Football Accumulator Tips: The 3-3-3 Column – Can Roma make it 12 from 13?

Sadly, for the opening weekend of the 3-3-3 column, Cagliari weren't such great entertainers after all and bored rather than entertained us with a 0-0 draw, but the beauty of the 3-3-3 strategy is that we only need to win one in three to be in profit.   

This week we travel to three of Europe's top capitals in Paris, Rome and Madrid in search of the three selections that can hopefully deliver us a winning acca at just over 3/1 as Jamie Pacheco takes us through his Cross-European Football Accumulator Tips this weekend...

PSG v Montpellier – Friday, August 23, 19:45  

Selection: Over 9.5 corners @ 5/6  

Was it any wonder there was so much in-fighting at PSG over the past few years between the Holy Trinity of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe?  

All three wore the Number 10 shirt for their countries, all three captained their national team and also took penalties for them, so something had to give. What the three of them most certainly didn't give was their owners the Champions League title they were so desperate for, the closest they came being that 1-0 defeat to Bayern Munich in Porto, an uneventful match decided by a solitary Kingsley Coman goal.  

One by one the members of the Trinity left, Mbappe the last of them when he joined Real Madrid in the summer.  

But what they've lost in star names, they haven't lost in terms of their ability to clear the 9.5 corners line, in matches at home. Which, let's face it, is far more important than playing entertaining football or winning major trophies. Or at least it is for the purposes of this week's column.   

Last year 65% of their home matches had at least 10 corners and their opponents this week Montpellier saw 52% of their away matches go this way as well. The number of corners in the last six games between these two reads: 15, 2, 11, 4, 11 and 11. Both teams had exactly 10 corners in their matches last week too, so even more evidence we should get at least 10 corners here.   

*You can check out all of our Football Odds over at betfred.com

Roma v Empoli – Sunday, August 25, 20:45  

Selection: Roma to win @ 1/2  

Roma manager Daniele de Rossi must be a pretty patient man.  

After joining them in 2001 aged 18, he was quickly nicknamed Capitane Futuro, the idea being that sooner or later he'd take over from the great Francesco Totti as the capital team's skipper. It was some wait. 17 years later Totti did eventually retire, de Rossi captained the team for two years and then left for Boca Juniors.   

He took over as manager in January 2024, succeeding the departing José Mourinho, who did a Mourinho: started strongly, fell out with senior players, complained about the lack of signings, blamed everyone but himself, said he loved the club on leaving but took the reported 3.7 million Pounds in compensation anyway. Which took his tally over his career to an estimated 82 million in severance payments.  

After a goalless draw last week, much to our chagrin, de Rossi could not have asked for a better opponent this week. Despite now being into their fourth season in Serie A, albeit narrowly avoiding the drop last season, Empoli certainly don't like travelling to the capital.  

Ready for this? Roma have beaten them in 11 of the last 12 times they've played Empoli at home in Serie A, including a 7-0 win last campaign, a result that Mourinho was quick to take full credit for. 

Atlético Madrid v Girona – Sunday, August 25, 20:45  

Selection: Both teams to score @ 4/6  

The news over the last couple of weeks claimed that ex-Chelsea man Conor Gallagher spent five days (depending on which outlet you read): 'stranded in a hotel room', 'cooped up in a Madrid hotel' and 'stuck in a luxury hotel in the centre of Madrid'.  

So many questions. Was he not allowed to leave? If so, by who? Why not? Did he go for 5-star Hotel classic the club sandwich, or the ubiquitous cheeseburger for dinner? What did he watch on telly? Was the bathroom shampoo adequate for those flowing locks, or did he bring his own?  

Gallagher may or may not play this week against Girona after the deal finally went through with Joao Felix, he of the absurdly beautiful ex-girlfriend, going the other way.  

Sooner or later, they'll need Gallagher's relentless pressing and energy to help them stop conceding goals at home.  

After all, despite a reputation for being one of the tightest defensive units in European football, 68% of their home matches last season saw both teams scoring.  

Girona, who finished an incredible third last season in just their second season back in La Liga, saw both teams scoring in 63% of their away games.  

The two matches between them last campaign ended in a 3-1 home win for Atlético and a 4-3 win for Girona. So unlike the caged Gallagher, they were anything but cagey affairs.  And while Atlético drew 2-2 last week, Girona drew 1-1, meaning BTTS is looking a good bet here.  

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

James' Fun Fact:  

Atlético Madrid must be wishing that European football followed the US Sports route, where a 'draw' is a dirty word and everything goes to overtime if tied after regular time. And failing that: penalties. Last year they became the first side in the history of the Champions League to win three penalty shoot-outs in the knockout stages with brilliant keeper Jan Oblak between the sticks for all of them.    

Jamie Pacheco predominantly covers Cricket and European Football for us at Betfred Insights. You can check out his Football Betting Tips, along with those from the rest of the team, at our Football hub page...