Football Accumulator Tips: Cross-European 4/1 Weekend Treble

We didn’t end the year in style but we aim to start the new one with a winner. Three selections from three different markets in three different leagues are coming up next in the first 3-3-3 column of 2025.  

As always one of our European football experts picks out his best Football Accumulator Tips from the weekend with Italy, France and his native Portugal on the itinerary...

Welcome to the 3-3-3 betting column. Why is it called that? Glad you asked.  It’s not a formation to play when you’ve had a man sent off but rather: 

3 - The number of different selections making up the acca. 

3 - The number of different (non-English) European Leagues the selections are taken from every week. 

3 - The minimum odds (3/1) or 4.0 if you prefer, that the acca will come to it every week. 

And it really is as simple as that. The selections can be from any betting markets, as long as they meet the criteria set out above.  And to round things off, every week I’ll leave you with a cool (or at least I think so) bit of trivia involving one of the teams featured in the acca. Simples... 

Current P and L: -0.102pts  

No win last time out, which is a timely reminder of the dangers of moving away from my comfort zone and including such things as Scottish Football in our sacred 3-3-3 column picks when I generally prefer the ‘continental’ stuff, instead.  

Not that it would have made much difference anyway because the Lazio v Atalanta game was a goal short of the three we needed, as well. But anyway.  

Will we start 2025 in style with a tasty win? I don’t know but I’ll be doing my best to make that happen. Happy New Year 3-3-3 fans, by the way.  

Lille v Nantes  

Saturday, January 4 18:00  

Selection: Both teams to score @ Evens    

Growing up, football players had pretty simple names. Paul Stewart, Rob Jones, Alan Smith: proper solid, old-fashioned names. Even the foreign lads: Alessandro Nesta, Rui Costa, Ivan Campo, I could go on.  

These days it’s all Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kyle Walker-Peters, Emile Smith-Rowe, Taylor-Harwood Bellis. Sound more like polo players if you ask me. The likes of Brian Clough would be turning in his grave.  

So in an attempt to keep things short and simpler, I’ll refer to Both Teams to Score as BTTS.  

And few BTTS selections this weekend look more attractive than the even money on there being goals at both ends, than in Lille v Nantes.  

Lille have a 71.4% strike rate in home games this season for BTTS matches, while this weekend’s opponents Nantes are even better at 75% for away games this campaign; that includes all of their last four on the road.  

We may need a ‘Lille’ luck, intervention from VAR, a goalkeeping howler to win…I couldn’t care less how we get there really, but it’s easy to argue that based on those stats, it looks a cracking bet.  

Benfica v Braga  

Saturday, January 04 18:00  

Selection: Back Benfica to win @ 2/5    

In Portugal, Braga are the side who have spent the last two decades or so trying to gatecrash The Big 3 of Benfica, Sporting and Porto. In some years they did just that, splitting the three of them in the table even though they never actually went on to win it.   

But they’ve found things a bit tougher this season and though they sit in a respectable fifth place, they’ve been out of form with just one win in their last five, including a Europa League tie.  

So they won’t be thrilled about having to travel to Benfica on Saturday afternoon given that in their last three visits here they went down 6-1, 1-0 and 3-1.  

Benfica will be reeling from losing 1-0 at Sporting last week in a match that they really should have gotten something from and will be desperate to get back on track. I think they will, so take the straight home win at a decent price.  

Monza v Cagliari    

Sunday, January 5 11:30  

Selection: Over 47.5 Bookings Points @ 5/6    

Second (and last) case of reminiscing of times gone by for the week but few teams in Europe (the South American ones are a different kettle of fish) were as intimidating, or downright violent, as that Wimbledon side of the late 80s.  

If Vinnie Jones didn’t get you with a two-footed lunge, John Fashanu would with a stray elbow and failing that, Dennis Wise would come up from behind and put his full body weight (not that there was much of it) on your vulnerable boot when you were just about recovering from one of the first two types of attacks.   

The Sunday late morning kick-off in Serie A sees a Cagliari side in action where a handful of their players may even have had the ‘honour’ of being allowed to play for the Crazy Gang at Wimbledon FC if that culture, or even the now ‘extinct’ club itself, was around these days.  

Let me give you an example of what I mean. Against Lazio in early November four players got yellow cards. And another two got two further ones each – obviously leading to dismissals – so eight yellows in total, and two reds. 

It was the fifth away match in a row where their games went above the 45 point mark, which is five yellows, or three yellows and a red. Their away games are 75% for over 45 points and though hosts Monza are a bit better behaved, I think we’re still good for five players in the game having their name taken down by the man in the middle.  

*You can create your own Acca or follow James' selections over on our Football Accumulator Coupon page on betfred.com

James’ Fun Fact  

What does a Kensington-born hardman of English football do when his playing days are over? Buy a suit, move to Italy and become CEO of Como 1907, of course. Dennis Wise spent five years at Como in that role before moving on when they secured promotion back to Serie A. Como basically chose Cesc Fabregas, the current manager, and his ’direction’, rather than that of Wise. Wise move? Only time will tell.