Punting Corner: Football corners betting tips – Wednesday January 14th 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!
Domestic cup action continues to dominate this midweek slate around Europe and its over to the Netherlands for the first of two fancies on Wednesday, as second-tier Almere City host struggling Eredivisie outfit Telstar in the KNVB Cup (or shall we just say Dutch Cup?) last 16.
After a very sluggish start to their campaign, Almere are absolutely flying at the moment with six straight wins in all competitions. That run included a heroic 3-2 cup win over top-tier Fortuna Sittard pre-Christmas, with two late goals turning the tie around in dramatic fashion.
While confidence should be high in the home ranks, visiting Telstar are having a tougher time of things in the Eredivisie, locked firmly in a relegation battle. Though they currently sit a point above the drop zone, just three wins from 18 league matches this term showcases a side low on confidence and ripe for suffering a cupset here.
It's always hard to gauge these type of games from a win perspective, though. Will confidence and form tell, or can the visitors' top-tier quality pull them through? Bookmakers are struggling to split them (narrowly favouring Almere at 6/4 vs Telstar at 8/5). But while I have no strong opinion on the outcome, I do fancy the hosts to land the corner count.
Their 92 corners won across 11 home league games, equating to an average of 8.36 per match, is by far the highest in the second tier for that metric. Add in the fact they managed to draw the corner count away from home against Sittard in the last round and it's clear to see they will try and go toe-to-toe with their loftier opponents – particularly on home turf.
Given Telstar average a very modest 5.11 corners per game this term, which drops to 4.63 away from home, it feels like the even money about the hosts to rack up more across the 90 minutes is absolutely rock solid.
The Wilfried Nancy era lasted a whopping 33 days at Celtic – a period which, though remarkably short in length, saw the Frenchman undo an impressive amount of improvement in rapid-fire time.
Club legend Martin O'Neill had stepped in as a surprise caretaker appointment in October and duly delivered seven wins in eight matches across all competitions. But the Bhoys then inexplicably plunged to new lows under Nancy, losing six of their next eight games in a slump so bad that O'Neill finds himself re-appointed as interim boss barely a month after being replaced.
Alas, there's no time to dwell with much still to play for north of the border – namely the SPL title, which is looking like a tantalising three-way race for the neutral between the Old Firm pair and plucky current leaders Hearts. Every point is crucial and games like tonight's trip to Falkirk are non-negotiable must-wins if the champions are to retain their crown come May.
For all the poor showings of recent times, it seemed like the previous month had been wiped from the memory bank once O'Neill returned to the dugout last weekend. Celtic swept aside a decent Dundee United side 4-0, absolutely dominating proceedings from start to finish. They racked up 11 corners in the process and I think a similarly imposing display could be on the cards this evening.
Falkirk are making a decent fist of life back in the top flight but it's hard to see how they won't find themselves starved of the ball this evening. In O'Neill's first game in charge back in October, Celtic brushed the Bairns aside 4-0 and the gulf in class was widely apparent.
Bookmakers have Celtic's corner line at 6.5, which is probably about right on the seasonal numbers. However, with spirits sky high again and arriving here off the back of such a dominant display, I'm more than happy backing them to cover that.
1.5pts - Almere City vs Telstar - Almere City most corners - EVS (various)
1.5pts - Falkirk vs Celtic - Celtic over 6.5 corners - 6/5 (BoyleSports)
0.5pt double - Almere City most corners vs Telstar/ Celtic over 6.5 corners vs Falkirk - 3.04/1 (various)
Total staked - 4pts
Running total for Punting Corner = -1pt
Prices correct as of publish time, 8am on Wednesday January 14th 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
7 Days
30 Days
Year 2026
