Saturday Football Cheat Sheet: Best bets for Premier League, Championship and more

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Premier League tips and predictions

Hull v Man Utd: Back huge 66/1 shot on United duo

Paul Higham: Benjamin Sesko is unlikely to feature having only just returned to training, so Bryan Mbeumo at 6/4 and Matheus Cunha at 8/5 are the leading anytime goalscorer favourites for Man Utd.

Bruno Fernandes is 21/10 to score anytime, and a shorter price at 11/10 to provide an assist again after setting a Premier League record with 21 last season.

Matt Crooks is 4/11 for 2+ fouls and McBurnie is 4/5 and he would get my vote give his all-action style and after 18 games with multiple fouls last season. That one's great Bet Builder fodder.

OddsBoost wise, Mbeumo and Amad Diallo at 1/1 to both have just 1+ shot on target looks a big player, while Mbeumo to score 2+ goals is a lively runner at 10/1.

It looks outrageous to back a 66/1 shot but there's a Match Stat Special that caught my eye that offers that very price on Mbeumo and Fernandes to both have 2+ shots on target and both to be fouled 2+ times each.

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15:00 - Everton v Crystal Palace: Back Eagles to start brightly

Stephen Tudor: Both teams endured a dramatic drop-off at the tail-end of last season, each failing to muster a win in their last seven. At least Palace had the excuse of being distracted by their European run.

With these clubs swapping Brennan Johnson and Dwight McNeil this summer we can expect one of them to score, because that's how football works, and of the two it's McNeil most fancied, given Everton's track record on opening weekends. They have lost their last four curtain-raisers, all to nil.

Palace to win to nil is a shout at 5/1

That though would go against this fixture's recent history, their last five meetings ending with both teams scoring. The safer bet then focuses on a team tipped to start brightly under new boss Pierre Sage gaining an early advantage over an Everton side who have kept just three clean sheets in 2026.

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15:00 - Ipswich v Sunderland: Back a tight game

Mark Stinchcombe: Ipswich start their Premier League campaign after one season away as slight underdog to a Sunderland side who backed up their spending by finishing in the European places and crucially seem to have kept hold of captain Granit Xhaka.

Sunderland's success last term was built on being difficult to beat, with only five teams suffering fewer losses, as a result of having the fourth best defence in the division. Only Everton had more under 2.5 games away from home than Sunderland and they began the season with eight of their first 10 games finishing under 2.5 on the road.

There's been lots of changes at Ipswich this summer, so how quickly will the new players and manager Gary O'Neil gel? They started their previous Premier League season in 24/25 with eight of their first 11 home games going under 2.5 and that has to be the bet with the market only slightly favouring unders.

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15:00 - Nottm Forest v Leeds: Back the Whites to avoid defeat

The Opta Stat: After changing to a back three/five formation from December onwards in the Premier League last season, Leeds United won the seventh most points (36 - W8 D12 L5); prior to that change, the Whites sat third bottom in table with just 11 points (W3 D2 L8).  

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17:30 - Brentford v Tottenham: Back 9/5 Spurs to start season with a win

Dave Tindall: Even though De Zerbi carried a reputation as a 'you score two, we'll score three' man, when he was manager of Brighton, his initial positive impact at Spurs was due to a tightening up the defence.

With reinforcements made there, there's good reason to believe that Tottenham could be hard to break down.

Less certain is just how many goals they'll score. Put Harry Kane back in this team and hopes would be very high for a big season but the current forward line doesn't scream goals. It's no wonder they're trying to increase their attacking options by adding Omar Marmoush to the Savinho deal.

Therefore, as well as backing the basic Spurs win, there's scope to add in Tottenham/Under 2.5 Goals at 6/1 which, of course, covers 1-0 and 2-0 away wins.

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Find out what our tipsters our backing outright in the Premier League 2026/27 Season Cheat Sheet

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EFL tips and predictions

12:30 Championship - Lincoln v Portsmouth: Back the Imps

Jack Critchley: Lincoln may have lost their opening Championship fixture, yet they didn't look out of place in the second tier. Despite losing Jack Moylan to Cardiff, they still produced plenty of quality going forward, and Freddie Draper looked sharp before tiring in the second half.

They've added reinforcements this week with the loan arrival of Yunus Konak, who joins from Brighton. They are a well-coached team, and their momentum should not be checked by last weekend's loss at the Riverside.

John Mousinho wasn't particularly pleased with his side's defending at Fratton Park last weekend. They switched off at key moments and allowed the R's to net three times. The good news is that Josh Murphy came off the bench and is back in contention here. The bad news is that Colby Bishop continues to be fairly ineffective and goal-shy.

The fans would like to see a little more quality added to their defence, and another striker through the door before Deadline Day. This will not be a straightforward task for a side who look short on confidence at the back.

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15:00 L1 - Bromley v Cambridge: Back the Draw with Betfair's 90 mins tool

Alan Dudman: Victor Adeboyejo was the hero of the hour as Bromley gained all three points at Oakwell on the opening day of the League One season, even more sweeter for Adeboyejo against his former club Barnsley.

Cambridge went goal crazy with a 3-2 win, in complete contrast to how strong they were defensively last term in League Two as they conceded just 33 goals in 46 in the entire season.

No manager likes those goal-happy matches and Neil Harris I am sure will want a lot more control this weekend.

Both are more counter-attack minded teams and play more out of possession and I would rather back the draw here in 90 minutes at a 9/5 price as the market for a win either side is too close to call.

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European football tips and predictions

20:30 La Liga - Espanyol v Real Madrid: Back Mbappe to strike

Kevin Hatchard: Missing out on signing Rodri could be huge for Real Madrid, as the new Barca signing is exactly the kind of midfield general Los Blancos currently lack.

However, Real Madrid and Mourinho should at least be able to rely in the goalscoring prowess of Kylian Mbappe. Fresh from winning the Golden Boot at the World Cup, the superstar striker should be able to build upon a record of 86 goals in 103 Real Madrid appearances.

Espanyol won their opening La Liga game 3-0 against Levante (Real Madrid have started the season late because they had players involved in the World Cup semis and final), and they'll be no pushovers. Striker Roberto Fernandez scored twice in that opening game, and the former Spain U21 striker can make his mark here.

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