The penultimate round of Premier League fixtures and the League Two playoff semi-final second legs provide the premium English punting fare this weekend.
We’ve targeted a trio of bets priced at 3/1 or more including a result which means one set of EPL relegation battlers will go into the final day with safety in their own hands.
Weekend Football Betting Tips
Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal – Draw @ 10/3
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) first goalscorer v Aston Villa @ 3/1
Salford to beat Stockport @ 7/2
See the latest Football betting odds at Betzone
Tricky trees can edge closer to safety against fading title challengers
Arsenal’s 3-0 home loss to Brighton last time out must have ended any remaining hopes they had of winning the title and they could struggle to match Nottingham Forest for motivation here.
Steve Cooper’s men are three points ahead of 18th placed Leeds with two games remaining – far from certain to be safe. The Whites play West Ham the day after this fixture and they’ll face an Irons outfit softened up by their midweek Europa Conference League exertions.
The perceived mismatch in motivations aside, Forest have been competitive at the City Ground all season. They’ve lost just five of 18 home league games, beaten Liverpool, Tottenham and Brighton and taken points off guests of the ilk of Manchester City, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Brentford.
It may be a stretch for them to best the Gunners, who beat Newcastle at St James’ Park on their last away trip, but a scrappy draw is more than plausible.
Bet: Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal – Draw @ 10/3
Villa won’t be able to keep out Red Hot Egyptian King at Anfield
Mohamed Salah has found his back into the incendiary scoring form that fans have come to expect from him after several immensely fruitful campaigns, striking seven times in his last eight outings.
Salah has been even more consistent at Anfield, finding the net in his last 10 games in front of the Kop. He’s netted in his last five starts against the Villans too, so it’s little surprise to see him priced up at a 4/5.
That looks a tasty enough price to add in to your accumulators, but for those that prefer a decent single to get stuck into, the 3/1 on offer is a fair price for the game’s most likely scorer to strike first.
Bet: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) first goalscorer v Aston Villa @ 3/1
Swashbuckling Salford can slice Stockport open on the counter
Salford confounded a very moderate regular season home record and our expectations to down Stockport 1-0 at the Penninsula Stadium in the first-leg and they look overpriced to repeat the dose here.
Neil Wood’s men banged in a League-Two-high 44 away goals during the regular season and they’re one of the division’s best counter attacking outfits. That should stand them in good stead with the onus on the Hatters to push forward to restore parity in the tie.
The Ammies dug deep to grind out the win on home turf despite missing a lot of chances and that experience should stand them in good stead at Edgeley Park, where they held Stockport to a draw earlier in the campaign.
