Steve Davies: Football predictions & free betting accumulator tips

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

Best bets

Arsenal win to nil
3pm Saturday
2pts 13-8 Betfair

Plymouth
3pm Saturday
2pts 7-5 general

Strasbourg
6pm Sunday, BT Sport Extra
2pts 31-20 Betfair

Best Premier League bet

Arsenal v Brighton 3pm Saturday

Toothless Brighton have been well and truly blunted as 2021-22 has progressed and it's hard to see the Seagulls avoiding defeat or finding the net at The Emirates on Saturday.

Graham Potter's men were booed off last weekend following a 0-0 draw with bottom club Norwich, a game in which Brighton carved out more than enough chances but missed the lot, including Neal Maupay's penalty miscue.

Since a 2-0 win at Watford two months ago, they have played seven league games, collecting a solitary point and scoring a solitary goal -Lewis Dunk's effort in defeat at Newcastle.

They have failed to score in any of their last three showdowns with Arsenal and it's very hard to see that statistic improving this time. They are missing Adam Webster at the back – even more so since Dan Burn's move to St James's Park in January – but it's a figure of 26 goals scored in 30 league games which tells you where their real issues are.

The Gunners, in contrast, had been in outstanding form up until Monday night's howler at Crystal Palace, a 3-0 hammering they will be desperate to put behind them.

Best EFL bet

Burton v Plymouth 3pm Saturday

League One highflyers Plymouth can strengthen their claims for a playoff spot by winning at Burton, for whom the end of term cannot come quickly enough.

While Argyle continue to blaze a trail in pursuit of promotion, Burton have hit the buffers with just one win in nine. They haven't managed a clean sheet since the end of November. Plymouth have managed seven in their last eight games.

These teams look poles apart and Burton produced a horror show at a poor Morecambe side last time out, crashing 3-0 and having midfielder Conor Shaughnessy sent off. He sits this one out.

Plymouth shrugged off the loss of top scorer Ryan Hardie at the weekend when they beat Oxford 1-0, a seventh win to nil in their last eight games, with Jordan Garrick looking a decent swap for Hardie.

Argyle are getting other players fit and Burton haven't beaten a top-ten side since September.

Best European bet

Strasbourg v Lyon BT Sport Extra, 6pm Sunday

Lyon's Europa League exploits are in stark contrast to their performances in Ligue 1 and the trip to Strasbourg may not do them any favours.

Less than 72 hours since visiting West Ham in Europe they face another away trip at one of France's in-form teams.

Strasbourg are up to fourth in the table after an eight-game unbeaten run – they have shipped just one goal in their last five games.

Lucas Perrin, the righthand man in Julien Stephan's back three, returns after missing the 1-0 win over Lens through suspension.

Lyon have been saving their best for Europe to the point where they can forget about making the Champions League.

They made desperately hard work of pipping Angers 3-2 last weekend and Peter Bosz will have to shuffle his pack so soon after Thursday night's work-out at the London Stadium and before the Hammers visit Lyon next week.

Weekend accumulators

Banker
Nottingham Forest
Forest's only defeat in the last two months was by one goal against Liverpool which suggests they are too strong for most and surely too strong for Birmingham.

Blowout
Wycombe
The Chairboys' trip to a rejuvenated Gillingham might prove to be a really awkward affair with Neil Harris having breathed life into the mob from the Medway.

Accumulator
Arsenal 4-6, Nottingham Forest 8-13, Preston 6-5, Sunderland 2-1
A £1 four-fold returns £16.58 with BoyleSports.

Both teams to score
Games at Watford 8-13, Southampton 4-5, Gillingham 10-11
A £1 treble returns £5.55 with bet365 and Hills.

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