A look at how the Sporting Life recommended bets have performed in January 2026.
Points system explained
We use a points system, ranging from 0.5 to 10, to help underline confidence in a selection and to help you weight your stakes.
In other words, if your maximum bet is £100 and your normal bet is £10, you might have £10 on a 1pt win selection, £10 each-way for 1pt each-way, £20 for 2pts win, and so on.
Points staked also enable us to keep a fully transparent P&L, which you'll see below, but should be considered a guide only. We advise at prices available with major bookmakers at the time of publication and where the general price is considered acceptable.
Only bet what you can afford, and if you are concerned about your gambling please call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133, or visit begambleaware.org.
Click here to view our tips for the forthcoming sporting action.
Profit since start of 2003 until start of current month (January 2026) is +6006.92pts
- January fixed odds total = 0pts
- January antepost total = 0pts
- January overall total = 0pts
Racing:
Matt Brocklebank's Value Bet (Jan 1) - 1pt win New Order in 13:25 Cheltenham at 10/1 (Paddy Power, Sky Bet); 1pt win Grandeur d’Ame in 14:00 Cheltenham at 10/1 (General); 1pt win Minella Missile in 14:50 Windsor at 18/1 (BetVictor, Coral). Result pending
Football:
Celtic vs Rangers (Jan 3) - JT: 1.5pts Rangers-Draw (Double Chance) at 10/11 (bet365, Coral, Ladbrokes), 1pt Under 2.5 goals at 13/10 (bet365). Result pending
Matthew O'Regan's tips (Jan 1) - 1pt Cathal McCarthy to be shown a card at 29/10 (William Hill), 1.5pts Tristan Crama to be shown a card at 10/3 (bet365), 1pt Marko Stamenic to be shown a card at 11/4 (bet365), 1.5pts Omari Kellyman 3+ shots at 7/4 (bet365), 0.5pt Omari Kellyman 4+ shots at 9/2 (bet365), 0.5pt Danny Imray to score anytime at 12/1 (Sky Bet), 1pt Lorent Tolaj to score anytime at 10/3 (Sky Bet), 0.5pt Lorent Tolaj to score 2+ goals at 22/1 (Sky Bet). Result pending
Sunderland vs Man City (Jan 1) - JT: 1.5pts Manchester City to win to nil at 7/5 (William Hill, BetVictor). 0.5pt Manchester City to win and under 2.5 goals at 3/1 (Sky Bet). Result pending
Sheffield United vs Leicester (Jan 1) - TC: 1.5pts Over 2.5 goals & Over 8.5 corners at 11/8 (bet365). Result pending
EFL best bets (Jan 1) - TC: 2pts Over 9.5 corners in Watford vs Birmingham at 10/11 (Coral, Ladbrokes), 1pt Over 2.5 goals in QPR vs Norwich & Wycombe vs Cardiff at 2.44/1 (bet365), 1pt Lincoln to beat Huddersfield at 6/4 (General). Result pending
Blackburn vs Wrexham (Jan 1) - TC: 1.5pts Sondre Tronstad 1+ fouls committed at 5/6 (bet365). Result pending
Liverpool vs Leeds (Jan 1) - TC: 1.5pts BTTS and Over 2.5 goals at 11/10 (General). Result pending
Jake's predictions (Jan 1) - Thursday 17:30: 1pt Justin Devenny to score anytime in C Palace vs Fulham at 11/2 (Coral, Ladbrokes, BetVictor), 1.5pts Jaka Bijol 1+ total shot in Liverpool vs Leeds at 6/4 (Coral, Ladbrokes), 0.5pt Jaka Bijol to score anytime in Liverpool vs Leeds at 20/1 (Betway). Thursday 20:00: 1pt Michael Kayode to win 2+ fouls in Brentford vs Tottenham at 3/1 (bet365), 3pts Josko Gvardiol to commit 1+ foul in Sunderland vs Man City at 8/11 (Coral, Ladbrokes). Result pending
Cricket:
Australia v England fifth Test (Jan 4-8) - 2pts Usman Khawaja top Australia first innings batsman at 11/2 (General); 1pt Joe Root top England first innings batsman at 17/5 (Unibet); 1pt Joe Root to make a first innings fifty at 15/8 (Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook); 2pts Scott Boland to take five or more wickets in the match at 5/6 (Betway). Result pending
Melbourne Renegades v Sydney Sixers (Jan 1) - 2pts Jack Edwards over 34.5 Player Performance Points at 5/6 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook). Result pending
Hobart Hurricanes v Perth Scorchers (Jan 1) - 2pts Both teams to score 180+ runs in Hobart Hurricanes/Perth Scorchers match at 16/5 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook). Result pending
Darts:
PDC World Darts Championship (Dec 11-Jan 3) - 2pts Luke Littler to hit a nine-darter in the tournament at 4/1 (Sky Bet); 2pts e.w. Gian van Veen to win the World Championship at 16/1 (Coral, Ladbrokes 1/2, 1,2); 1pts e.w. Danny Noppert to win the World Championship at 50/1 (General 1/2, 1,2); 1pt Ross Smith to win the second quarter at 7/1 (General); 1pt Wessel Nijman to reach the quarter-finals at 11/1 (Sky Bet); 1pt three or more nine-darters in the tournament at 100/30 (Paddy Power, Sky Bet). Result pending
World Championship (Jan 1) - 1pt Clayton (+1.5 sets), Hood (+1.5 sets), Littler (-3.5 sets) & Van Veen all to win at 11/1 (Paddy Power), 1pt Littler (-7.5 180s) to hit most 180s & Van Veen to win at 4/1 (Paddy Power), 1pt 20+ 180s & 6+ 100+ Checkouts in Searle v Clayton at 5/1 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power), 1pts 22+ 180s in Anderson v Hood at 11/4 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power), 1pt Luke Littler to win and throw 16+ 180s at 9/2 (Sky Bet), 1pt 24+ 180s & 6+ 100+ Checkouts in Humphries v Van Veen at 10/3 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power). Result pending
Tennis:
United Cup (Jan 2-11) - 3pts win USA at 5/2 (Betfred); 0.5pt e.w. Belgium at 66/1 (Betfred). Result pending
Long-term or antepost previews
Football:
AFCON outright (Sun 21st Dec - Sun 18th Jan) - NJ: 3pts Ivory Coast to win Group F at 5/6 (General), 1.5pts e.w. Algeria to win AFCON at 13/2 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair 1/2 1,2), 0.25pts e.w. Burkina Faso to win AFCON at 100/1 (BetVictor 1/2 1,2). Result pending
Jake's Europa League outright (Sep 22-Jun 1) - 2.5pts e.w. Roma to win the Europa League at 10/1 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair 1/2 1,2), 2.5pts e.w. Porto to win the Europa League at 11/1 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair 1/2 1,2). Result pending
Promotion outright (Sep 16-May 30) - JC: 1pt e.w. Sheffield United to win the title at 66/1 (Coral, Ladbrokes, 1/4 1-3). Result pending
Jake's Champions League outright (Sep 16-Jun 1) - 3pts e.w. Arsenal to win the Champions League at 8/1 (Betway 1/2 1,2), 2.5pts e.w. Harry Kane to be Champions League top scorer at 10/1 (General 1/4 1,4), 1pt e.w. Serhou Guirassy to be Champions League top scorer at 50/1 (General 1/4 1,4), 5pts Napoli top 8 finish in UCL League Phase at 9/4 (BetVictor), 2pts Bodo/Glimt to finish bottom of UCL League Phase at 14/1 (General). Result pending
Relegation outright (Sep 9-May 30) - JC: 2pts Nottingham Forest to be relegated at 7/1 (General), 0.5pt Nottingham Forest to finish bottom at 80/1 (BetVictor). Result pending
Relegation outright (Sep 5-May 30) - TC: 4pts Leeds to be relegated at 9/4 (General), 1pt Leeds to finish bottom at 12/1 (General). Result pending
Jake's European Outright tips (Aug 15-May 30) - La Liga: 0.5pt Arda Guler most assists at 40/1 (bet365 1/4, 1-4), Serie A: 1pt e.w Artem Dovbyk top scorer at 20/1 (bet365 1/4, 1-4), Ligue 1: 4pts Monaco to win Ligue 1 without PSG at 9/4 (General), 2pts Mika Biereth top scorer at 12/1 (bet365). Result pending
Joe Townsend's outright tips (Aug 15-May 30) - 5pts Brighton to finish in the top half at 10/11 (Betway), 1pt e.w. Cole Palmer to finish as Premier League top scorer at 20/1 (General) (1/4 odds 1-4), 1pt e.w. Omar Marmoush to finish as Premier League top scorer at 50/1 (General) (1/4 odds 1-4), 2pts e.w. Martin Odegaard most Premier League assists at 20/1 (General) (1/4 odds 1-4). Result pending
Lewis Tomlinson's National League outright (Aug 8-May 30) - 8pts York to win the National League at 7/4 (General), 1pt Rochdale top three finish at 9/4 (bet365), 1pt Southend top three finish at 7/2 (bet365), 1pt Hartlepool top seven finish at 5/2 (BetVictor), 1pt Halifax top seven finish at 5/2 (BetVictor), 1pt Eastleigh top seven finish at 13/5 (bet365), 1pt e.w. Mani Dieseruvwe top scorer at 12/1 (BetVictor - 1/5, 1-4), 0.5pt e.w. Paul McCallum top scorer at 33/1 ((BetVictor - 1/5, 1-4). Result pending
Joe Townsend's outright tips (Aug 8-May 30) - 5pts Derby to finish in the Championship top half at 11/8 (BetVictor), 0.5pt e.w. Corey Blackett-Taylor to be Championship top goalscorer at 250/1 (bet365) (1/4 odds 1-4), 1pt e.w. Caleb Watts to be League One top goalscorer at 50/1 (bet365) (1/4 odds 1-4). Result pending
Jake's outright predictions (Aug 8-May 30) - Premier League: 5pts Aston Villa to finish top six at 6/4 (General); 1pt e.w. Dominic Solanke top scorer at 33/1 (General 1/4, 1,2,3,4); 0.5pt e.w. Rayan Ait Nouri top assists at 200/1 (bet365, BoyleSports 1/4, 1,2,3,4); Carabao Cup: 3pts e.w. Arsenal to win the Carabao Cup at 8/1 (General 1/2, 1,2); Championship: 2pts Ipswich and Southampton to finish in the top 2 at 9.3/1 (bet365); 6pts Coventry to finish in the top six at 11/10 (Betfred, Ladbrokes, Coral). Result pending
Jimmy's outright punt (Aug 1-May 30) - Championship: 8pts Ipswich to be promoted at 11/8 (bet365), 1pt e.w Sammie Szmodics top goalscorer at 16/1 (bet365 1/4, 1,2,3,4). League One: 8pts Stockport top 6 finish at 11/8 (bet365). League Two: 8pts MK Dons top 3 finish at 11/10 (Sky Bet), 1pts e.w. Bromley (+22 handicap) to win League Two at 15/1 (bet365 1/4, 1,2,3,4), 0.5pt e.w Callum Stead top goalscorer at 66/1 (Betfred 1/4, 1,2,3,4,5). Result pending
Tom's outright tips (Aug 1-May 30) - Championship: 1pt e.w. Mihailo Ivanovic to be top goalscorer at 28/1 (Betfred 1/4 1-5), 1pt e.w. Mathias Kvistgaarden to be top goalscorer at 40/1 (bet365 1/4 1-4), 1pt e.w. Millwall (+24 handicap) to win the Championship at 18/1 (bet365, William Hill 1/4 1-4). League One: 1pt e.w. Malik Mothersille to be top goalscorer at 33/1 (bet365 1/4 1-4), 1pt e.w. Stockport (+10 handicap) to win League One at 15/1 (bet365 1/4 1-4). 2. Bundesliga: 2pts Hannover to win the 2. Bundesliga at 9/1 (General). Result pending
Joe's outright tips (Aug 1-May 30) - 1pt e.w Reading to win League One at 20/1 (General) (1/4 odds 1-3); 1pt Reading top 2 finish at 10/1 (Betfred, BetVictor). Result pending
F1:
Season specials Part I (Mar 14-Dec 7) - 5pts Kimi Antonelli to win a race at 7/2 (Unibet); 3pts Kimi Antonelli to win 2+ races at 7/1 (Paddy Power, Betfair); 3pts Ollie Bearman to beat Esteban Ocon at 13/5 (Virgin Bet, Livescore bet); 2pts Gabriel Borteleto to beat Nico Hulkenberg at 7/2 (StarSports); 2pts Alex Albon to beat Carlos Sainz at 3/1 (General); 1pt patent Bearman, Borteleto, Albon at best available prices. Result pending
Season specials Part II (Mar 14-Dec 7) - 2pts Kimi Antonelli to score 250+ points at 40/1 (General); 2pts each of the six rookies (Antonelli, Doohan, Lawson, Bearman, Hadjar, Borteleto) to score 5+ points at 80/1 (General); 2pts Oliver Bearman to score 50+ points at 66/1 (General). Result pending
NFL:
NFL season awards (Sep 4-Feb 8) - 3pts Abdul Carter to win Defensive rookie of the year at 15/8 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook); 2pts Dak Prescott to win Comeback player of the year at 3/1 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook); 2pts Micah Parsons to win Defensive player of the year at 5/1 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook); 1pt Omarion Hampton to win Offensive rookie of the year at 7/1 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook); 1pt Sean Payton to win Coach of the year at 18/1 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook); 0.5pt Box Nix to win MVP at 66/1 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook); 0.25pt Ricky Pearsall to win Offensive player of the year at 250/1 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook). Result pending
NFL season outrights (Sep 4-Feb 8) - 2pts Buffalo Bills to win Super Bowl at 7/1 (Sky Bet), 4pts Indianapolis Colts to win over 7.5 games at evens (Sky Bet), 4pts Indianapolis Colts to make the Playoffs at 2/1 (Sky Bet). Result pending
Cricket:
Big Bash (Dec 14-Jan 25) - 2pts Perth Scorchers to win the Big Bash at 5/1 (General). Result pending
The Ashes: Paul Krishnamurty's series best bets (Nov 21-Jan 8) - 2pts Adelaide highest scoring ground at 3/1 (bet365); 1.5pts Perth highest scoring ground at 10/3 (bet365); 1.5pts drawn series at 10.5 (Betfair Exchange); 1pt England 3-1 series correct score at 16/1 (AK Bets); 0.5pt Harry Brook player of the series at 11/1 (Star Sports); 0.5pt Mitchell Starc player of the series at 12/1 (Betway); 0.25pt Jofra Archer player of the series at 20/1 (Star Sports). Result pending
The Ashes: Australia v England (Nov 21-Jan 8) - 2pts Ollie Pope top England series batsman at 10/1 (General); 1pt Mitchell Starc player of the series (Compton-Miller medal) at 12/1 (General); 1pt Marnus Labuschagne player of the series (Compton-Miller medal) at 16/1 (BetVictor); 1pt Jamie Smith England player of the series at 8/1 (bet365); 1pt Jamie Smith fastest fifty in the series at 8/1 (bet365); 1pt Alex Carey fastest fifty in the series at 20/1 (bet365). Result pending
The Ashes (Nov 21-Jan 8) - 2pts Marnus Labuschagne top Australia series batsman at 9/1 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, QuinnBet). Result pending
