Football Accumulator Tips: Can we make it 2/2 from the 3-3-3 column?

Our first winner of the season came in last time out at 5.19/1 so we’re firmly in profit for the season.  Can Jamie make it two from two for his Cross-European Football Accumulator Tips column?

This week’s selections from Jamie Pacheco come from Paris, Barcelona and Atalanta as we look to go back-to-back...

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... 

We had to wait all of three weeks for our first winner and when it came, it was a good one. As per above, the rules of the 3-3-3 column state the treble has to come to odds of at least 3/1 and last time out it was at 5.19/1, allowing us to not only recover our losses from the first two weeks but get us into positive territory; we’re currently 3.19 points up.  

As a recap, Inter v Atalanta ended 4-0 to see the over 2.5 goals selection come in comfortably (4/6), Viktor Gyokeres scored for Sporting Lisbon against Porto like we needed him to (13/10) and we got that Lille bit of luck when Lille managed to score a second half goal against PSG to secure a ‘both teams to score’ winner (8/13) as they lost 3-1. So on we go.  

PSG v Stade Brest  

Saturday 14h September 20:00  

Selection: PSG to win + over 2.5 goals @ 4/6   

It would be some irony if PSG finally won the Champions League after their big-name stars had all departed. It’s unlikely but it’s possible. Besides, it’s not like they’ve bought Harry Kane, so they could well win one or more big trophies this season.  

Proof of the fact that they’re not a star-studded side anymore is that rather than their players having cool-sounding names like Lionel or Kylian, they now have a player whose first name is Randal (Kolo Muani), while there’s also a Warren (Zaire Emery) in the squad. Those are the sort of names you’d expect to find in the Accounts Department of a company that makes washing machines, not one of European football’s biggest teams.  

The Champions League will have to wait for the time being because next up are Stade Brest.  

Brest lost their first two but hit back to beat St Etienne 4-0 last time out. It’s stating the obvious to say this will be their biggest challenge all season when they travel to the Parc des Princes on Saturday. 

PSG are three from three, scoring 13 goals in the process; all three wins were with over 2.5 goals in the match, as were two of the games they played against Brest last season, winning 3-2 away in Ligue 1 and 3-1 at home in the French Cup. 

It all points to a home win with at least three goals in it, which is priced at a very fair 4/6. Even number-crunchers supreme Randal and Warren think so.   

Espanyol v Alaves  

Saturday 14th September 15:15  

Selection: Alaves or Draw on the Double Chance market @ 4/9  

Imagine being so patriotic as a football team that you actually call yourself ‘Espanyol’. Just so there’s really no doubt at all as to what country you’re from and just how proud you are to be from there.  

But they might need more than just William ‘Braveheart’ Wallace-like patriotism to get past Alaves this weekend, at home in Barcelona.  

Alaves lost their first match of the season 2-1 to Celta but recovered to draw 0-0 and secure back-to-back wins against Real Sociedad and Las Palmas in their next three.  

A respectable 10th place finish last term shows they’re a consistent sort, while Espanyol weren’t even in the division last term, being promoted from Segunda Division and doing it the hard way by finishing fourth and gaining promotion via the Playoffs.  

If none of this convinces you that Alaves can avoid defeat here, then how about the fact they’ve got Stoichkov?  It’s obviously not the Stoichkov nor is Juan Diego Molina Martinez (sounds like he should play for Espanyol, instead) any relation to the Stoichkov, he’s just known as Stoichkov. But still.  

It’s 4/9 on Alaves or Draw on the Double Chance market. 

Atalanta v Fiorentina  

Sunday 14:00 

Selection: Over 2.5 goals @ 4/6  

Atalanta are sort of Italian football’s answer to England cricket’s Bazball. The breaks are off (if you excuse the cricket reference) and they just go out to out-score their opponents, come hell or high water. It’s truly liberating and always makes them a great watch.  

Of course, such a maverick approach can go wrong. See their 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Inter last time, which contributed to our winning acca. See England’s carefree approach that resulted in a loss to Sri Lanka in the Third Test, for that matter.  

But if their games’ outcomes are somewhat unpredictable, they’re a safe bet for goals.  All three of their matches this season went over 2.5 goals (a 4-0 win followed by defeats by 2-1 and 4-0) as did 68% of their home games last season.  

Their opponents this season aren’t quite as reliable for goals, with only their last match (2-2) going over the 2.5 goal barrier from their three to date. But Atalanta’s approach can be contagious, even to sides who aren’t the biggest of entertainers. 

Proof of that is they played each other four times last season (two in the league, two in the Cup) and not only did three of them end with over 2.5 goals, all those three ended with exactly five goals in them.  

So the 4/6 there are at least three goals here looks a decent option.  

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

James’ Fun Fact  

We may never have seen what the real (Hristo) Stoichkov was all about because his career could have been over before it had really begun. He was part of a massive brawl in the 1984-5 Bulgarian Cup final and was originally banned for life for his part in it before the ban was reduced to a one-year suspension.

After moving to Barcelona five years later he received a lengthy suspension for deliberately stepping on a linesman’s foot in his first-ever El Clasico. He also shares the same birthday as me.