Football betting tips: Wednesday
2pts Both teams to score in Barnsley vs Fleetwood (19:45) at 7/10 (bet365, Coral, Ladbrokes)
0.5pt Birmingham to win & both teams to score vs Sheffield United (20:00) at 18/5 (Betvictor)
Barnsley vs Fleetwood
- Kick-off: Wednesday, 19:45 BST
- TV: Sky Sports+
- Live odds, form and stats
League One Barnsley host League Two Fleetwood at Oakwell on Wednesday. Both clubs have made unbeaten starts to the campaign, both have +3 goal-differences and both sit second in their respective divisions; something has to give in the first round of the Carabao Cup.
Conor Hourihane confirmed he will start Jon Russell in his press conference which suggests more fringe players will get the nod as well. This will likely see Reyes Cleary and Neil Farrugia come into the frontline in place of David McGoldrick and Davis Keillor-Dunn.
Pete Wild could also tinker with veteran frontmen Ched Evans and James Norwood options to come in but if Wild’s stint at Barrow is anything to go by, he likes to use this cup game as an opportunity to build fitness and momentum. I’d guess he'll only make a couple of changes and at 7/2, I was almost sucked in by the visitors' price to win. Instead I have opted for BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE at 7/10.
In 12 games as Barnsley manager, Hourihane is yet to manage a clean sheet and it took Burton all of three minutes to break the deadlock on Saturday.
Birmingham vs Sheffield United
- Kick-off: Wednesday, 20:00 BST
- TV: ITV4
- Live odds, form and stats
Chris Davies should rotate but Birmingham’s squad is stacked. The likes of Eiran Cashin, Tommy Doyle and Lyndon Dykes could all get the nod on Wednesday against Sheffield United which is a concern for the visitors.
The Blades lost 4-1 at home to Bristol City on Saturday. Although the scoreline wasn’t a fair reflection on their performance, it did highlight how light Ruben Selles’ squad is, particularly at the heart of the defence.
At Bramall Lane, Rhys Norrington-Davies, a left back, partnered Tyler Bindon in central defence with Harrison Burrows and Femi Seriki at full-back; a makeshift, inexperienced backline.
Now, it looks as though Norrington-Davies will join QPR and Jack Robinson could be following Kieffer Moore to Wrexham which leaves the Blades even lighter on Wednesday.
Although United do have some defensive issues, their attack is exciting. Tom Cannon could lead the line with a support cast of Louie Barry and Callum O’Hare so we could be in for a goal-laden game at St Andrew's.
Although the odds against about over 2.5 goals appeal, I'd rather have the hosts onside. The Blues were impressive in the 1-1 draw against Ipswich and should have won but for a couple of dubious refereeing decisions.
At 18/5, backing BIRMINGHAM TO WIN AND BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE is the bet.
Odds correct at 1125 BST (12/08/25)
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