all know goals are the order of the day generally on the curtain-closing weekend, so let's try an over 2.5 goals treble. Coventry vs Middlesbrough in the Championship, Huddersfield vs Leyton Orient in League One and Bromley vs Cheltenham in League Two. That pays around the 7/2 mark.

GS - Let's go for three sides who could still end up all winning their leagues. Burnley, Birmingham and Port Vale pays just shy of 3/1.

AD -I’ll combine two of my fancies from above: Sargent to score and goals at the New York Stadium. Let’s go slightly safer with BTTS & over 2.5 goals in Rotherham v Peterborough in that one. Finally, I’ll chuck in Burnley & over 1.5 goals vs Millwall. I fancy Scott Parker’s side to continue their comfortable finish to the season and put the pressure on Leeds in the title race. That comes out at 7/1 with Bet365.

SR - As mentioned earlier, many prices have been smashed up early in the week. But for a treble, we can back the teams that we expect/need to win. So, you can get 3/1 on Salford picking up the win at relegated Carlisle to confirm a top 7 finish, Bradford to beat a Fleetwood side who have nothing to play for and finish in the top 3 and I’ll add Reading to beat Barnsley at home to keep the pressure on Leyton Orient to finish in the League One's top-six race.

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