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Image of the letter X with a black colouring.@TomCarnduff
Tom is a football journalist who is also key to our social media and AV content, and host of Sporting Life's This Week's Acca podcast. He produces regular football tips including a Friday Bundesliga column.
Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi is the new favourite to be the next Premier League manager to leave their position.

Tottenham go into the extended international break sat bottom of the table with just two points gained from their opening five matches, scoring twice and conceding eight.

Aston Villa were the latest side to gain maximum points following a 3-2 victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, with Unai Emery's outfit holding a 3-0 lead before late goals from Conor Gallagher and Jan Paul van Hecke made the scoreline more respectable for the hosts.

De Zerbi only took the job at the end of March and retained their top-flight status thanks to a final day victory over Everton.


Next Premier League manager to leave odds (via Sky Bet)
Roberto De Zerbi - 2/1
Michael Carrick - 5/2
Alvaro Arbeloa - 4/1
Pierre Sage - 5/1
Frank Lampard - 7/1
Gary O'Neil - 11/1
Oliver Glasner - 12/1
Regis Le Bris - 16/1
20/1 bar
Odds correct at 11:25 BST (22/09/26)

The latest defeat saw De Zerbi cut from 5/1 fourth-favourite into 2/1 at the top of the market with Sky Bet, replacing Coventry's Frank Lampard and Fulham's Alvaro Arbeloa who have both drifted following weekend results.

A summer of significant spending was supposed to propel Tottenham back towards the top end of the table. Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, Sávio and Jan Paul van Hecke were among those to arrive with expenditure surpassing £300million.

Instead, they went without scoring across their first four league games with their only competitive victory of the season coming against Sky Bet Championship outfit Charlton in the Carabao Cup second round.

Brentford, Newcastle, Liverpool and Villa are the sides who have inflicted defeat upon them as games against Everton and Nottingham Forest finished as goalless draws.

Spurs' return to the Premier League in October delivers a home contest against Coventry in between trips to Chelsea and Manchester United.

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Nations League 2026-27 outright tips, winner predictions, best bets and preview
Football
Wed September 23, 2026 · 2h ago
Joe Townsend
Joe Townsend
Image of the letter X with a black colouring.@JoesterT
Joe is our football editor, responsible for Sporting Life's output across multiple platforms, including This Week's Acca. As well as forming part of that team, he writes regular match previews across a variety of competitions.
Football betting tips: Nations League
3.5pts Spain to reach the final at 8/5 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power)

1.5pts Portugal to reach the final at 10/3 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power)

1pt Portugal to win the Nations League at 9/1 (Paddy Power, Betfred)

Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair

Even for the most ardent international football advocate it's hard not to feel a little underwhelmed by a three-week window arriving just as the domestic season was getting into rhythm.

That lack of enthusiasm seems to have dripped into playing squads too with a spate of withdrawals adding to a growing sense of collective apathy.

It's a shame for many reasons, the main one being that on paper this is an exciting period of fixtures, with the Nations League a competition that has more than justified itself since UEFA launched it eight years ago.

There are lots of matches worth watching, with League A containing the 16 top-ranked UEFA members from the 2024–25 edition, split into the four groups below:

A1: France, Italy, Belgium, Turkiye
A2: Germany, Netherlands, Serbia, Greece
A3: Spain, Croatia, England, Czechia
A4: Portugal, Denmark, Norway, Wales
UEFA Nations League winner odds (via Sky Bet)
Each Way: 1/2 Odds, 2 Places

France, Spain - 3/1
Germany, England - 9/2
Portugal - 17/2
Netherlands - 12/1
Norway, Belgium - 16/1
Italy, Denmark - 33/1
Croatia - 50/1
Serbia, Türkiye - 100/1
Greece - 150/1
Czechia, Wales - 175/1
The only glaring absentee following relegation two years ago are World Cup quarter-finalists Switzerland, who must compete in League B alongside several others who took part in this summer's tournament in North America - Scotland, Austria, Bosnia and Sweden.

Here we'll just focus on League A, where lots has changed in a few short months.

Meet the new bosses
Zinedine Zidane
Eight of the 16 teams in the top flight have a new manager in place, with the most significant being Didier Deschamps' 14-year stint as France boss ending and Zinedine Zidane taking charge.

A chaotic, embarrassing summer saw Italy's FA publicly court Pep Guardiola then cave in to pressure over the appointment of Andrea Pirlo because of business links to Russia. Now, Euro 2020-winning coach Roberto Mancini is back.

For Belgium it's Rudi Garcia out, Mark van Bommel in.

Germany head coach Jurgen Klopp
Germany's round-of-32 exit at the hands of Paraguay saw Julian Nagelsmann sacked and Jurgen Klopp swiftly named his replacement, sparking excitement that their 12-year struggle since winning the 2014 World Cup could finally be over.

The Netherlands resisted their almost unshakable habit of switching between Ronald Koeman and Louis van Gaal by replacing the former with another legendary Barcelona midfielder in Xavi.

Xavi takes charge of the Netherlands
Slaven Bilic is back at Croatia after 14 years away, and 19 years since the infamous "Wally with the brolly" night at Wembley cost England a place at Euro 2008 and Steve McClaren his job as manager.

Czechia have made an interesting appointment, bringing in Luis de la Fuente's successor as Spain's under-21s coach Santi Denia, a former Atletico Madrid midfielder who won two caps for his country.

And finally, defending champions Portugal appointed veteran coach Jorge Jesus following the expiry of Roberto Martinez's three-and-a-half-year contract.

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Thomas Tuchel must understand the 'scar' of England's World Cup failure isn't just his
Football
Fri September 25, 2026 · 2d ago
Alex Keble
Alex Keble
Football Columnist
“You can try to kill me here, but it's my scar, it's not your scar. I have to live with it. It's not you having to live with this.”

The long months since England’s World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina, defined by Thomas Tuchel’s extraordinary tactical cowardice and subsequent accusation the national “DNA” is primed for mental collapse, has given the England manager plenty of time to think things over.

His conclusions do nothing to turn the dial on the national mood towards him.

Perhaps the beginning of a new chapter this weekend is not an appropriate moment to rehash past failures but already the tone of media analysis is softening, so it’s worth briefly returning to the headline issue.

Tuchel was specifically hired to bring an elite mentality that would overcome England’s historic fragility in big moments, but when it came to the crunch he choked, exacerbating the problem more dramatically than Gareth Southgate ever did.

As if that wasn’t enough, he then failed spectacularly in his ambassadorial duties, blaming the cultural heritage of the nation for his fearful retreat.

Reflecting upon the summer should have brought Tuchel clarity on his own role, on the egotism of his response and the worrying disconnect between his club-football ideas and what it means to oversee a nation.

Instead, he has effectively doubled down. They are his scars, not ours.

So began another tone-deaf intervention, providing further insight into the dislocation at the heart of the Tuchel project. Here is more red meat for the rabble who would claim England should never be managed by an outsider, because even in attempting to show humility Tuchel fails in what Southgate made into the most important, and most idiosyncratic, task of the England manager: being the statesmanlike, quasi-father figure of the nation.

As a German tactician hired to be the anti-Southgate, Tuchel’s remit here is quite different from his predecessor’s, because of course to attempt his own ‘Dear England’ dance, to try the whole Rudyard Kipling thing, would be roundly mocked.

For Tuchel, the prime ministerial aspect should be the projection of Germanic self-assurance.

https://www.sportinglife.com/football/fixtures-results
And so the admission this week of pain and self-doubt, intended to elicit sympathy or at least act as some form of apology, reads instead as overly vulnerable, revealing a fragility where Tuchel is supposed to project strength.

In other words, if you want to succeed in the Impossible Job – if you want those shirts to weigh less heavily – you aren’t supposed to tell us you’re scarred.

Oh, and we do have to live with it, Thomas. It’s not all about you.

“No-one is more hurt than me, no-one wanted it more. They [the decisions] can endlessly torture you.

“A key moment if I look back at it and what happened to my decision-making, we conceded a big, big chance right before the water break. And I thought: we will not survive. This is waiting for death.

“Even my mindset is maybe like: let's just overcome it. And it's too early, too early for that mindset.”

It’s certainly an interesting choice of words prior to Saturday’s attempt at a reboot. World champions Spain arrive at Wembley on a 38-game unbeaten run and with a mentality of possession suffocation.

One wonders if England will seek desperately to “overcome it”; will again “wait for death”.

Thomas Tuchel
Thomas Tuchel has divided opinion following the World Cup
This is a huge moment in the Tuchel era, the beginning of one last chance to be defined by anything other than a pathetic 30 minutes in Atlanta.

Forget the wave of withdrawals this week. The team needs psychological rejuvenation, not fresh blood. Only a tactical shift can wipe the slate clean, only a commanding and fearless performance can begin to repair relations between Tuchel and the fan base.

Anything less will confirm he simply does not understand the requirements of the England job and should not be in his post.

What England need is someone who, through sheer force of will, can overcome decades of national self-loathing.

It’s a big ask. Maybe, yes, an Impossible one. Certainly it requires a deftness, a depth of understanding, that has so far eluded Tuchel.

On Saturday he needs to show that he can make the big calls boldly, that he can overcome the burden, that he can rewrite the DNA.

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Football accumulator tips: This Week's Acca from Sporting Life for Saturday 10/10/26
Football
Thu October 08, 2026 · 19h ago


Made up of Tom, Jake, Joe and Jimmy, our This Week's Acca team combine to identify value accumulators in the EFL plus some of the biggest TV matches in all competitions.
With the international break finally over This Week's Acca has the pick of a proper Saturday coupon, with a 11/1 fourfold and 33/1 fivefold the result.

Both firms include 2UP settlement terms meaning if a team goes two goals ahead at any point in their match, that leg will be considered a winner.

Michael Duff takes charge of his first BRADFORD game and will want to build on predecessor Graham Alexander's strong home record (W34 D9 L6 since the start of 24/25). Leyton Orient have struggled against League One's better teams so far, including losing 3-1 to the Bantams in the EFL Cup.

Newly-promoted YORK have won all four of their League Two home matches (12 scored, three conceded) despite a tough schedule of Bristol Rovers, Gillingham, Swindon and Exeter. It's hard to make a case for Northampton, who have one win and three goals after seven games.

High-flying National League duo WORTHING (fifth) and HARROGATE (second) both delivered last weekend and are backed again. Worthing have won four of five and are seven unbeaten. They host second-bottom Solihull, who have conceded 2+ goals in 10 of their 12 games including all of their last four. Harrogate head to Woking on a three-match winning run and having won six of eight. The Cards have won only two of six at home.

CLICK BELOW TO BACK OUR ACCAS
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CLICK HERE to back on Sky Bet
CLICK HERE to back on Paddy Power
Both firms include 2UP settlement terms meaning if a team goes two goals ahead at any point in their match, that leg will be considered a winner.

WALSALL remain unbeaten in League Two under new manager Lee Grant (W3 D5) and have the best defensive record in the EFL, conceding just five goals. Fleetwood's data has been poor all season and has now caught up with them, losing three in a row and winning only one of seven.

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Monday Night Football tips: Tottenham vs Coventry predictions, best bets and preview
Football
Sun October 18, 2026 · 19h ago
Jimmy 'The Punt' Cantrill
Jimmy 'The Punt' Cantrill
Jimmy is a football journalist specialising in tipping, including the lower leagues. With a clear preference for trixies and big prices, he provides expert insight in his weekly column, Jimmy's Punt.
Football betting tips: Premier League
2.5pts Coventry +1 Asian handicap at 11/10 (bet365)

0.5pt Tottenham over 9.5 corners at 9/2 (bet365, Betfair, Paddy Power)

Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair

Kick-off: 20:00 BST, Monday
TV: Sky Sports Main Event
Live odds, form and stats
It took COVENTRY four games to pick up their first Premier League point, failing to even find the net in their clashes with Arsenal, Hull, Manchester City and Brighton and conceding 10 goals.

Frank Lampard’s side were schooled at the Emirates, frustrated by Hull, desperately unlucky not to get something at the Etihad and - up until the red card - competitive against the Seagulls.

The Sky Blues have gone on to take maximum points from their last two, beating Newcastle and Nottingham Forest by an aggregate scoreline of 5-1.

Their fortunes changed at the City Ground as they ground out a slender victory and were emphatic last Monday against Newcastle, cashing in on their offensive misfortune.

There’s no escaping the fact Coventry were clinical against the Magpies but up until Sven Botman got one back 20 minutes from time, the hosts were completely in control.

It also has to be pointed out that the Sky Blues sit bottom in the xPTS table, and yet their price of 6/1 to win at Tottenham on Monday looks a touch big.

Coventry City manager Frank Lampard celebrates the win over Newcastle United
Coventry City manager Frank Lampard celebrates the win over Newcastle United
Spurs are still on the hunt for their first Premier League win of the season (D3 L3).

Like Monday’s opponents, Roberto De Zerbi’s side were goalless after four games and even then, their first two goals of the campaign were consolations against Aston Villa.

They deserve credit for equalising in their last league outing at Manchester United with 10 men but I cannot get them onside at a general price of 4/9. The hosts have only generated 0.3 xG more than Coventry.

At 11/10, you can back the visitors +1 on the ASIAN HANDICAP. That’s a winner if Coventry get a result, money back if they lose by a goal and a loser if they lose by two goals or more.

The bets only lost in two of Coventry’s games, one was the trip to Arsenal and the other was the 5-0 drubbing at home to Brighton where they had a man sent off in the 53rd minute at 2-0 down.

It’s also clicked for everyone of Tottenham’s opponents in the league this term.

Tottenham and Coventry's stats
Sticking along similar lines, TOTTENHAM’S price of 9/2 to have OVER 9.5 CORNERS also appeals.

The hosts have hit this line in half of their four home games, going within one against Newcastle and have averaged seven a game.

Interestingly, Spurs are the only side in the division to not spend a single second of a game ahead this season.

In contrast, Coventry have spent almost a quarter of the season ahead in games which suits this angle two-fold.

The Sky Blues haven’t conceded 10 corners in a game yet this season but shipped eight at Arsenal and nine in the Carabao Cup against Aston Villa.

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Champions League tips: Bayern Munich vs Arsenal predictions, best bets & preview
Football
Mon October 19, 2026 · 2d ago
Tom Carnduff
Tom Carnduff
Image of the letter X with a black colouring.@TomCarnduff
Tom is a football journalist who is also key to our social media and AV content, and host of Sporting Life's This Week's Acca podcast. He produces regular football tips including a Friday Bundesliga column.
Football betting tips: Champions League
1pt Arsenal to win at 23/10 (General)

Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair


Kick-off: 20:00 BST, Wednesday
TV: TNT Sports 1
Live odds, form and stats
This is a genuine Champions League clash. The dominant force of German football meeting the best England has to offer for the second season in a row. This time, the Bavarians hold the home advantage.

But just how much of an advantage will that be? A significant one when you look at their results. Leipzig were thrashed 6-1 last time out with Union Berlin on the end of a 7-0 hammering just before the international break. In this competition, Bodo/Glimt beaten 5-0.

An eye-watering total of 122 goals across 34 league games last season should strike fear into any side in world football - and that's before realising they're on a better goals-per-game rate across the opening exchanges of the current campaign.

But they have some key absentees here. Michael Olise is serving a yellow card suspension while Jamal Musiala continues to battle a muscle injury. The former of that pair a more obvious one yet it does deplete their attacking strength by also losing someone capable of starting or supporting.

Luis Diaz (L) and Michael Olise (R) scored 51 goals for Bayern between them last season
Michael Olise (R) is suspended for this contest
Even if they were at full strength, you'd have to give serious thought to the potential of Arsenal being the one defence which can neutralise an otherwise near-unstoppable unit. We saw this potential in the meeting last season.

That may well have been at the Emirates and Bayern did find the net but they were unusually quiet in an attacking sense. The Gunners limited them to just 0.65 expected goals (xG) - for comparison, they averaged 2.89 xG per Bundesliga and Champions League outing in 25/26.

It was a team used to posting an average just shy of 19 shots per outing. In north London, they could only muster together eight. Two of those were on target; their average was 8.38.

And that was with Arsenal having influential defender Gabriel Magalhães missing through injury. The Bayern XI from that night will be near identical here without Olise on the right side of their attack.

Arsenal 3-1 Bayern Munich
Arsenal went off odds-on in that meeting. They were around 7/4 to win in 90 minutes on neutral ground against PSG in the final. The away trip to Atletico Madrid in the semi-final saw them priced at 6/5.

There's the risk of a spectacular backfire when going against a side capable of scoring seven goals at the click of a finger, but the 23/10 general price on an ARSENAL WIN here is a difficult one to ignore. I'm happy enough to accept you may look a bit daft if they've found a way to net three or four against this defence.

But again, in a pub discussion where the question 'who would stop Bayern Munich?' is asked, you'd likely respond with 'Mikel Arteta's Arsenal'.

No side has conceded fewer goals in the Premier League this season. No side came close to doing it last season either. Oh, add the 24/25 campaign to that. And 23/24 while you're at it.

Mikel Arteta couldn't get his hands on the Champions League trophy
Mikel Arteta will want to limit Bayern Munich as much as possible
Two clean sheets in Europe so far. Four conceded in eight League Stage outings last season (again, the best defence) - three conceded in seven knockout games after that.

And while the focus here is on Arsenal's defence, Bayern's has shown some vulnerability at times. I'd back the hosts to prevail in a 'basketball' style contest but the Gunners are more than capable of firing in a couple themselves - a 2-0 lead ideal for the increasing number of bookmakers offering a 'two up' style payout as well.

Augsburg scored twice recently. Viking hit three. Away contests of course but enough to remind us that talented sides can punish this Bayern back line - PSG did that on five occasions in one leg of their semi-final encounter last season.

Arteta will want his side to keep it tight though and they've shown time and time again their ability to allow little to their opponents. Given the prices on offer, I'm hoping for more of that on Wednesday night.

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Football accumulator tips: This Week's Acca from Sporting Life for Saturday 31/10/26
Football
Thu October 29, 2026 · 5h ago
This Week's Acca
This Week's Acca
Made up of Tom, Jake, Joe and Jimmy, our This Week's Acca team combine to identify value accumulators in the EFL plus some of the biggest TV matches in all competitions.
This Week's Acca puts together a 15/2 fourfold and 30/1 fivefold for the Halloween 3pm kick-offs.

CLICK BELOW TO BACK OUR ACCAS
CLICK BELOW TO BACK OUR ACCAS
CLICK HERE to back on Sky Bet
CLICK HERE to back on Paddy Power
Both firms include 2UP settlement terms meaning if a team goes two goals ahead at any point in their match, that leg will be considered a winner.

MILLWALL's season has been held back by fine margins but we're backing it to kickstart on Saturday. The Lions have shown enough during Alex Neil's tenure, especially at The Den where they have won 20 of their last 34 Championship games, for us to trust them against an injury-ridden Derby team who won just once all season.

SOUTHAMPTON are W5 D1 at St Mary's, conceding just four goals and scoring 16. They have won five of seven home and away, with last weekend's statement victory at West Ham perhaps the most eye catching yet. QPR have made a great start but were outclassed by strong opposition in their past three away games, needing plenty of fortune to draw at West Ham and West Brom before being thumped 3-0 by Birmingham.


MANSFIELD have won three of their last four, are unbeaten in six League One games and are yet to lose at Field Mill (W3 D2). Notts County have just two points from their five away games and have won just one of their last eight.

SALFORD look like they will take some stopping in League Two. After losing their opening three matches they have won nine and drawn one, winning all of their last seven. Exeter may be five unbeaten (W3 D2) but away from home they have really struggled for goals, scoring just four times.

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Premier League sack race: Michael Carrick still odds-on but Pierre Sage and Regis Le Bris cut in
Football
Mon November 02, 2026 · 10h ago
Joe Townsend
Joe Townsend
Image of the letter X with a black colouring.@JoesterT
Joe is our football editor, responsible for Sporting Life's output across multiple platforms, including This Week's Acca. As well as forming part of that team, he writes regular match previews across a variety of competitions.
Despite another chastening weekend, Michael Carrick has drifted in the next Premier League manager to leave 'sack race' market though he remains odds-on favourite.

United were comfortably beaten 2-0 at Chelsea on Saturday with Lisandro Martinez sent off. They are 17th in the Premier League table after nine games and only out of the relegation zone on goal difference.

Carrick's side have won just twice in all competitions this season, beating newly-promoted Ipswich and Azerbaijani minnows Sabah.

They face Roma in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Next Premier League manager to leave odds
Michael Carrick - 8/15
Pierre Sage - 9/4
Regis Le Bris - 5/1
Unai Emery - 20/1
Matthias Jaissle - 20/1
Alvaro Arbeloa - 22/1
Pierre Sage
Carrick had been as short as 1/5 last week only for the United board to stick with him ahead of a perceived crunch trip to Stamford Bridge. His drift is not down to support from his club, but two other managers also being under intense pressure.

Pierre Sage continues to struggle at Crystal Palace.

They sit a place below United and have conceded a divisional high 21 goals already this term.

His position was also worsened by a 10-man away defeat on Saturday as Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta saw red before Palace went on to lose 2-0 to Spurs.

Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris
Regis Le Bris is a little further back at 5/1 but the noise surrounding his future grew louder as he was booed by sections of the Sunderland away support after they were thumped by Coventry to leave them bottom of the table with just five points.

The Black Cats' previously reliable defence has collapsed this term, with only Palace and Ipswich (18) conceding more than their 17 goals.

At the other end they have found the net just seven times with three of those coming in an away trip to Manchester City.