James Milton: Football predictions & free betting accumulator tips

Free football tips, bets and analysis for this weekend's Premier League, EFL and European action.

Best bets

Fulham to beat Southampton
3pm Saturday
2pts Evs general

Over 2.5 goals in Peterborough v Wycombe
3pm Sunday
1pt 21-20 bet365

Lyon to win & over 2.5 goals v Clermont
4pm Sunday
2pts 20-21 general

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Best Premier League bet

Fulham v Southampton 3pm Saturday

Fulham's impressive Premier League campaign restarted with a 3-0 victory away to nine-man Crystal Palace on Monday and the Cottagers have a great opportunity of another three points at home to struggling Southampton.

Their task at Selhurst Park was made easier by the fact that Palace had two players sent off in the first 57 minutes but it was still 11 versus 11 when Fulham took the lead through Bobby De Cordova-Reid.

Serbia striker Aleksandar Mitrovic scored the third, taking his league tally to ten, and his scoring rate of 0.82 goals per 90 minutes is the same as Harry Kane's this season.

Mitrovic and his fellow forwards should be confident of troubling a Southampton side whose first home game under Nathan Jones ended in a limp 3-1 defeat to Brighton.

Five of Fulham's six defeats on their return to the top flight have come against the division's top five clubs. Their last two matches before the World Cup ended in 2-1 losses to Manchester City and United, both of whom scored injury-time winners, so they have little to fear from Saints, who have lost their last four league fixtures.

Best EFL bet

Peterborough v Wycombe 3pm Sunday

Wycombe won three of their first four matches in League One in December, conceding only one goal, but a gruelling schedule may mean their defensive standards slip at Peterborough on Sunday.

The Chairboys travelled to leaders Plymouth on Thursday before the trip to London Road, where Posh scored 22 times in their first ten league matches of the campaign.

Peterborough's playoff push has been hampered by a woeful record against the top clubs in the division and they had lost six of their seven meetings against teams above them in the table before Thursday's fixtures.

That included a 3-1 defeat at Wycombe in October so the odds-against about over 2.5 goals is a tempting bet, especially as it copped in seven of Posh's previous ten games going into Thursday's clash with MK Dons.

Best European bet

Lyon v Clermont 4pm Sunday

Lyon showed no sign of rustiness in their first Ligue 1 game for almost seven weeks, racing into a 4-1 lead at Brest inside 49 minutes on Wednesday, and another entertaining victory is expected when they host Clermont.

Both teams have scored in five of Lyon's seven league wins this term, and one of the exceptions was a 5-0 trouncing of Angers, so backing the hosts to win and over 2.5 goals looks a solid bet.

Last season's meetings between the teams finished 3-3 and 2-1 to Lyon and, while Clermont are winless in six games, they should be encouraged to have a crack at a home defence who have kept just two clean sheets in 16 this term.

Weekend accumulators

Banker
Plymouth
The Pilgrims won ten of their first 11 home matches in League One and should see off MK Dons, who face a gruelling trip to the south-west hot on the heels of Thursday's away fixture at Peterborough.

Blowout
Tottenham
Spurs came back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 at Brentford on Monday but they have now conceded at least twice in their last six Premier League games and tackle an Aston Villa side who are looking lively under Unai Emery.

Accumulator
Barcelona 1-4, Newcastle 4-9, Plymouth 8-11, Lyon 2-5. £1 accumulator returns £4.36 with Coral.

Both teams to score
Games at Brighton 7-10, Villarreal 3-4, Peterborough 10-11. £1 treble returns £5.68 with bet365.

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