Football accumulator tips for this midweek [29-31 July 2026]

Jul 28, 2026 - 15:15

The World Cup final was just a week and a half ago, but pre-season is already in full swing across Europe.

We have previewed five upcoming friendlies taking place between Wednesday and Friday in our latest acca.

A £10 wager on our three-leg acca would pay out £29.27, while the same stake on our five-leg version offers a potential return of £78.06.

Expert 3-fold:

Bristol City vs Newcastle United: Both teams to score (8/15)
Liverpool vs Wrexham: Liverpool to win (4/11)
Sydney vs Tottenham Hotspur: Sydney over 0.5 goals (2/5)

Back the 3-fold acca at Sky Bet to win £29.27 from a £10 bet

Expert 5-fold:

Sporting CP vs Nottingham Forest: Sporting CP to win (Evens)
Birmingham City vs Barcelona: Over 2.5 goals (1/3)

Back the 5-fold acca at Sky Bet to win £78.06 from a £10 bet

Bristol City vs Newcastle United: Both teams to score (8/15)

Newcastle United drew 1-1 with Gateshead in their first friendly of the summer, and Eddie Howe’s team are now ready to continue their preparations for the new season against Bristol City.

The Championship campaign begins a week earlier than the Premier League, so Bristol City have less time to get up to speed than the Magpies.

They beat Swindon Town 3-1 last weekend and are building towards an EFL Cup game against Walsall on August 6, before they kick things off in the Championship on August 15.

Newcastle could be about to lose Bruno Guimaraes to Arsenal, having already sold Sandro Tonali to Tottenham Hotspur this summer.

Anthony Gordon has also sought pastures new, so there is plenty of work for Newcastle to do in the transfer market.

They will not field a full-strength side here, so Bristol City will back themselves to get on the scoresheet on home turf.

Back both teams to score at 8/15 with Sky Bet

Liverpool vs Wrexham: Liverpool to win (4/11)

Liverpool had a disappointing season last time out, qualifying for the Champions League but failing to get close to retaining the Premier League title.

It is all-change at Anfield this summer, with Andoni Iraola now calling the shots following the exit of Arne Slot.

We saw our first glimpse of Iraola’s Liverpool at the weekend, as his team ran out 4-2 winners against Sunderland in Nashville.

Iraola chose an XI containing plenty of youngsters and fringe players, and many first-team stars will be held back against Wrexham too.

Still, Liverpool have the talent in their ranks to beat their Championship opponents regardless.

That is not to say Wrexham are incapable of causing their illustrious opponents problems – they have already beaten Manchester United and Leeds United this pre-season – but as we get closer to the start of the season, the bigger sides will bring their superior quality to bear.

Select Liverpool to win at 4/11 with Sky Bet

Sydney vs Tottenham Hotspur: Sydney over 0.5 goals (2/5)

Tottenham Hotspur are in Oceania for pre-season. They kick-started their preparations against Auckland in New Zealand, winning 2-0 on Sunday, before facing Sydney in Australia in their second outing outside England.

This weekend’s clash with Chelsea will draw more attention than the tussle with Sydney, but this is still a valuable fixture for Roberto De Zerbi.

Having saved Spurs from the threat of relegation to the Championship last term, De Zerbi is now looking to build a team capable of qualifying for continental competition.

That is not an unrealistic aim for the Italian, despite the fact Tottenham have finished 17th in two consecutive campaigns.

We will not see Tottenham’s strongest line-up here, though, so Sydney will like their chances of making the net bulge at some point.

Choose Sydney to score over 0.5 goals at 2/5 with Sky Bet

Sporting CP vs Nottingham Forest: Sporting CP to win (Evens)

Nottingham Forest pulled off a coup in attracting Oliver Glasner to the City Ground, even though the former Crystal Palace boss probably chose the job because he did not land one at AC Milan or another major European side.

Glasner will be acutely aware of the fact that head coaches do not tend to last long at Forest, but if he can get his new team playing like his old one, a successful season awaits.

Forest have already beaten Notts County and Blackburn Rovers this pre-season, and they now have two games against foreign sides in which to test themselves.

Bayer Leverkusen are due to visit the City Ground next week, before which Forest will pit their wits against Sporting CP.

The Portuguese giants are favourites to win this one on home turf and we reckon evens is decent value for a side that is further along in its preparations ahead of the opening weekend in Portugal on August 8-9.

Go for a Sporting CP to win at evens with Sky Bet

Birmingham City vs Barcelona: Over 2.5 goals (1/3)

St Andrew’s does not usually sell out for pre-season friendlies, but there will be significant demand for tickets for Friday’s clash with Barcelona.

This is a hugely glamorous fixture for a club which has been outside the Premier League for more than a decade, and there is reason to believe it will be an entertaining one too.

Barcelona’s games tend to contain plenty of goals under Hansi Flick, an attack-minded manager who is prepared to take risks defensively.

This is Barcelona’s first outing of the summer, so we should not exact everything to be finely tuned just yet – including their famously high defensive line.

Birmingham City, for their part, will be determined to make an impression against one of the biggest clubs in the world.

Tip over 2.5 goals at 1/3 with Sky Bet

What is an acca bet?

An acca bet is a more popular name for the accumulator bet, where multiple individual selections are combined into one single bet. All odds are multiplied together, however, all bets must succeed in order for the bettor to win the multiplied odds bet.

Customers can use this system bet on football tips, horse racing, or even markets like cards, fouls, and shots in a football match.

Bettors use acca bet at a sportsbook platform, and the bets range from simple market predictions to more intricate bet builders that allow you to select multiple outcomes within a single game or match.

With plenty of selections involved, the chances of losing increase, even if one or two predictions go wrong. If even one leg of your prediction fails, the entire bet is lost.

This is why it’s important to do your research and perhaps consult expert advice before diving into Acca betting.

Making informed decisions can increase your chances of success and reduce the volatility associated with combination bets like Accas.

Acca betting tips

Bettors using acca must keep in mind their research and not venture into the unknown. Meaning that acca customers should avoid trying too many sport-specific bonuses for sports they’re not familiar with.

Acca bettors should create acca systems that have diversified selections, however acca customers need to avoid creating unmanageably large acca bets.

Lastly, combining accas with bet builders for a singular event can prove to be a great strategy.

Types of acca bonuses with UK bookies

Any football fan who likes a bet will be familiar with a Saturday afternoon acca. Also known as an accumulator, or as parlays, the acca bet has evolved in recent years.

We now have variations like acca boost, acca insurance, and even acca freeze. Below, we explain the different UK bookie acca bonuses in more detail.

Acca boost

An Acca boost is a promotion that pays extra money on your winning accumulator bet. Usually, only available on pre-match bets, you will receive additional winnings based on the amount of teams in your winning acca bet.

Put simply, the more teams in your acca, the more your winnings are boosted. The bonus cash is paid as a percentage on top of your winnings. Different bookmakers will offer different bonus amounts.

For example, bet365’s acca bonus starts at 2.5% and goes all the way up to 100%. For a winning double, bet365 will pay you an extra 2.5% percent on top of your winnings. They will pay you a 5% bonus on top of a winning treble.

The amounts increase incrementally all the way up to 100%. To double your money and receive the 100% bonus from bet365, you will need to land a winning 20-fold.

Betfred does a similar offer. Their bonuses start at 2.5% for a five-fold.

Acca insurance

Acca insurance covers you against a loss. It’s a third option, it used to be the case that your acca won or lost. Now you have insurance as well.

The insurance option is your money back in cash or a free bet. It’s usually the case that you get your money back as a free bet.

There are rules to follow. There will need to be a minimum number of legs in your acca, minimum odds, a minimum amount of stake money, a maximum refund, and only one leg of your acca can lose for you to get a refund.

Acca freeze

An acca freeze is the newest of the three acca offers. It is another different variation on the above two, as it gives you flexibility within your acca bet.

Sky Bet offer the acca freeze promotion based on a minimum of five legs. It’s designed to protect you from the late goal that ruins your acca bet – and sometimes, your whole Saturday afternoon.

So for example, you have selected a five team acca and with five minutes to go four of the teams are comfortably winning and won’t be caught. The fifth team is only winning 1-0. The opposition are piling the pressure on, and you just know that this one leg is going to let your bet down.

Let’s call the team winning 1-0, Team A.

Using acca freeze, you have the ability to freeze the score of one leg of your acca. So you use it to freeze Team A at 1-0 up. This means Sky Bet will recognize that result as 1-0 to Team A, no matter what happens in the remainder of the match, even if Team A concedes three goals.

As long as the other four teams hold on and win, your bet is a winner, thanks to acca freeze.

Acca vs. Bet builders

I have already covered what an acca is, so let’s dive into what bet builders are. A Bet Builder is a feature that allows you to combine multiple selections from a single event into one customized bet.

Now, we can move onto the similarities and differences between the acca and bet builders. Both bet builder and acca are bet types that encompass multiple selections with high levels of customization. These bet systems also come with a high risk and a high payout potential.

On the other hand, bettors use multiple selections in both situations, however, Accas include multiple events, while bet builders are used on 1 event for multiple betting markets.

Acca bets and bet builders are not mutually exclusive. Bettors can combine multiple types of bets including these two.

Betting customers can easily combine acca and bet builder in one bet slip. For example, bettors can include multiple bet builder selections from a football match within an acca bet that includes selections from other events.

In other cases accas can be used in conjunction with bet builders to gain insurance. Some sportsbook platforms offer insurance where bettors can use bet builders as one of the legs to reduce the risk of failure and boost the potential rewards.

How to make an acca bet

Placing an accumulator bet is a simple process. The most popular types of acca bets are home/draw/away selections. This is where you pick the outcome of a match, ie, winning team or draw. You then place all these outcomes in one wager, where the winnings can be huge if all your selections are correct.

Below we have put together a step-by-step process to placing an acca bet:

Create a betting account from one of the recommended bookmakers on this page
Navigate to the football section
Choose your teams/outcomes to include in your acca
Enter your bet amount/stake on your betslip
Double check everything looks right
Place your bet

How to use acca bonuses at UK bookies

Different accumulator offers will suit different types of football bettors. Experts who base their predictions on analysis will likely prefer to place smaller acca bets on high profile fixtures, so they would probably gravitate towards the bet365 offer.

The bet365 100% acca boost will also be more suitable for football fans who prefer to place small acca bets on fewer matches. Two selections is all that is needed to get a boost on your winnings.

Elsewhere, the offers available from Paddy Power and Ladbrokes will better suit you if you prefer to place bigger acca bets with more selections. You may be placing your bet on accumulator tips and insights from betting experts.

Having insurance alway helps if you are planning on having a lot of selections in your bet, as you are more likely to be let down by one of your legs. Below we cover are favourite offers in more detail:

bet365 100% Acca Boost

The bet365 acca boost only applies to winning bets. Depending on how many teams or selections you have in your winning acca, will depend on the amount of extra cash your bet will be boosted by.

You will need a minimum of two selections to qualify. For a winning two-fold, you will receive an extra 2.5% on top of your standard winnings. The maximum amount you can be boosted to is 100%, which is on a 20-fold accumulator bet.

Any boosted winnings are paid as cash, not free bets, and this is withdrawable cash with no turnover requirements. The bet365 promotion is perfect for anyone who wants to place smaller acca bets.

Open bet365 account
Choose your teams/outcomes to include in your acca
Minimum of two selections required
Enter your bet amount/stake on your betslip
If acca wins, get your odds boosted

Betfred Acca Flex

The Betfred Acca Flex is probably the best offer currently available as it covers the best of both. Using Acca Flex, you have the choice of either boosted winnings (like you get from bet365) or your money back as a free bet if one leg lets you down (like with Ladbrokes).

The minimum amount of legs is five, and none of the selections can be below 1/2. A winning five-fold is boosted by 2.5%, a winning six-fold is boosted by 10%. This rises incrementally to a maximum of 100% for a 20-fold acca.

While if one leg loses, you get your money back as cash. The maximum refund is £10, making this offer great for your bankroll.

Open Betfred account
Navigate to football
Choose your teams/outcomes to include in your acca
Minimum of five selections in your acca
Enter your bet amount/stake on your betslip
If bet wins, claim acca boost
If one leg loses, get cash refund up to a maximum of £10

FAQ about accumulator betting

Still unsure about how acca bet’s work? Well, if you are, check out our frequently asked questions about accumulator betting below:

1. Can you use acca bonuses only on football?

Some bookmakers only allow you to use acca bonuses on football, while some allow them on any sports. For example, Paddy Power’s acca bonus can be used on all sports except horse and greyhound racing; bet365’s offer is available on nearly every sport they cover; Ladbrokes’ acca insure is for football only.

2. How do you calculate odds for an accumulator bet?

You can calculate the odds for an accumulator bet on a betting calculator. Or if you want to do it yourself, you multiply the odds of each selection together to work out the amount. For example, £10 on a 2/1 selection would see you get back £30 (£20 winnings and £10 stake). The £30 then goes onto the next bet. If this is again at 2/1, you would get back £90. And so on.

3. What are the advantages of accumulator betting?

The advantages of accumulator betting is bigger wins and better value betting promotions. The bigger wins come from combining the odds together. And who wouldn’t want their winning bet boosted or a free bet if their wager loses? We all want this, making accumulator betting an attractive wagering option.

4. Can you combine markets in acca betting?

You can combine markets in acca betting with some bookmakers, although not all. Using a bookie who lets you combine markets can be helpful if you are following a strategy or the latest betting trends. The Ladbrokes acca is ideal for this as it allows you to combine all the most popular football betting markets.

5. Which accumulators have the highest chance of winning?

Smaller accumulators have the highest chance of winning and making you a profit. Only one selection has to let you down for your acca to lose, so it stands to reason that the fewer selections you have in your acca, the less risk there is of it losing. The down side and the trade off is that smaller accas tend to pay out less in winnings, unless you have gone for some very long odds with your punts.

6. What is a bet builder?

A Bet Builder is a betting feature that allows bettors to combine multiple selections from a single event into one bet. Bettors can choose various outcomes, such as goals, cards, or player performances, all within the same game.

7. How do bet builders work?

Bet Builders allow bettors to select multiple outcomes from a single event, such as goals, cards, or player performances, and combine them into one customized bet. The odds for each selection are multiplied, creating a potential for higher payouts if all predictions are correct.

About the author

Greg Lea

Greg Lea is a freelance football writer from London. He predominantly covers the Premier League and has had work published by the Guardian, FourFourTwo, ESPN and others.

Follow Greg on X: @GregLeaFootball

Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to talkSPORT. 18+. T&Cs apply.

Remember to gamble responsibly

A responsible gambler is someone who:

Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
Never chase their losses
Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk

Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.

For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.