James Milton: Football predictions & free betting accumulator tips

Best bets

Luton or draw double chance v Newcastle
3pm Saturday
2pts 5-4 general

Georginio Rutter to score at any time v Ipswich
Sky Sports Football & Main Event, 12.30pm Saturday
1pt 2-1 bet365

Over 2.5 Atletico Madrid goals v Sevilla
3.15pm Saturday
1pt 15-8 Betfair

Best Premier League bet

Luton v Newcastle
3pm Saturday

Luton's Tom Lockyer was discharged from hospital on Friday after suffering a cardiac arrest at Bournemouth last weekend and his teammates can make their captain proud when they take on Newcastle.

The Hatters' haul of nine points from 16 Premier League games does not tell the whole story of their campaign as they have been more competitive than ante-post relegation odds of 1-3 suggested.

Luton's performances at Kenilworth Road have been particularly impressive. Their last four home results were a 1-1 draw with Liverpool, who equalised in injury-time, a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace and narrow defeats to Arsenal and Manchester City.

The Gunners snatched a 4-3 victory thanks to Declan Rice's 97th-minute header while the Hatters lost 2-1 to City, having led the champions until the 62nd minute.

Luton are worth backing to extend Newcastle's miserable away run. The Magpies' only win in eight road games in the league was an 8-0 thumping of Sheffield United and they have lost 2-0 at Bournemouth, 3-0 at Everton and 4-1 at Tottenham in their last three away fixtures.

Newcastle's Champions League exit and Tuesday's penalty-shootout defeat at Chelsea in the EFL Cup have dampened the festive mood on Tyneside and Eddie Howe's men may drop more points on their travels this weekend.

Best EFL bet

Leeds v Ipswich
Sky Sports Football & Main Event, 12.30pm Saturday

Second-placed Ipswich are ten points clear of the Championship playoff places but the Tractor Boys can take nothing for granted with Leeds and Southampton leading the chasing pack.

Ipswich head to Elland Road in a potential cracker on Saturday, having lost 4-3 in August's reverse fixture against Leeds.

Georginio Rutter was on the scoresheet at Portman Road and, while the striker has claimed only four goals in 20 league starts this term, he is worth backing to punish Ipswich again.

The French youngster failed to make an impact in the Premier League after arriving in January for a club-record fee from Hoffenheim.

However, Rutter has become a key player under Daniel Farke, contributing nine assists and racking up a remarkable 15 shots in his last two home games against Middlesbrough and Coventry.

Best European bet

Atletico Madrid v Sevilla
3.15pm Saturday

Atletico Madrid have shed their attritional style this season, winning eight of their nine home matches in La Liga and averaging 2.44 goals per game on their own patch.

That run includes a 3-1 derby win over Real Madrid and a 3-3 draw with Getafe on Tuesday, when Atletico scored all three of their goals after being reduced to ten men.

Saturday's visitors Sevilla won 3-0 at Granada this week, ending a ten-match winless streak, but their defence may struggle to contain in-form Atletico forwards Antoine Griezmann and Alvaro Morata.

Weekend accumulators

Banker
Torino
Having won their last three home games in Serie A, solid Torino can make it four in a row against an Udinese side who have conceded 12 goals in their last four matches

Blowout
Sunderland
New Sunderland manager Michael Beale faces a tricky debut as visitors Coventry have lost only one of their last seven games, drawing the last two against Leeds and Southampton  

Accumulator
Fulham 4-7, Mansfield 4-6, Atletico Madrid 1-2, Torino 3-4. £1 accumulator returns £6.88 with Betfair.

Both teams to score
Games at Tottenham 8-15, Middlesbrough 8-11, Barnsley 4-5. £1 accumulator returns £4.76 with bet365.

Click for free bets and betting offers from the Racing Post

Commercial notice: This article contains affiliate links. Offers are handpicked and come from operators our experts have first-hand experience of. Opening an account via one of these links will earn revenue for the Racing Post, which will be used to continue producing our award-winning coverage of horseracing and sports betting.