Today's Best Football Tips | Expert Football Betting Tips - Southampton vs Middlesbrough - Championship

By James Stoddart

May 12th, 2026 4:59 AM EDT

Offers Verified on May 12th

Used 35 Times Today

Bet £5, Get £30 Free Bet

Bonus Code

No Code Required

Visit Site

18+ New UK+ROI Customers only. Certain deposit methods & bet types excl. Min first £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 to get 6 x £5 free bets (selected sportsbook markets only, valid 7 days, stake not returned). Restrictions + T&Cs apply.Please, Gamble Responsibly

Welcome to our expert football betting tips where we highlight some of the bets worthy of consideration from fixtures taking place all over the world. Whether it's the Premier League, one of the most popular on UK betting sites, or the Bundesliga, Champions League or any football competition, we've got you covered. If you’re looking for the best football tips today, then our experienced betting experts are on hand to provide them. 

Our football betting predictions are worth following as we’ve studied the key betting data to bring you the best betting tips along with prices from the best football betting sites.

After Hull City confirmed their place in the Championship Play-Off Final at the end of the month, Tuesday night sees the other semi-final second leg as Southampton host Middlesbrough with it all to play for after a 0-0 draw at the Riverside Stadium.

It's then back to the Premier League on Wednesday night as Manchester City face Crystal Palace in a must-win game, before eyes return to the EFL to see if Bolton can hold onto their 1-0 aggregate lead against Bradford.

Friday night is a blockbuster clash between Aston Villa and Liverpool with the winner guaranteeing a spot in next season's Champions League, whilst a draw could let Bournemouth in and set up an exciting final day.

Today's Football Betting Tips

Used 34 Times Today

Bet £5 , Get £40 Free Bets

Bonus Code

YSKATF

Visit Site

New Customer offer. Place a min £5 bet on the sportsbook at odds of min EVS (2.0) and get £40 in free bets. Free bet rewards valid for 30 days. Only deposits via Pay by Bank, Debit Cards & Apple Pay will qualify for this offer. T&Cs apply. Please Gamble Responsibly

Best Football Free Bet Offers

Used 28 Times Today

Bet £5. Get £30 Free Bet

Bonus Code

No Code Required

Visit Site

18+ New UK + ROI customers only. Certain deposit methods & bet types excl. Min first £/€5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 to get 6 x £/€5 free bets (selected sportsbook markets only, valid 7 days, stakes not returned). Restrictions + T&Cs apply.   Please, Gamble Responsibly

Selection 1 - BTTS and Over 3.5 Goals

Southampton vs Middlesbrough - 8pm Tuesday - Championship Play-Offs

Current Best Price: 2/1

Quite how the first leg of this tie ended up 0-0 is hard to explain. Middlesbrough, seemingly unshackled by the expectation of automatic promotion, put Southampton to the sword but couldn’t find a way past. The Saints also managed to hit the bar for their troubles.

That leads us to think this could be a cracker Tuesday, despite the obvious caginess that may come from such an occasion. Each of Southampton’s last three league games to end the season had both teams score and was over 3.5 goals. The same happened in three of Boro’s last four in the league.

Used 16 Times Today

Bet £5. Get £30 Free Bet

Bonus Code

No Code Required

Visit Site

18+ New UK + ROI customers only. Certain deposit methods & bet types excl. Min first £/€5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 to get 6 x £/€5 free bets (selected sportsbook markets only, valid 7 days, stakes not returned). Restrictions + T&Cs apply.   Please, Gamble Responsibly

Selection 2 - Man City to Win & Over 3.5 Goals

Manchester City vs Crystal Palace - 8pm Wednesday - Premier League

Current Best Price: 13/10

Only a win will do for Manchester City if they are to have any realistic chance of chasing down Arsenal with only three games left, and the good news is that they’re facing a Crystal Palace side who will be far more focused on staying fit for the Europa Conference Final at the end of the month.

City have enjoyed seven wins from their last eight in all competitions, scoring 20 goals in that time, so should be able to brush Palace aside in a bruising display even with the FA Cup final coming this weekend.

Selection 3 - Draw

Bradford vs Bolton - 8pm Thursday - League One Play-Offs

Current Best Price: 6/4

The second leg of play-off games are often a completely different beast to the first leg. When these two met last week, they combined for a grand total of one shot on target. That crucial attempt was Bolton’s and it found the back of the net, giving them a slender advantage to defend here. 

Bolton have done a good job of eking draws out while on the road, managing it five times in their last 10 away games. Bradford’s 58 goals in the league this season was the second lowest for any team in the top half. We fancy Bolton to prove tough to break down and to secure the draw they need to go through to the final.

Used 26 Times Today

Bet £10, Get £50 Free Bet

Bonus Code

No Code Required

Visit Site

New customers only. Register, deposit with Debit Card, and place first bet £10+ at Evens (2.0)+ on Sports within 7 days to get 3 x £10 in Sports Free Bets & 2 x £10 in Acca Free Bets within 10 hours of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility & payment exclusions apply. Full T&Cs apply.

Selection 4 - Aston Villa to Win

Aston Villa vs Liverpool - 8pm Friday - Premier League

Current Best Price: 2/1

This pick is all about the prices. The early markets suggest Unai Emery is going to heavily rotate his side for the upcoming Europa League final next week, but this game taking place on a Friday night means Villa have five days following this fixture to prepare.

With a Champions League place not mathematically certain it makes sense to target this fixture, knowing a win gives them a free hit at the final and effectively the last weekend of the season off. Aston Villa could go off a lot shorter than 2/1 and even if they don’t they could still have enough to beat an out of sorts Liverpool

Used 27 Times Today

100% Welcome Bonus up to £50

Bonus Code

No Code Required

Visit Site

New players. Choose bonus at signup. Wager bonus 10x. Any withdrawals void bonus. Valid 30 days. Deposit used 1st. Odds, bet & payment limits. T&Cs apply; 18+ 

* Stated prices mentioned for each selection are correct at time of publish.

For these and more football betting odds, we've compiled a list of the best sports betting sites where you are. Check out the list below, where you might even find free bet offers for opening a new account.

Where Can I Bet on Today’s Football Tips?

When presenting today's best bets, we will highlight the operators who have the biggest odds and most generous offers. There are several bookies that we recommend to back our football betting picks and they are all trusted sports betting sites. Make sure that you choose a recommended bookie if you are following any football betting tips. We also advise that you take advantage of the free bet or bonus available if you are a new customer. We have provided a full list of football betting sites that you should consider.

When taking advantage of each football betting offer, sign up with one bookie at a time and make sure you full understand how to take advantage of any sign-up bonus.

What Types of Football Betting Tips are There?

The best football betting tips involve finding a betting angle where our team are confident of getting the edge over a bookmaker. Therefore, it can sometimes pay to look away from the obvious but it all comes down to whether the price looks too big compared to the probability of a selection winning.

Match Winner: you can either back a football team to win in normal time or to win a particular cup final or cup tie instead. There are football betting tips that might even predict that the draw would happen in ninety minutes. If you want greater value, then why not try and predict the correct score at the end of a certain game.

Draw No Bet: Sometimes our best football bets today could involve playing things slightly safer and wagering on the Draw No Bet market. It means you have the insurance of money back if the game ends all square although you will get shorter odds about the team you back.

Winner + BTTS: If you have a free bet to use and you want more juice when it comes to the football odds about your football betting predictions, then you can consider backing a team and both sides finding the net. Alternatively, you could bet on a football team to win to nil by going for the BTTS No option.

Multiple / Accumulator: Sometimes the football betting picks involve putting selections in a football accumulator bet. You can add bets from the English Premier League to La Liga or Serie A to European ties from the Champions League and the Europa League. The odds for each selection are multiplied together and can create a big potential return from a small stake. Don't forget, you'll find the best football accumulator tips right here at Bookies.com with our excellent tipsters.

What are the Most Popular Football Betting Tips?

Full-Time Result - some of the football betting sites will focus on Team A to win their respective match. This is generally a three-way market where you choose the home side, away side or the draw.

Both Teams to Score - this is a popular two-way betting market. Some of the football betting predictions will simply involve forecasting whether both sides will find the net. This can be combined with Full-Time Result if you think a team are going to win and their opponent will also find the net.

Over / Under 2.5 Goals - this is a popular betting option should you want to simply focus on the number of goals scored. It doesn't matter which team finds the net, and it can be an interesting market. The best football betting tips might include a prediction that there will be Over 2.5 Goals (three goals or more) or Under 2.5 Goals (two goals or fewer).

How to Bet on our Football Betting Predictions?

Once you have decided which of our football betting predictions to back, go ahead and choose a bookmaker to place a bet with. We recommend taking advantage of a bookmaker offer by claiming a sign-up bonus. This is usually in the form of a deposit match or a free matched bet.

After you have a registered online betting account, you need to fund it. When you have done that with an accept payment method, you can scour the betting markets to see which one takes your fancy. You should be able to navigate smoothly through an operator site through desktop or mobile. Then you must decide how much you would like to place on a certain football betting tip.

Can I Watch Football on Betting Websites?

Once you have backed the football bets today, you are also able to watch football on betting websites. Many leading operators have bought the rights to stream live games on their betting sites. There are naturally some geo-restrictions in place. However, it’s great to enjoy the combination of a live football stream and in-play betting markets.

In order to access the live stream, you need to have a funded account with the betting site. If you're opening an account for the first time, be sure to check out the betting offers available. These can be a great way to get started. To view live streaming, simply click on the betting page for the game in question and it will open. Underneath the live stream, customers will have access to the very latest odds and key betting stats to help them make the best bet. 

Can I Back These Football Betting Picks On Mobile?

Every betting site recommended by Bookies.com has to meet our stringent criteria. That includes having a user-friendly mobile interface and also a mobile app. Therefore, you should always be able to back our football betting tips through your mobile device.

You should also be able to claim mobile betting offers as part of the package. Take advantage of the sign-up bonuses as well as following the expert football betting picks. The trusted betting sites have invested heavily in having the best football betting apps available. The better the app, the more quickly you will be able to place football bets. 

Do You Offer Free Football Betting Tips?

We are here to provide the best football tips, and the good news is that they are completely free. Our team of experts analyse all the major football leagues to bring you the very best tips. Using historical data and the latest trends, our team selects the bets we think are worth considering. Each of the football betting tips will be explained and accompanied by the latest odds. 

When it comes to betting, it would be easy to go for the favourite every time. However, at Bookies.com, we like to give you the best value for your bets. You don’t have to leave our site in order to place your bet. Simply click on the betting site link and place your bet. Remember to take advantage of any free bet along the way.

About the Author

James Stoddart

More About James

James is an LFC fan and season ticket holder, who has been betting all of his adult life after getting the bug from attending the Grand National a number of times. He's got an interest in playing and watching most sports including golf, darts, football, NFL and horse racing. As a keen bettor, he's always on the lookout for value and loves spotting something at a big price that fits the trends. He applies this to online casinos too, and is always looking to beat the house.