football | Wednesday, August 30, 2023 12:11 PM (Revised at: Wednesday, August 30, 2023 2:36 PM)

The Expert’s Acca: Shots, Goals, Corners… The Lot

Sam Ingram

The Expert’s Acca: Expert Tips and Predictions From bettingexpert This Weekend

We’re off to the Championship, the Premier League and Ligue 1, with a helping of the Norwegian Eliteserien and the Uruguayan Primera Division. Not only that, but in Serie A, Daniele Fisichella is brave enough to put his neck on the line with the sole Friday night selection to kick off the Expert’s Acca.

Elsewhere, Tom Winch seeks to make it 4/4 for his Expert’s Acca tips as he saunters to the south of France.

In this article:

Jack Wright’s Best Free Tip and Prediction For This Weekend
Jimmy The Punt’s Best Free Tip and Prediction For This Weekend
Nathan Joyes’ Best Free Tip and Prediction For This Weekend
Scott Thornton’s Best Free Tip and Prediction For This Weekend
Tom Winch’s Best Free Tip and Prediction For This Weekend
Daniele Fisichella’s Best Free Tip and Prediction For This Weekend
Steve Wyss’ Best Free Tip and Prediction For This Weekend
Matt Kirby’s Best Free Tip and Prediction For This Weekend
Matthew O’Regan’s Best Free Tip and Prediction For this Weekend
Gamble Responsibly

Rotherham vs Norwich: No Sargent to Slaughter Millers but Canaries have an Idah

England, Championship, Saturday September 2nd, 15:00

If Rotherham were looking for a midweek confidence boost in the EFL (Carabao) Cup – they did not get it! What they did get was a 6-1 thrashing at the hands of fellow Championship side Stoke City. That’s ten goals conceded against the Potters alone this season, and we’re not out of August yet!

Boss Matt Taylor rotated his side following the narrow 2-1 defeat at home to league leaders Leicester at the weekend but fell behind after just 71 seconds, and it went downhill from there. The Millers are the only side in the Championship to have conceded double figures already and have now shipped an alarming 17 goals across six games in all competitions.

The 41-year-old has made few excuses other than insisting the remaining days of the transfer window are likely to shape the destiny of his threadbare squad. Injuries and suspension have cut deep, with a bench of players generally untried at this level.

Despite a return of just one point from the opening four league games, Rotherham’s philosophy remains front-foot, as the manager himself has reiterated. That could prove a dangerous game against this in-form Norwich outfit.

The Canaries have followed up an unbeaten pre-season by winning five of their opening six fixtures in all competitions. The only slight blemish on that record being a 4-4 draw at Southampton courtesy of conceding a 97th-minute penalty.

Jonny Rowe is grabbing all the headlines, having scored in each of his five appearances this season, the last of which was the 4-0 win at Huddersfield on Saturday. But strikers Ashley Barnes, Josh Sargent and Adam Idah have all scored at least twice, making David Wagner’s side the top scorers in the second tier with 13 goals.

The absence of three-goal Josh Sargent highlights the squad depth between the two sides. Sidelined for months after injuring ankle ligaments at the John Smith’s Stadium.

His replacement is likely to be Idah, a full Republic of Ireland international. Jordan Hugill lines up for the home side, having been deemed surplus to requirements at Carrow Road in January.

Four points from two road trips in the league and a pair of 1-0 EFL Cup victories away from home against Championship opponents show how this Norwich side is suited to playing away from Carrow Road. A total of ten goals from those four fixtures also illustrates that they will have too much firepower for the struggling Millers in what should be an entertaining clash.

Expert: Jack Wright
Selection: Norwich to win
Best Odds: 1.80
Bookmaker: William Hill
Stake: 10/10 (TRACKED BET)

Liverpool vs Aston Villa: Emery too Stubborn

England, Premier League, Sunday, September 3rd, 14:00

Since taking the reins at Aston Villa, Unai Emery has faced sides that finished above the Villans in the table 12 times.

Villa have won three of those games, drawn none and lost the rest. Staggeringly, though, there have been a staggering 44 goals scored across those fixtures, with Both Teams to Score and Over 2.5 Goals landing in 2/3 of those games.

This season’s 5-1 thumping at St James’s Park provides a decent insight into Emery’s willingness to alter his approach tactically. He won’t.

Despite Newcastle continuously exposing Villa’s high line and pressing them as they played out from the back, the Spanish supremo was unwilling to compromise, which you have to respect.

It should mean goals are plentiful at Villa Park on Sunday with Liverpool in town.

The Reds are another chaotic side. This bet has landed in each of Jurgen Klopp’s last two games. His side looks vulnerable in transition, add to that the suspension of Virgil Van Dijk, yet equally dangerous offensively.

Expert: Jimmy The Punt
Selection: BTTS & Over 2.5 Goals
Best Odds: 1.73
Bookmaker: bet365
Stake: 10/10 (TRACKED BET)

Fenix vs Liverpool Montevideo: Away side to sail away with all three points

Uruguay, Primera Division, Sunday September 3rd, 14:00

Liverpool was famously named after the English city due to the amount of coal ships docking in Montevideo. However, this isn’t a history lesson, so let’s look to land a winner and return to winning ways.

Far from one of the biggest clubs in Uruguayan history, Liverpool Montevideo has continued to drastically improve in recent years. Top, young talent continues to pour out of the academy, including Fabricio Diaz – heavily linked with a Premier League move.

Their Copa Libertadores group stage debut showed their incredible rise, defeating Independiente del Valle and drawing with Argentinos Jrs at home.

With Ruben Bentancourt leading the line, the former Penarol striker stole the headlines in the Libertadores group stage, and will be hoping to continue his fine form domestically.

Having won their second league match 1-0, after an impressive 0-0 draw away to champions Nacional, Liverpool has another opportunity to keep their early run going.

Fenix are also unbeaten after two 1-1 draws, but were arguably fortunate against Defensor Sporting and were practically gifted a goal against Montevideo City – one of the weaker teams domestically.

The line is rather generous towards Liverpool, who have only lost once away to Fenix since 2006. They’ve won three of their last five visits, including a 1-0 victory in June, which has convinced me the current handicap line is worth a chance.

Expert: Nathan Joyes
Selection: Liverpool -0.25
Best Odds: 2.05
Bookmaker: William Hill
Stake: 7/10 (TRACKED BET)

Burnley vs Tottenham: Burnley’s lack of creativity to prove costly

England, Premier League, Saturday, September 2nd, 15:00

Burnley earned promotion to the Premier League by winning the Championship with ease. The bookmakers fancied them to avoid the drop this season, but they haven’t made a strong start to the campaign. They have conceded three goals in both matches so far against tough opposition. They face another stern test when they welcome Tottenham to Turf Moor this weekend.

Spurs have started well. They’ve picked up wins over Bournemouth and Manchester United in recent weeks. Ange Postecoglou’s style has been clear to see in the opening weeks, so expect his side to continue on the path to improvement.

Burnley have struggled to create chances across their opening two matches. They are the only side with an xG below one in the Premier League. Kompany’s side and Luton are the only teams to have only played two matches. The Clartes xG is 1.41 worse than Rob Edwards’ sides’.

Both teams may have new managers, but Tottenham have a good record against Burnley. They have won four of the last five meetings between the sides, conceding just once over the course of those matches.

Expert: Scott Thornton
Selection: Tottenham To Win
Best Odds: 1.85
Bookmaker: bet365
Stake: 8/10 (TRACKED BET)

Monaco vs Lens: Expect a wealth of goals In Monaco

France, Ligue 1, Saturday, September 2nd, 20:00

We’re returning to France for a third successive weekend, hoping to continue our 100% winning streak. Montpellier aren’t involved this time round, but league leaders Monaco welcome Lens on Saturday night, and I’m expecting this one to be a cracker at Stade Louis II.

Adolf Hütter’s side have enjoyed an action-packed start to their campaign; they’ve earned seven points from a possible nine, scored ten and conceded five at the opposite end. They’ve already had two six-goal thrillers with a 3-0 beating over Strasbourg between.

Wissam Ben Yedder has found the back of the net in each encounter so far. He’s the leading scorer in the division at this current stage. Takumi Minamino has five goal involvements, whilst Vanderson, Akliouche, and Boadu have all scored for the club.

Lens has yet to win this season. They’ve only earned a single point. They lost just four times in 22/23, where they finished in second place, just a single point behind eventual champions PSG.

Franck Haise’s side have seen 11 goals in their opening three matches, with the proposed selection cashing on two occasions. They won convincingly in this fixture last season, but it’ll come as a shock if they match that 4-1 result exactly.

I’m more than happy to get onside with goals here. There’s plenty of attacking talent amongst both sides, and neither appears too impressive defensively. I expect at least three goals to be scored, with both clubs contributing to the tally.

Expert: Tom Winch
Selection: Over 3.0 Goals
Best Odds: 2.05
Bookmaker: bet365
Stake: 8/10 (TRACKED BET)

Roma vs AC Milan: It’s a new Rom…it’s a new life for Mou?

Italy, Serie A, Friday, September 1st, 19:45

It’s unlikely Romelu Lukaku will feature on Friday night, but his arrival, greeted by over 4,000 fans at the Ciampino airport, has suddenly restored belief and confidence.

José Mourinho’s side has disappointed so far with their lack of concentration in both games against Salernitana and Verona, but it can be argued they’ve shown a better brand of football compared to last season.

Early days, of course, as new signings like Houssem Aouar, Renato Sanches and, of course, their new Belgian centre-forward will need time to adjust, but so far, the numbers suggest Roma would have deserved more than the mere point collected in 180 minutes.

They’re third for shots taken (36), first for corners (21) and have hit the bar/post three times already. Rui Patricio and Chris Smalling’s errors have led to goals, but the Giallorossi so far have conceded only five shots on target, four of which ended in the back of the net.

AC Milan will travel to Italy’s capital full of confidence: their new players, especially Christian Pulisic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, have already left a mark, and the Rossoneri seem to have added some much-needed dynamism and depth to their squad.

They look dangerous when they can draw their full-backs inside the pitch: when they’re fit, there’s no better partnership in Italy than Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leão.

The last six matches between these two sides have ended with both teams scoring, and five of these have seen over 2.5 goals.

Expert: Daniele Fisichella
Selection: Over 7.5 shots on target
Best Odds: 1.86
Bookmaker: Bet365
Stake: 10/10 (TRACKED BET)

Brann vs Sarpsborg: No sign of goals slowing down in Bergen

Norway Eliteserien, Sunday 3rd September, 16:00

Both teams have enjoyed strong campaigns, and this is a battle between 5th and 7th in the Eliteserien table. Brann obtained promotion back up to the level of Norwegian football and generally performed to expectations. In addition to winning the Norwegian Cup, this must be considered a successful year. Their fixtures average 3.1 goals per game, which slightly increases at home, where they’ve netted 23 times in 10 matches. With the likes of Bard Finne, who is 4th in the scoring charts, they always carry a threat. It must be noted that the Bergen-based outfit has only kept two clean sheets in their last 13 fixtures.

Sarpsborg might be a lively underdog here. They are facing Brann at a good time, just three days after their second leg in the UEFA Conference League vs Dutch side AZ Alkmaar. At the time of writing, we do not know the result of that game, but whatever the outcome, Brann will have poured their heart and soul into the fixture. There will probably be some sort of comedown, either mentally or physically, ahead of this fixture, and Sarpsborg could capitalise. The visitors are on an incredible run of 15 consecutive over 2.5 matches, with 8 of those games ending over 3.5.

There is an interesting side narrative that Brann has just bought Sarpsborg left back Joachim Soltvedt, and he could make his debut for them here! This is a high goal line at 3.5, but it should be able to cover between two of the best attacks in the league. It has huge potential for fireworks, with both teams swinging from hip to hip.

Expert: Steve Wyss
Selection: Over 3.5 goals
Best Odds: 2.00
Bookmaker: Unibet
Stake: 7/10 (TRACKED BET)

Ipswich vs Cardiff: Fly the flag at Portman Road

England, Championship, Saturday, 2nd September, 15:00

Kieran McKenna saw his Ipswich side slip to their first league defeat in a seven-goal thriller against Leeds last weekend. While their expected goals of 2.3xG were eye-catching, so was the corner count.

The corner kicks look like the way to go after analysing the numbers, as Cardiff assumes the role of visitors at Portman Road.

So far this term, Ipswich’s games have seen 15, 10, 9 and 12, while the Bluebirds’ matches have recorded tallies of 10, 20, 14 & 14 – some huge numbers, especially from the visitors.

Cardiff’s two away games have seen their hosts hit double-figure numbers for flag kicks, with Leeds and Leicester taking 10. So, there’s a chance Ipswich could follow suit with how attacking the Tractor Boys football tends to be with high-chance creation.

Across their two home matches, Ipswich are averaging 7.5 corners taken. Across all four league games, the averages stand at Ipswich at 5.75 and Cardiff at 5.5. So, all we need is for those numbers to go in again for this bet to land.

There’s a bit of a safety net by taking the Asian line. If the game finishes at exactly 10, then it’s a push. That’s happened once for each side, as Ipswich’s match against Stoke saw a 7-3 count, while Cardiff’s trip to Leeds ended 10-0.

But two sides averaging decent numbers, with matches resulting in high corner counts, means that looks worthy of a play this weekend in what could be an end-to-end contest.

Expert: Matt Kirby
Selection: Over 10 Asian Corners
Best Odds: 2.00
Bookmaker: Bet365
Stake: 7/10 (TRACKED BET)

Hartlepool vs Wealdstone- Monkey Hangers to hang the Stones out to dry

English National League, Sunday September 2nd, 15:00

I am back for more after a successful trip to Hartlepool last weekend. Jeff Stelling and his boys were victorious 3-1, bringing the goal selection in after 53 minutes. They host Wealdstone this week.

After relegation from League 2, the Monkey Hangers have started their National League campaign in an entertaining fashion, winning 4/6 and sitting in fourth, just two points off early leaders Solihull Moors. In these six games, Hartlepool have scored 15 and conceded 11.

The Teeside outfit has a flawless home record, winning all three home games and scoring eight goals. Due to their leaky defence, Askey’s side has had to find the net more than once in every game, with all four wins seeing them notch at least two.

Wealdstone are the visitors to Victoria Park. Stuart Maynard’s side have far exceeded expectations despite budget restrictions, guiding the Stones to 13th. Away from home, they were solid enough, ranking 13th, but they also conceded 40 goals in 23. They have lost their last two games, conceding five goals.

Hartlepool should have enough for the semi-professional outfit and will likely continue the trend of winning while scoring multiple goals.

Expert: Matthew O’Regan
Selection: Hartlepool Win and Over 1.5 Goals
Best Odds: 2.00
Bookmaker: bet365
Stake: 10/10 (TRACKED BET)

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