Expert football betting tips for Saturday, December 20th 2025

The domestic football fixtures enter their last weekend before Christmas, and there is plenty to digest both home and abroad, with the matches coming our way.

We've sounded the horn to call the Odds Now Punters Panel up for tipster duty. Five expert football tipsters with the knowledge and experience to provide the best football betting tips for the upcoming weekend's action.

Before we start this week's panel, let's take a look and see who is giving their thoughts this week.

Introducing the Odds Now Punters Panel

Matt Hill - As well as being Odds Now’s Head of Content, Matt is a vastly experienced tipster specialising in football and darts. His betting on the beautiful game has a strong lean towards the lower leagues.

Adam Drury - A regular football tipster for Odds Now, Adam enjoyed a hugely successful campaign in 2024-25, including landing three 50/1+ winners on his weekly EFL accumulator column alongside countless other top tips.

Gab Sutton - Widely renowned as one of the best football journalists around, Gab’s encyclopedic knowledge of the EFL makes him well-equipped to offer up unique betting angles for punters.

Steve Day - Experienced punter and football tipster. Steve has 15 years of experience writing football betting previews covering competitions both domestically and abroad.

Felix Morson-Pate - Working as a trader in the industry, Felix offers up his meticulously refined data-driven insights to Odds Now readers both here and on his regular World of Wagers column.

Now, let's get into the good stuff!

What is your NAP of the football weekend?

MH: I really like the look of Stockport at 6/5 away to Mansfield. Dave Challinor’s men haven’t been their ultra-reliable selves, but this looks like a good opportunity against a Stags side who are winless in five, losing four of them and not scoring in their last three.

AD: The price that jumps out at me is Millwall draw no bet at Blackburn at 6/4. Rovers are five without a win and have only taken three points from one of their 10 completed matches at Ewood Park this season. The fact that two games were abandoned because of a waterlogged pitch with Valerien Ismael's side 1-0 up only adds to the sense of dissatisfaction there, and Millwall have only lost three of their last 13.

GS: Charlton win to nil against Oxford at 9/4. I saw Oxford last week and I feel like they can only create chances through a Brian de Keersmaecker set piece or a Will Vaulks long throw. Lloyd Jones and co. have more than enough about them to gobble up that stuff, and I back the Addicks to grab one at the other end.

SD: One team I feel you have to back right now is Middlesbrough under Kim Hellberg. Their fans are waxing lyrical about his impact since arriving in the North East. Boro remain unbeaten since his appointment, and at 6/4 with Bet365 to beat a Bristol City side that have hit a patchy bit of form, including just 1 win in their last 4 home league games, it feels too tempting to ignore.

FMP: Stevenage to beat Burton at 10/11. Boro have been rock solid at home and despite a slight slide in recent weeks, are still very much in with a live chance of a playoff finish.

Which favourite would you advise punters against backing?

MH: I couldn’t go near Doncaster at a shade of odds-on at home to Plymouth. The Pilgrims might just be steadying the ship, having sealed back-to-back 1-0 wins, and Donny look like relegation candidates to me on recent form. The visitors actually tempt me at 3/1 here.

AD: I don't much fancy Brighton as short as 7/10 at home to Sunderland. We can take the Mackems very seriously now as a solid mid-table side, but it seems like they're still being priced a bit like a relegation-threatened team. They've only lost two of their last nine league games, and Brighton have failed to win either of their last two at home, including against West Ham last time out.

GS: Doncaster. Plymouth Argyle have won three of their last six, all 1-0, and seem to have solidified since Derek Adams returned to the club as DoF, perhaps to pass on some guidance to Tom Cleverley. Argyle double chance is 8/11 best price.d

SD: I'm going to pick out Stevenage. Alex Revell's team looked dangerous earlier in the season, but they've only won 1 of their last 7 league games now, and their price of 5/6 to win here looks obscene. They were turgid against Cardiff when we played them the other week. The Boro have only scored 1 goal in their previous 5 league games. Their opponents are Burton, who are just as impotent in front of goal, having failed to score in their last 3 league games. However, the Brewers have picked up points away to Huddersfield, Cardiff, and Bradford already this season.

FMP: Wouldn’t want to go near Port Vale at around even money this weekend. In general I find it very hard to call Posh games correctly from any angle and they could easily put in one of their rare superb performances here!

Give us a game that screams goals, please!

MH: Manchester City vs West Ham. City are purring again going forward with 14 goals in their last four league games. That run of scoring for fun can continue against West Ham, but the Hammers are improving under Nuno and carry a good counter-attacking threat themselves. Over 3.5 goals looks rock solid at 10/11, as does BTTS at the same price.

AD: It has to be Southampton vs Coventry in the Championship. Saints' last eight matches have gone over 2.5 goals, with BTTS also landing in seven of them. There have also been at least three goals in 11 of Cov's last 15, so BTTS & over 2.5 goals looks good at 17/20 with William Hill. Over 3.5 is also available at 6/4 with Sky Bet.

GS: Barnet against Salford, which is 4/6 BTTS (hurts my eyes that being listed as 2/3!). I think will have chances galore. An inventive footballing side with plenty of width against a good pressing & transitional side. Yum.

SD: The game that stands out for me is Southampton vs Coventry. The Saints have won 6 of their 8 league games since Tonda Eckert took charge. Both teams have scored in 7 of those matches, and over 2.5 goals have been scored in every one of those games. Coventry have seen over 2.5 goals scored in 8 of their last 11 league games.

FMP: love Lincoln vs Cardiff for goals this weekend. I always like to look for two sides playing with confidence facing each other and this one fits the bill to a tee. I won’t list the attackers this week though as not to jinx them!

Any goalscorer or prop bets taking your eye this weekend?

MH: We like to bring some club-specific knowledge to the table in this section, and for my lads Carlisle, I’d advise a small play on Harvey Macadam anytime scorer against Boreham Wood at 5/1. The industrious midfielder has a right foot like a traction engine and has popped up with four strikes in his last eight outings. His late driving runs to the edge of the box might be one of the Blues’ best routes to goal in a tough-looking away assignment.

AD: With my Watford-tinted spectacles on, I want to back Othmane Maamma at 9/2 (available with a few different firms) against Stoke. The Moroccan is the latest young recruit to look the business at Vicarage Road, winning the Golden Ball at the Under-20 World Cup in October before scoring two goals in four games since breaking into the Hornets' side last month. His shot tallies across his last five reads: 5, 6, 2, 4, 2.

GS: The Jaden Philogene hat-trick at 66/1 for Ipswich against Sheffield Wednesday holds appeal. It could be the most one-sided contest in the Championship season, and the kind of game where it could be worth going a bit avant-garde. Philo is quite an individualistic footballer and I have a feeling he’ll want to seize the opportunity to take centre stage and get his numbers up.

SD: Aune Heggebø of West Brom has now scored 7 goals in 7 league games for West Brom in the Championship. The Norwegian striker is priced at 7/4 with Bet365 to score anytime against Hull this weekend.

FMP: Will go back to an old favourite market here and back Preston to win both halves at home to Norwich. I do think the Canaries will improve eventually but a lunchtime trip to Deepdale is no fun task for any team with the form PNE are showing and I don’t see the Canaries bucking that trend.

The Premier League’s top goalscorer market without Erling Haaland is a fascinating one. Who would your money be on?

MH: It’s hard to argue with Igor Thiago as a rock-solid market leader, given he has a four-goal buffer over the field and is such a key man for Brentford. That said, there’s got to be some value in behind. I would take fliers on Morgan Rogers (33/1) and Mo Salah (40/1). Both have obvious risks attached, but with BetVictor paying three places, double-figures might be enough for a payout, and both have the pedigree to go on a run (if Salah stays put, that is!).

AD: Igor Thiago is a fair favourite, considering he may only need four or five more to have it wrapped up. I'll have a small play on Jean-Philippe Mateta at 12/1 – he is joint-third on seven and sits second, ahead of Thiago, for xG this season. Cole Palmer at 50/1 could be a fun bet to follow, but he has a lot of catching up to do.

GS: Bryan Mbuemo. In Man United’s system, Diallo holds the width on the right so Mbuemo has a lot of freedom to attack those central goalscoring positions, and I think he does that really well. Has been a great signing for them.

SD: Igor Thiago looks the obvious choice at 2/1 and is four goals clear of his closest rivals. Hugo Ekitike could be one to watch if he gets a run of starts for Liverpool, having recorded the best goals per 90 minutes stat out of the chasing pack behind Thiago, but his odds of 3/1 aren't tempting enough for me to back.

FMP: Sorely tempted into going Antoine Semenyo at 12/1 on the gamble that he replaces Mo Salah at Liverpool but I’ll go for a similar price (11/1) on Mateta instead. Despite two extra competitions now with the Conference League and an FA Cup to defend, they’ll still be eyeing a top six finish and he will be the go-to man in the league if not in the other competitions.