Mark Langdon's free weekend football tips and accumulators | EFL & FA Cup

Free football tips, bets and analysis for Saturday's EFL and FA Cup games.

Best bets

Oxford United
1pt 7-8 Betway
Forest Green Rovers
1pt Evs general
Nottingham Forest draw no bet
1pt 8-11 Betfred

Walsall v Oxford United

3pm Saturday

Oxford are used to being in cup competitions - they reach the Boat Race final every year, after all - and Karl Robinson's side can continue their excellent knockout run this season by winning at Walsall to reach the FA Cup third round.

It could turn into a marathon campaign for Oxford, who are sixth in Sky Bet League One with games in hand on most of the teams above them, and also in the League Cup quarter-finals and the knockout stages of the EFL Trophy.

Robinson will have to be careful that he doesn't over-stretch his squad as promotion is their ultimate goal, however, Oxford selected a strong side in the first round and were comfortable qualifiers over Hayes & Yeading.

Key players such as James Henry and Matty Taylor were selected and that game was part of an unbeaten sequence which was extended to 15th with a 4-0 demolition of Southend last week.

They scored four the game before that too, crushing Crawley 4-1 on the road to make EFL Trophy progress and are rampant in League One with 24 goals scored in their last eight outings.

Without context, Walsall's five-match unbeaten run should be of some comfort to the Saddlers supporters.

However, it includes a game against a much-weakened ten-man Forest Green in the EFL Trophy, two bites of the FA Cup cherry against non-league Darlington and league fixtures against Cambridge and Stevenage.

They failed to score against Stevenage last week and notched with their only shot on target at Darlo, having trailed for most of the original tie.

Darrell Clarke's outfit are in danger of a double relegation, sitting 22nd in League Two. Only Stevenage have scored fewer than Walsall's 14 league goals in 19 matches in the fourth tier.

Forest Green Rovers v Carlisle United

3pm Saturday

The betting markets don't have much love for Forest Green - and the club's reputation also took a hit last week when Leyton Orient manager Ross Embleton accused his Rovers boss Mark Cooper of making a crass comment regarding the late Justin Edinburgh.

Cooper strongly denied the claims and the FA have dismissed the allegations, but the hefty finances of owner Dale Vince had already made the club a target for opponents.

Forest Green have the best defensive record in League Two and limited an excellent Crewe side to no shots on target in Tuesday's 0-0 draw. Alex mustered only a couple of shots in the box and clearly Cooper's team know how to nullify opponents.

They do so by keeping the ball - only Crewe average more possession - but Rovers are trailing towards the bottom in attacking shot metrics.

However, Forest Green have improved plenty since their early-season issues and could be ahead of market expectations.

Carlisle are 16 points worse off and this is a difficult first match in charge for surprise new boss Chris Beech.

Previous manager Steven Pressley claimed Carlisle have a bottom-quarter budget in the division and, if true, Beech may struggle to push the Cumbrians much higher than their current position of 21st.

Nottingham Forest v Cardiff City

3pm Saturday

Surround your weekend betting plan with more forest than Centre Parcs by backing Nottingham Forest to overcome Cardiff in the Championship.

Forest have had one fewer day to prepare but Wednesday's 4-0 stroll at ten-man QPR will have been more like a training session given the ease of victory.

That made it ten points from 12 for Forest, who have conceded just once in that period. Like Forest Green, their shot statistics could be better, but there appears to be a method to their approach.

Cardiff have not won away in this season's Championship and there is no obvious reason as to why they will suddenly improve under Neil Harris, who recently replaced Neil Warnock.

Weekend accumulators

Banker
Oxford 7-8
Free-scoring Oxford are flying high in League One and should be able to stamp their class on lowly League Two Walsall, who have struggled to create much in the final third this season.

Blowout
Milan 23-20
Parma are four points above Milan in Serie A and, according to expected goal ratings, are of a similar standard to the visiting Rossoneri. Milan seem to priced up mainly on reputation.

Accumulator
Brentford 1-2, Oxford 7-8, Bayern Munich 2-7, Inter 1-4. £1 accumulator returns 4.52 with with several bookmakers.

Both teams to score
Games at Barnsley 8-15, Valencia 9-13, Solihull Moors 11-17. £1 treble returns 4.27 with RedZone.

Thought for the week

Pep Guardiola was accused in some quarters this week of getting his excuses in early after suggesting winning wasn't the most important aspect of football.

He would say that with City nine points off Liverpool etc, but Guardiola had a valid point when he said: "We have done everything. If we lose, it's done. The line is so tight.

"I know we are winners and losers and that's all. But I think it’s not a good message for society, for our kids, for our teenagers, showing them that just the winner is perfect.

"We are creating a depressed people, loser people. Important is the effort, the commitment, the situation.

Serial winner Guardiola has always believed in the process being the most important part of his football teams, so this isn't a new position he has taken.

And for exhibit A of fun being more important than winning just look at the enjoyment surrounding Chelsea under Frank Lampard.

At this stage last season Chelsea had more points than they have this term. They are already out of the League Cup and have lost all four of their matches against the big six this season.

Maurizio Sarri won the Europa League last season but Chelsea fans are far more turned on by Lamps. Winning isn't that important.

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