Football betting tips: Our expert's five best Saturday wagers

Football

Betting

Fri, 21 Aug 2026

It’s the first full slate of the English football season as the Premier League returns to complement the lower divisions.

That means there’s plenty for punters to get stuck into – and Odds Now’s Matt Hill has scoured the coupon to give his five favourite angles from across the divisions.

Hull vs Manchester United – Bruno Fernandes 1+ assist – 13/8 (Bet365)

Saturday’s top-tier fixtures kick off with new boys Hull hosting Manchester United and you’ll struggle to find a punter giving the Tigers much hope of beating the drop this term following their surprise promotion.

Of course, opening-day adrenaline could carry them to a decent showing here but, being realistic, this was a side who conceded 66 goals in the second tier last term, keeping only 11 clean sheets in 46 outings en route to an unlikely play-off triumph.

How Hull are going to cope against Premier League attacks is hugely questionable as a result and, if Michael Carrick’s visitors are anywhere near their A-game, they will expect to breach this home backline on multiple occasions.

Their creator-in-chief Bruno Fernandes returns to domestic action off the back of breaking the Premier League’s season assist record in 2025-26 and he could hardly ask for a better opportunity to pick up where he left off than a visit to Humberside.

Bet365’s 13/8 on the Portuguese maestro to set a goal up looks generous.

Preston vs Wolves – Both Teams To Score – 8/11 (various)

Preston got their campaign off to a frustrating start with a 2-1 loss away to Lancashire rivals Bolton. The Lilywhites were pretty abject in the first half but improved after the break and really should’ve snatched a point when Liam Lindsay spurned a free header in the dying seconds.

You’d have to be worried about how easily Bolton were able to cut through North End’s backline in transition, with Thierry Gale in particular causing no end of problems down the left flank. Things are unlikely to get easier in that regard with the visit of title hopefuls Wolves to Deepdale this weekend.

Wolves were also staring down the barrel of an opening-game defeat before snatching a point off Blackburn via a late Raul Jimenez penalty last Friday night.

A glance at their squad shows exactly why the men from Molineux are expected to challenge for top spot this season, though the jury remains out over their new boss Cesar Peixoto, who is having his first foray into English football.

The Portuguese tactician’s job has been made significantly harder in the short term with the news that defensive duo Kieran Trippier and Yerson Mosquera are both facing 4-6 weeks on the sidelines – further exposing a backline that was caused ample problems by an unfancied Rovers side on matchday one.

As a result, Preston, with home advantage, should be able to breach their visitors at least once but it’s hard to see them keeping a shutout. That makes BTTS a very sound play here.

Stockport vs Blackpool – Blackpool double chance – 11/8 (Sky Bet)

Both of these League One sides will have been happy with their opening-day showings.

Stockport, under new boss Jimmy McNulty (poached from Rochdale), sprung a bit of a surprise when taking all three points at Home Park last weekend, seeing off well-fancied Plymouth 3-1. They were decent value for their win, too, winning the xG battle 1.81 to 0.92.

And although they didn’t get all three points, Ian Evatt must have been very encouraged by his Blackpool side’s showing in a 1-1 home draw with Wycombe. Though they needed a fairly late equaliser to get a share of the spoils, the Tangerines manufactured 2.37 goals worth of xG and largely dominated against one of the division’s more established operators.

Despite that, Blackpool find themselves as 5/1 outsiders for this clash and that simply seems too big based on what we saw from both last weekend. However, such is the chunkiness of the price, it is probably more appealing to take the double chance on the visitors.

Evatt’s sides like to control possession but so do Stockport, so I can see this being a fine-margin affair and I suspect there’s a lot less between these two sides than the market currently believes. 11/8 for the away win or a draw looks worth getting with.

Exeter vs Accrington – Accrington to win – 14/5 (Ladbrokes/Coral)

I was glad to get my first EFL Betting Show NAP of the season up last weekend when Grimsby took care of Exeter 1-0. It wasn’t a classic, but the Mariners were clearly the better team, winning the shot count 19-8 and restricting the Grecians to just one shot on target.

I’ve said a few times in our ante-post content that Exeter worry me right now. The club seems to be suffering from some financial instability and there’s every chance an already thin-looking squad will get weaker between now and the end of the transfer window. Even with star man Jayden Wareham still currently up front, they’ve looked pretty toothless with no goal in 180 minutes of competitive football.

That is a contrast to Accrington – another side expected to struggle – who were pleasantly potent on opening day. Sure, they’ll be frustrated to have only drawn 2-2 with Colchester in the end but, with 19 shots registered, the bigger picture looks brighter than expected.

There’s nothing flashy about their style of play. Direct, second balls and getting it in the mixer. But that works at this level and I think their energetic approach can cause Exeter issues based on what we’ve seen from both sides.

I totally understand why the more long-term numbers would price this game how it is. But really, there’s nothing in the opening-weekend showings to justify Exeter as EVS favs and Accy out at nearly 3/1. This looks a good shout for one of the weekend’s biggest upsets – numerically, at least.

Carlisle vs Hornchurch – Carlisle to win and over 2.5 match goals – 13/10 (Betfred)

Finishing with my own club Carlisle down in the National League, who have not got their new season off to the best of starts under new boss Rob Elliot.

Things were going swimmingly on opening weekend, with the Blues 1-0 up on Worthing at half-time having barely let the visitors out of their own half. However, a shuddering implosion saw them fall 3-1 behind after the break (three shots, three goals), with a late consolation ultimately failing to gloss over a terrible result for the ante-post league favourites.

Last weekend’s 1-1 draw at Yeovil – earned via a 96th-minute equaliser against 10 men – wasn’t an inspiring response, so panic is now rife among a fanbase badly scarred by a tremendously poor previous three years. However, there are mitigating factors here that shouldn’t be overlooked by punters.

An extreme injury crisis has left the Cumbrians missing no fewer than 10 senior players for the opening two games and, while some remain sidelined for a longer period, the anticipated return of skipper Morgan Feeney this weekend can be a monumental difference-maker.

Feeney is, when fit, the best defender at this level and will add both quality and leadership to a side that still holds a fragile underbelly. When purring, there should be levels between this Carlisle side and plucky visitors Hornchurch – who have probably been flattered results-wise by a perfect start to their National League season (though still deserve huge credit for it).

You wouldn’t bank on a clean sheet from this shaky Carlisle defence at the moment, even with Feeney in it. But a repeat of the first half against Worthing, combined with just slightly more clinical finishing, should see them get their first win of the campaign here.

As a result, the 13/10 on a home win with over 2.5 match goals should be backed.

Matt Hill’s best football bets for Saturday August 22nd 2026

2pts – Bruno Fernandes 1+ assist – 13/8 (Bet365)

3pts – Preston vs Wolves – BTTS – 8/11 (various)

2pts – Blackpool double chance vs Stockport – 11/8 (Sky Bet)

1pt – Accrington to beat Exeter – 14/5 (Ladbrokes/Coral)

2pts – Carlisle to beat Hornchurch and over 2.5 match goals – 13/10 (Betfred)

Total staked – 10pts

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Matt Hill

Darts

Football

Matt Hill is Odds Now's Head of Content and leads our digital operation, while also offering his insight as a tipster across darts and football.

Having worked in the industry for the best part of a decade, including extended stints with Betfred and LiveScore, Matt joined the project in May 2024 with the sole aim of making Odds Now a key player in the betting content space.

He has also forged a reputation as a respected darts tipster, landing numerous three-figure outright winners over the years, while his love for lower league football also helps him pick out the odd obscure winner in that space.

When not at the editorial desk, Matt enjoys travelling the country supporting his beloved Carlisle United FC, chucking a few arrows and spending time with his young family.

Matt Hill is Odds Now's Head of Content and leads our digital operation, while also offering his insight as a tipster across darts and football.

When not at the editorial desk, Matt enjoys travelling the country supporting his beloved Carlisle United FC, chucking a few arrows and spending time with his young family.