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

Football

Betting

Fri, 04 Sep 2026

Odds Now’s football tipster Matt Hill returns with five selections from across the Premier League, EFL and National League this weekend.

There is a strong home theme in this week’s column, with Nottingham Forest, Burnley and Barnsley all fancied to their advantage count.

Matt also heads to Luton in search of goals, before finishing with a value play on Carlisle in the National League’s late kick-off.

Expert football betting tips – Saturday September 5th 2026

Nottingham Forest to beat Tottenham – 6/4 (AK Bets)

Tottenham have endured a miserable start to the Premier League season despite spending lavishly during the summer.

A 3-0 defeat at Brentford was followed by a 2-0 home loss against Newcastle, meaning Spurs remain without a point or even a goal from their opening two matches.

There were high hopes that Roberto De Zerbi’s side could mount a top-four challenge this season, but the immediate priority is simply getting something on the board. Having been well backed in the transfer market, De Zerbi will already be feeling the first signs of pressure.

A trip to the City Ground looks a particularly awkward assignment against a Nottingham Forest side whose performances have been much better than their results suggest.

Forest were unfortunate to lose their opening game against Leeds, conceding an injury-time free-kick despite creating more than enough opportunities to win. The result was disappointing, but supporters could take plenty of encouragement from the performance.

They built on that display with an excellent 2-2 draw at Anfield. Forest were arguably the better side against Liverpool and can count themselves unfortunate to have conceded a late equaliser after goals from Dan Ndoye and Morgan Gibbs-White had put them in a strong position.

Spurs should improve as their new-look squad begins to settle, but they currently appear vulnerable and short of confidence. Forest have carried a considerable attacking threat in both matches and look capable of causing them serious problems.

At 6/4, I’m happy to trust the hosts to maintain their encouraging start and compound Tottenham’s early misery.

Burnley to beat Bristol City – 19/20 (BetMGM)

Burnley remain without a win after four Championship matches, but I’m not convinced their performances have been anywhere near as poor as the bare results suggest.

Draws against West Ham and Middlesbrough—two sides expected to challenge for automatic promotion—were perfectly respectable, and Burnley were not clearly second best in either of those closely fought contests.

Their defeats have both come away from home against West Brom and Norwich, who I also expect to enjoy strong seasons.

A period of adjustment was always likely after Nicky Hayen arrived from Belgium during the summer. However, there is enough quality in this squad for Burnley to begin climbing the table quickly once everything clicks.

Bristol City’s results have been more impressive, but their form warrants closer inspection. They lost their opening home game against Millwall before earning a decent 2-2 draw at Birmingham, while subsequent victories have come against Portsmouth and Preston.

I expect both of those sides to finish in the bottom six, with Preston yet to collect a point and Portsmouth winning only once in their opening four matches. Bristol City possess some dangerous attacking options, but I’m not convinced their results prove they can compete with the division’s strongest sides.

Burnley are a possession-based team who have not been giving away many clear opportunities. I expect them to control this contest at Turf Moor and eventually make their superior quality count.

The hosts’ winless start appears to have inflated the price, making 19/20 an attractive bet.

Barnsley to beat Stevenage – 5/4 (10bet)

Barnsley have been one of the pleasant surprises of the League One season so far.

I feared they might be in for a difficult campaign before a ball was kicked, but they have collected seven points from their opening four matches and responded impressively to an unfortunate opening-day defeat.

The Tykes were caught by a smash-and-grab performance when losing 1-0 at home to Bromley, but followed that result with a goalless draw at Doncaster.

They have since produced two excellent victories, winning 3-1 at Leyton Orient before beating an in-form Blackpool side 2-1 at Oakwell in midweek.

Barnsley look capable of being one of the division’s more entertaining teams and possess some good attacking options. Cameron McGeehan has been particularly influential, finding the net in each of their last two matches.

Stevenage, by contrast, may be heading for a season of regression after performing brilliantly to reach the play-offs under Alex Revell last term.

Their defence-first, low-margin approach worked extremely well during that campaign, but it has produced only three draws and a defeat so far this time around.

Burton and Peterborough are likely to be among the division’s weaker sides, yet Stevenage were unable to beat either of them. They have also drawn with Doncaster and lost at home to Oxford.

Revell will almost certainly set his team up to keep things tight away from home, so I don’t expect Barnsley to run away with the contest. However, the hosts have scored five times in their last two games and are currently playing with real attacking confidence.

It is difficult to see Stevenage keeping them quiet for the entire afternoon, and 5/4 looks a generous price about the Tykes maintaining their positive momentum.

Luton vs Leyton Orient: Both teams to score and over 2.5 goals – EVS (Betfred)

Luton look like they are going to be tremendous fun to watch this season.

There is already a sense that their matches could carry a “you score three, we’ll score four” quality, perfectly demonstrated by their remarkable 4-3 victory at Reading on the opening day.

That was followed by a 2-2 home draw against Notts County, a surprising 5-2 defeat at Mansfield and an impressive 2-0 win over Stockport.

The Hatters have therefore scored ten goals and conceded ten across their opening four matches, so they may become regular fixtures on plenty of goals coupons this season.

Leyton Orient should arrive at Kenilworth Road full of confidence after thrashing Bromley 5-0 away from home in midweek.

That was their second victory of the campaign following a 2-0 success at Wigan. Their two home matches have ended in defeat, but those losses came against strong opposition in Sheffield Wednesday and Barnsley, so there is no reason for Richie Wellens to panic.

Wellens is one of the managers I rate most highly in the EFL’s bottom two divisions. He has repeatedly demonstrated an ability to rebuild his squad at Orient and once again appears to have recruited well, particularly in attacking areas.

Jaze Kabia looks capable of handling the step up to League One, while I have been particularly impressed by Yusuf Akhamrich. The Moroccan youngster has joined on loan from Tottenham after catching the eye with Bristol Rovers in League Two last season, and he scored twice while also creating chances for his teammates in midweek.

Luton are the better side and may find a way to win, but a result such as 3-2 or even 2-2 would not surprise me.

Given the hosts’ willingness to become involved in goal-fests and the attacking threat carried by Orient, both teams to score and over 2.5 match goals looks a solid play at even money.

Carlisle to beat Boreham Wood – 100/30 (Betway)

Perhaps I’m allowing my heart to rule my head slightly with this selection, but I cannot believe Carlisle are as big as 100/30 for their trip to National League title rivals Boreham Wood.

There has been a real clamour to back Boreham Wood for the title in recent weeks, with several experts declaring them the clear best side in the division.

Luke Garrard’s men are a quality outfit and deserve to be favourites here, but Carlisle appear to have been dismissed far too readily at this early stage of the campaign.

A disrupted pre-season caused by injuries meant a slow start was always possible for the Cumbrians. Even so, their opening 3-2 defeat against Worthing was nowhere near as bad as the scoreline suggested.

Carlisle dominated the contest, but the visitors scored with three of their four shots and somehow left with all three points.

Rob Elliot’s side rescued a late draw at Yeovil in their second outing and have since made encouraging progress. Convincing victories over Hornchurch and Scunthorpe, with Carlisle scoring four goals on both occasions, came either side of a 1-1 draw at Wealdstone, where only a stunning late free-kick denied them another win.

Elliot is a far more attack-minded coach than his predecessor Mark Hughes. Carlisle will look to take the game to Boreham Wood, which is the polar opposite of what happened when these sides met in May’s play-off semi-final—a contest the Londoners won in extra time.

Boreham Wood’s quality must be respected, but the prices look far too wide for two teams I do not expect to be separated by much at the end of the season.

At 100/30, Carlisle are worth backing to make a major statement in the late kick-off.

Matt Hill’s best football bets for Saturday September 5th 2026

2pts – Nottingham Forest to beat Tottenham – 6/4 (AK Bets)

2pts – Burnley to beat Bristol City – 19/20 (BetMGM)

2pts – Barnsley to beat Stevenage – 5/4 (10bet)

2pts – Luton vs Leyton Orient: both teams to score and over 2.5 match goals – EVS (Betfred)

2pts – Carlisle to beat Boreham Wood – 100/30 (Betway)

Total staked – 10pts

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.