James Milton: Football predictions & free betting accumulator tips

Best bets

Leyton Orient to beat Derby
6pm Saturday
2pts 11-5 Betfair, Hills

Huddersfield to beat Shrewsbury
3pm Saturday
3pts 3-4 Hills

Over 3.5 goals in Milan vs Cagliari
TNT Sports 1, 7.45pm Saturday
1pt 13-8 Betfair, Hills

Best FA Cup bet

Leyton Orient vs Derby
6pm Saturday

Four defeats in five matches have left Derby just five points clear of the Championship relegation zone and the Rams face an awkward FA Cup third-round trip to Leyton Orient.

The hosts have been in sizzling form in League One since the start of December, winning seven of their eight matches, six of them to nil.

Orient's charge has been assisted by a soft run of fixtures although their hot streak includes a 4-0 away win over promotion hopefuls Barnsley.

The only blot on their recent league record was a 0-0 draw with Burton in which they had 63 per cent of possession and racked up 13 shots to the Brewers' five.

They needed penalties to get past Boreham Wood and Oldham in the first two rounds of the FA Cup but showed their knockout-competition prowess with EFL Trophy wins at MK Dons in November and Charlton last month.

Orient have kept five clean sheets in a row at home and Derby are short of confidence on the road, having won only one of their 14 Championship away games this season.

Recommended FA Cup betting offer for Aston Villa v West Ham on Friday

New Bookmaker

4/5

NEW CUSTOMER OFFER

40/1 Villa To Beat West Ham

NEW CUSTOMER OFFER

• Generous welcome offer

CLAIM OFFER

Tap for more details. 18+ T&Cs apply

• Detailed stats available for horse racing and football
• Great in-play betting options

18+ New Customers Only. Opt and bet max £1 on Aston Villa - Match Betting- 90mins v West Ham by 20:00 on 10.01.2024. Get enhanced odds paid in Free Bets + 20 Free Spins on Big Bass Splash. Bonuses expire in 7 days. Scroll down for T&Cs. GambleAware.org | Please gamble responsibly

Best EFL bet

Shrewsbury vs Huddersfield
3pm Saturday

Herbie Kane's 15th-minute volley gave Huddersfield a 1-0 League One victory at Wycombe on Tuesday and the Terriers should enjoy more away success at struggling Shrewsbury.

Wycombe had lost only one of their previous 22 league matches before Michael Duff's men came to town and Huddersfield face less daunting opponents this weekend.

The Terriers survived a second-half onslaught from Tuesday's hosts to claim a fourth straight away league win and extend their unbeaten run to 15 matches.

They hammered Cambridge United 4-0 just before Christmas, having ten shots on target at the Abbey Stadium, and Shrewsbury are level on points with Cambridge in the relegation zone.

The Shrews lost 1-0 at Huddersfield in August and have suffered six defeats in their last ten home matches, failing to score in four of those reverses.

Best European bet

Milan vs Cagliari
TNT Sports 1, 7.45pm Saturday

Milan and Cagliari shared a 3-3 draw in Serie A on November 9 and another entertaining contest is expected when the teams meet at San Siro on Saturday evening.

Cagliari have scored only 18 times in 19 games this season but they are underperforming their xG by ten goals according to Understat.com and Milan have also been hampered by a lack of ruthlessness up front.

November's six-goal thriller featured 13 shots on target and over 3.5 goals is worth a bet in Milan, where the Rossoneri scored seven goals in victories over Cagliari's survival rivals Lecce and Venezia.

Weekend accumulators

Banker
Real Betis
Real Valladolid started 2025 with a shock Copa del Rey loss at third-division Ourense and visitors Real Betis have won their last four away games in all competitions

Blowout
Leicester
The Foxes have had a tough winter, losing their last five Premier League games by an aggregate of 14-2, and they face resurgent QPR in the FA Cup

Accumulator
Hoffenheim 11-8, Sunderland 4-6, Huddersfield 3-4, Real Betis 17-20. £1 accumulator returns £12.87 with Hills.

Both teams to score
Games at Southampton 7-10, Crystal Palace 4-5, Atletico Madrid 5-4. £1 accumulator returns £6.88 with Coral and Ladbrokes.

Read more football tips . . .

• Aston Villa vs West Ham FA Cup predictions, betting tips and odds: Hammers heading for an early exit 
• 2024-25 FA Cup outright prediction, betting tips and odds: Back Chelsea to make up for recent Wembley woes 

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.