Punting Corner: Football corners betting tips – Tuesday January 13th 2026
In a fun new daily column here on Odds Now, our Head of Content Matt Hill will be offering up a betting tip from a football corners market.
Matt is our resident darts expert but is also fond of a wager on corners markets, where he believes value is often easier to unearth than in the hugely well-structured match winner markets.
You can follow along with Matt's profit and loss for the Punting Corner column on the bottom of each article!
It's off to Germany for my first ever Punting Corner column for a real glamour tie, as bottom side Mainz host second-bottom Heidenheim. Don't tell me your pulses aren't racing for this one?
Despite propping up the table, Mainz find themselves find themselves no bigger than 5/6 to get what would be only their second win of the season here, with the visitors out at 7/2. I'm not sure I'd be wanting to get stuck into either of these sides at odds on to be honest – but it'd be hard to back Heidenheim with any conviction either.
As you may have gathered by this point, however, corners markets are the feature of this column and I do think the visitors are well overpriced in that sense.
This term, Heidenheim have won 4.94 corners per match in the league, compared with Mainz's 4.81. Interestingly, their numbers actually improve on their travels, where they win an average of 5.43 per match (38 across seven away fixtures). A small sample, granted, but still, it ranks them third in the division behind only RB Leipzig and Stuttgart – and ahead of the all-conquering Bayern Munich.
They've also won the corner count in four of their last five matches – a 2-1 win at Union Berlin (6-5), a 2-1 home win over Freiburg (8-6), a 2-1 loss at St Pauli (11-4) and a 2-2 home draw with Koln (5-4). They only fell short against Bayern where, as most do, they struggled to get out of their own half.
As will no doubt become a theme in this column, my approach with these bets centres around the belief that corner counts are not as strongly inter-related to the match winner market as they are usually priced. Underdogs win the corners line far more than you may expect, and it means you can frequently look to exploit big prices – but only when the situation is right.
For example, if Heidenheim were at Bayern Munich tonight, I'd have little interest in backing them even at double figures. But here, in a game where they may not necessarily win but should have ample time in the opposition half, this looks a decent opportunity to strike. And as always with betting, it's a long term game.
This particular wager may not win but I reckon the 7/2 is value. In essence, if I backed this bet four times, I'd expect at least one to cop. If we can stay consistent with that, profit beckons in the long run. Hopefully!
All told, this is a side who despite their lowly position in the table, do offer a significant threat on the counter-attack. At 7/2 to get the most corners, it fits into the mould of exactly what we're looking for in this column.
1pt - Heidenheim to have the most corners vs Mainz - 7/2 (Ladbrokes/ Coral)
Prices correct as of publish time, 1pm on Tuesday January 13th 2026.
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.
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's p/l
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