Expert football betting tips for Saturday, November 1st 2025

The English football season is really up and running now, with divisional tables starting to take shape and some serious form lines emerging.

That spells good news for football bettors, who have an array of data to dive into when putting together their weekend bets.

We've sounded the horn to call the Odds Now Punters Panel to arms. Five expert football tipsters with the knowledge and understanding to offer the best football betting tips for the upcoming action.

Before we begin this week's questions and answers, let's take a look and see who is providing 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.

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.

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

Now, let's get into the good stuff!

Can you give us your best football bet this weekend?

MH: FA Cup fever has taken over for me this weekend, so the NAP comes from the First Round slate. Boreham Wood have been the surprise package of the National League this term, showing themselves to be as strong as the big boys, and I think they could give Crawley some real problems on home turf. 15/8 looks big.

AD: I found it quite a tough slate this weekend, so I think I'll attack some bigger prices. The best of those comes from Leicester v Blackburn, where I'll back the Blackburn draw no bet at 9/4 with Sky Bet. The Foxes have won just one of their last eight matches – and while Rovers are not in great form themselves, they did beat Southampton 2-1 last week. I think they're a competitive team.

GS: Oxford clean sheet at 21/10. Gary Rowett's teams are never too far away from a shut-out; they've done it in 2 of their last 5 league games, and they're at home, albeit to a good Millwall side. Vaulks, Brannagan and de Keersmaecker is a tough midfield.

FM-P: I would have to say it’s Millwall 6/4 away at Oxford (don’t mind the 4/5 DNB either). Even being on the road, I think these are two sides on very different trajectories right now.

SD: I'm going to focus on the FA Cup 1st Round this weekend and bet against struggling League Two teams who have away ties. I like the look of a Bromley, Newport County, and Mansfield treble at 11/1 with Bet365. Their opponents are Bristol Rovers, Gillingham, and Harrogate, respectively.

Which favourite would you urge punters to avoid backing?

MH: Manchester United are definitely improving – and it's taken long enough – but I don't think 11/10 appeals this weekend away to Nottingham Forest. The hosts have been a mess this term, but Sean Dyche looks the man to steady the ship, and I reckon the City Ground will be bouncing here. A good game in prospect.

AD: Well, Leicester, but I'll pick out a different one, too. Liverpool seem the obvious choice at comfortably odds-on against Aston Villa. In normal circumstances, the Premier League champions might look quite big here, but they're just in terrible nick, and Villa have won four straight league matches. The last two have come against Tottenham and Man City.

GS: West Brom at 13/25. Yuck. Albion fans are a little disgruntled at the moment. Wednesdayites are rejuvenated by recent off-field progress, and have got five of their six points on the road.

FM-P: I wouldn’t be touching AC Milan at around even money. They host a resurgent Roma side who seem to be revelling in life under Gasperini in the league at least, and Milan can have a tendency to be happy with a point sometimes in these bigger clashes.

SD: West Brom are priced very short for their home game against Sheffield Wednesday, with odds of 1/2 for the home win. There is a feel-good factor around the Owls fan base now, and that could filter through into their performances on the pitch over the coming weeks. Especially given the Baggies have lost 3 of their last 4 league games and have only won one of their previous 4 home league matches.

Pick out a game that looks certain to provide goals, please!

MH: Continuing the FA Cup theme, I quite like Spennymoor Town vs Barrow for goals. The National League North side have scored 22 and conceded 22 in their 13 league games, so know where both nets are. League Two Barrow are six unbeaten, but this will be no cakewalk. With the knockout element, this could end up being a fun game and over 3.5 goals is 2/1.

AD: Norwich v Hull on Saturday looks like it could be fun. The hosts are in really bad shape, having lost their last five games, but four of their six at Carrow Road this season have featured over 2.5 goals, and they really need to come out of the blocks fast. Hull have seen 10 of their last 12 go over 2.5, scoring 17 goals in their last nine.

GS: Are you sure you want to ask me that? I picked out Swindon and Colchester last week! But I do think Wrexham and Coventry tonight could be BTTS. I back Kieffer Moore to cause issues for Thomas and Kitching, especially as it's at the Racecourse, but the Sky Blues have been sensational going forward themselves and are the best team in the league.

FM-P: I’ll go for Atletico Madrid vs Sevilla. The Andalucians seem to have a new lease of life at both ends of the pitch this season, and when paired against a side containing what I believe to be one of the best 4 or 5 strikers in the world in Julian Alvarez, then there should be action throughout the 90 minutes this weekend.

SD: I'm going to back the game involving my hometown team of Peterborough versus Cardiff in the FA Cup. Only 1 of the last 8 meetings has failed to see BTTS come in. We've already played them once this season, and that saw both teams scoring. Throw in the Devil May Care nature of cup football, and it feels inevitable.

Any goalscorer or prop bets you’d like to flag up this weekend?

MH: I expect Premier League leaders Arsenal to get past Burnley at Turf Moor, but the Clarets will make life tough for them. It may be the old set-piece saviour needed for Mikel Arteta's men here once again, so 15/2 on Gabriel anytime scorer will get a few shillings from me here.

AD: As someone watching Imran Louza play every week, he has to be a bet at 11/2 with BetMGM to notch for Watford against Middlesbrough. The Moroccan has four goals in his last six games, is on penalty duty, and has fired off 22 efforts in his last seven.

GS: I'm gonna back Adam Armstrong or Cameron Archer to score two or more goals, 11/1 and 12/1 respectively. I'll put a fiver on each, and if either happens, I'm in for £60 or £65 returns. Southampton are massively underperforming their xG and I reckon they're overdue for a goal glut - they have the strikers to do it.

FM-P: Given the above, the 10/11 on Julian Alvarez to score feels a little less skinny than on first glance, but a word also to Fisnik Asllani to score anytime, 7/4 away at Wolfsburg for Hoffenheim.

SD: Two players stick out for me. Firstly, if Callum Robinson is fit to play for Cardiff, then I can see him continuing his decent run of scoring form against the leaky Peterborough defence. Plymouth also look awful defensively, so I wouldn't be surprised if Cauley Woodrow scored for a third consecutive game for Wycombe.

It’s the FA Cup first round this weekend. Give us a potential upset from this weekend’s games and your prediction of who will lift the trophy next May?

MH: It's FA Cup weekend? You should have said! I've already made the case for Boreham Wood to beat Crawley – but I'm also optimistic about my side Carlisle's chances of running Reading close. Even with changes, Mark Hughes' bloated squad means the underdogs will have plenty of EFL experience on the pitch, and I'm expecting a tight contest. As for the winners, the usual candidates all have their merits, but I quite like Everton's prospects at 33/1 under David Moyes. They have matchwinners in their ranks this term, are tough to beat and are due a trophy tilt.

AD: For an upset, let's take York City to win at Barnsley at 29/10 with Bet365. It's not the biggest price, but the visitors should be well backed by their away following and have only lost two of 16 games in all competitions this season. In the outrights, I'm surprised to see Liverpool sitting as favourites. It seems to me Arsenal's squad depth gives them a chance in every competition this season, so I'll take them at 6/1. I'll also add Bournemouth, full of quality and with no European commitments, at 25/1.

GS: I think Manchester United will win the FA Cup. The way they're playing, I'm starting to see real potential with them again, and I wonder if this could be their 1990 Crystal Palace equivalent, or Man City's 2011 Stoke - i.e. the trophy that nudges a team onto bigger and better things. Really like them at 16s. As for an upset? Let's go with South Shields to beat Shrewsbury at just under 2/1. They're top of the National League North, and have some decent pedigree in their squad in the likes of Oli Bainbridge and Cedwyn Scott. Salop, I have my concerns about.

FM-P: I fancy South Shields to turn Shrewsbury over at home despite a mini uptick in form for Salop recently. As for the winners, they gave me a good run for my money last season, so why not go for Bournemouth again at 25/1.

SD: As mentioned earlier, I think teams at the bottom end of League Two who have to travel to lower opposition are always at risk. If I had to pick one, then I'd say Boreham Wood to beat Crawley. I think we'll see one of the big teams win the trophy after Crystal Palace's shock win last season. I don't think I could ever bring myself to bet against a Pep Guardiola side in the FA Cup, so I'll go with Manchester City.