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Football betting tips: Weekend best bets
Saturday
3pts Both teams to score in Aston Villa vs Fulham (12:30) at 8/11 (William Hill, Coral, Ladbrokes)
2.5pts Reading to win and Over 1.5 goals vs Barnsley (15:00) at 19/20 (BetVictor)
Sunday
2.5pts Midtjylland to win vs AGF Aarhus (17:00) at 4/5 (Coral, Ladbrokes)
Aston Villa vs Fulham
- Kick-off time: 12:30 BST, Saturday
- TV: TNT Sports 1
- Home 8/11 | Draw 11/4 | Away 10/3
The battle for European qualification places in the Premier League intensifies this weekend with Aston Villa’s early Saturday start against Fulham promising plenty. BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE has been chalked up as an 8/11 shout and there’s good reason to believe that price should be much closer to the 4/7 mark giving us a nice slice of EPL goals value.
This wager has won in 14 of Aston Villa’s 17 outings at Villa Park this season with Unai Emery’s outfit now managing only six league clean sheets in their last 38 top-flight tussles in front of their own supporters. Include away days and Villa have recorded just six shutouts in their overall 34 Premier League fixtures this term, only four sides have collected fewer.
One of those teams is Fulham. Exclude the relegated trio and no top-flight team has managed less clean sheets than the Cottagers’ tally of five. The Whites also top the BTTS charts this term with a 74% hit-rate as matches against the leading lights have proven especially entertaining – 14 of 16 meetings with top-half teams have seen BTTS pay.
Reading vs Barnsley
- Kick-off time: 15:00 BST, Saturday
- TV: Sky Sports+
- Home 8/13 | Draw 29/10 | Away 16/5
Reading must better Leyton Orient’s result at Huddersfield to pinch a place in the League One play-offs and the Royals should be well-capable of securing their end of the bargain by beating beleaguered Barnsley at a sold-out Madjeski Stadium on Saturday. We can back READING TO WIN AND OVER 1.5 GOALS at an appealing 19/20.
The Berkshire boys are fresh from two eye-catching away triumphs, racking up seven goals in victories at Bristol Rovers and Mansfield. Now back on home soil – where the side have posted 14 league wins in 22 – the hosts should have the capacity to cut loose against a Barnsley side that’s totally tailed off in 2025.
Barnsley rank fourth-bottom in 2025 (W4-D4-L12), a sample that includes only two clean sheets and seven losses in 10 away days. The Tykes have lost all six trips to top-six teams this term and have also shipped multiple strikes in nine of 13 against top-seven opposition, whilst last time out the Reds were turned over at home by rock-bottom Shrewsbury.
Midtjylland vs AGF Aarhus
- Kick-off time: 17:00 BST, Sunday
- Home 3/4 | Draw 5/2 | Away 3/1
The Danish Superligaen title race promises to go right to the wire with Midtjylland trailing table-toppers FC Copenhagen by a solitary point as we head towards the final four rounds of action. It could be a decisive weekend with FCK travelling to bitter rivals Brondby at the same time as Midtjylland’s presentable home clash against mid-table AGF Aarhus.
Midtjylland have largely been magnificent in front of their own supporters (W12-D0-L2) and have twice beaten Copenhagen here, whilst also thrashing Nordsjaelland 5-0 in their more recent MCH Arena match. Considering their formidable record on home soil, backing MIDTJYLLAND TO WIN at 5/6 really stands-out on Sunday evening.
AGF are seven points shy of European qualification and come into this contest having lost five of their past seven, including three on the spin where the visitors have conceded at least three goals in each defeat. It’s four successive away losses, as well as six in nine when travelling to top-six opposition. It’s difficult to see the Aarhus outfit competing here.
Odds correct at 0820 GMT (01/05/25)
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