James Milton: Football predictions & free betting accumulator tips

Best bets

Over 3.5 goals in Brentford v Sheffield United
3pm Saturday
2pts 13-10 bet365, BoyleSports

Swansea to win & under 3.5 goals v Rotherham
3pm Saturday
1pt 11-10 BoyleSports

Hoffenheim draw no bet v Mainz
2.30pm Saturday
3pts 13-8 general

Best Premier League bet

Brentford v Sheffield United
3pm Saturday

Desperate times call for desperate measures and the Premier League's bottom club Sheffield United look set for another wide-open contest at Brentford on Saturday.

The Blades won December's reverse fixture 1-0 – one of just three victories in 31 matches this season – but 11 of their 13 league games since Christmas have produced at least four goals.

After suffering 5-0 home defeats to Brighton and Aston Villa and a 6-0 Bramall Lane battering by Arsenal, Chris Wilder's side have found their scoring touch in recent weeks, drawing 2-2 at Bournemouth, 3-3 at Fulham and 2-2 at home to Chelsea last weekend.

Their post-Christmas goal glut also includes a 3-2 home defeat and 3-1 away win against fellow strugglers Luton so an entertaining trip to Brentford looks likely.

The Bees are winless in nine games but they have claimed encouraging recent draws against Chelsea, Manchester United, Brighton and Aston Villa, where they scored three times in nine second-half minutes in last weekend's 3-3 thriller.

Over 3.5 goals has been a winning bet in ten of Brentford's 16 home matches this term and they had 31 shots, four of them rattling the woodwork, in last month's 1-1 draw with United.

Best EFL bet

Swansea v Rotherham
3pm Saturday

Relegated Rotherham have managed just three shots on target in their last two Championship matches, losing 1-0 at home to Plymouth last weekend and 2-0 at West Brom on Wednesday.

The Millers have picked up four points from 20 away matches and are unlikely to turn on the style against Swansea, who are long odds-on for victory despite their own patchy form.

Rotherham suffered back-to-back 5-0 defeats at playoff hopefuls Coventry and Norwich at the start of March but their five subsequent games all featured under 3.5 goals.

Backing Swansea for a low-scoring win appeals at odds-against. They scored with three of their four shots on target, including a penalty, in the 3-0 midweek home win over Stoke and their previous six matches all ended with under 2.5 goals.

Best European bet

Mainz v Hoffenheim
2.30pm Saturday

Bundesliga strugglers Mainz have responded well to last month's 8-1 mauling by Bayern Munich, beating survival rivals Bochum and Darmstadt to nil at home either side of a goalless draw at RB Leipzig.

However, their resurgence may be overrated by the market for Saturday's home fixture against Hoffenheim, who look a tasty draw-no-bet price.

Despite scoring four times against bottom club Darmstadt last time out, Mainz still average only 0.93 goals per game this season.

Eighth-placed Hoffenheim, who won 3-2 at Borussia Dortmund in February, suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat at Bayer Leverkusen in their last away fixture when the rampant league leaders needed goals in the 88th and 91st minutes.

Weekend accumulators

Banker
Doncaster
Donny's seven-game winning streak in League Two includes victories over in-form Crawley, Wrexham and Walsall while visitors Accrington have lost six of their last ten.

Blowout
Fleetwood
Fleetwood need a win more than mid-table Northampton but the Cod Army have won once in 12 games and lost to survival rivals Cheltenham in their last home fixture.

Accumulator
Leeds 1-3, West Brom 3-4, Doncaster 3-4, Bologna 11-20. A £1 accumulator returns £6.31 with bet365.

Both teams to score
Games at Brentford 4-6, Crawley 3-5, Udinese 5-6. A £1 accumulator returns £4.89 with Coral.

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