Football Accumulator Tips: Saturday night’s 19/1 Nations League punt

Spain scoring a-plenty, Northern Ireland winning and a meaty Serbia v Switzerland grudge-fest are on the menu.

Saturday's Nations League Acca tips, Poland v Portugal betting tips, Serbia v Switzerland betting tips, Spain v Denmark betting tips, Belarus v Northern Ireland betting tips, Cyprus v Romania betting tips, 12th October 2024

Yes, yes, we know some people love to complain about the international break, but we’ve got some tasty Nations League action on the cards for Saturday night.

Euros winners Spain roll out the red carpet for Denmark in Murcia. There’s also Poland, who boast a very strong home record, taking on a Portugal team who look like they’re, again, on the up. Some needle in Serbia v Switzerland, and then there’s Northern Ireland who should make it three wins from four games.

Our tipster Paddy Murphy has gone in search of value punts and found five from the best of the fixtures.

With this being a five-fold Acca, too, Paddy’s footy acca betting offer kicks in, and we’ll get our stake back if just one leg lets us down.

Let’s get straight into it.

Saturday’s Footy Acca tips

*All games kickoff at 19:45

Poland v Portugal – Both teams to score & over 2.5 goals
Serbia v Switzerland – Both teams to score
Spain v Denmark – Spain to win & over 1.5 goals
Belarus v Northern Ireland – Northern Ireland to win
Cyprus v Romania – Over 1.5 Romania goals

Poland v Portugal – Both teams to score & over 2.5 goals

Nations League match at the Stadion Narodowy, Warsaw
TV: Viaplay, 19:45

Portugal have won both of their Nations League games so far, beating both Croatia and Scotland while Poland lost to Croatia in their last match but then beat Scotland thanks to a dodgy penalty decision in the dying stages.

The Poles did exactly what they always do at international tournaments over the summer, nothing of note, but on their own turf they’re very tough to beat for quite a while now. Of their last 14 home games, they’ve only lost two and they were to Belgium and Netherlands so nothing to be ashamed of.

Since the 2022 World Cup, Portugal have played six away games, not including last year’s Euros, winning five and losing one and are odds-on to take the three points here. There’s little doubt that the away side have, by far, the stronger squad but Poland’s home record cannot be dismissed. Both should certainly be scoring while both are definitely good enough to get at least a second.

Serbia v Switzerland – Both teams to score

Nations League match at the Gradski Stadion Dubocica, Leskovac
TV: Viaplay, 19:45

This one has the potential for a bit of a needle as a few Swiss players have Kosovan parentage, and we all know that Serbia and Kosovo are, at best, not exactly the best of mates. Serbia finally did away with their football-hipster-dark-horses label at the Euros over the summer, where they failed to win any of their matches. It had been argued that the Euros would be this squad’s final hurrah after a similar showing at the 2022 World Cup, where they also failed to win any of their three games.

Of their last five games played on home soil, the Serbians have won just two, drawn two and lost one. Those wins were against minnows Montenegro and Lithuania. They lost to Hungary and Bulgaria but then kept Spain scoreless in a 0-0 draw in their most recent home game.

Switzerland failed to beat England at the Euros in a game they were most certainly the better side in. They have since lost to both Denmark and Spain, scoring just one goal while conceding six. If it had not been for those results, the Swiss would surely have been favourites here.

However, they aren’t, and there’s very little difference in the market for both sides to win. The pressure is mounting as both teams are staring relegation in the face. Both teams need the win, so both teams to score is the smartest play here.

Spain v Denmark – Spain to win & over 1.5 goals

Nations League match at the Estadio Enrique Roca de Murcia, Murcia
TV: Viaplay, 19:45

Since that famous loss to Scotland back in March of 2023, Spain have lost just one game, a 0-1 loss to Colombia played at West Ham’s London Stadium. Looking at the starting XI that began that match, only two played in Spain’s recent 1-4 smashing of Switzerland, goalkeeper David Raya and striker Joselu.

Spain’s home record is incredible. They’ve lost just one of their last 15 games on Spanish soil.

Trying to find some value here, you have to ask whether Denmark will score a goal. They put two past both Switzerland and Serbia, but as written above, both teams aren’t exactly in the best of shape. At the Euros, Denmark scored just two goals over their four games.

Spain should be winning here at a canter, but should they take their foot off the gas, let’s take a wee bit of insurance and back Spain to win and over 1.5 goals.

Belarus v Northern Ireland – Northern Ireland to win

Nations League match at the ZTE-Arena, Zalaegerszeg
TV: Viaplay, 19:45

Belarus have won five games over their last twenty: two against Kosovo, one against Syria, one against Andorra, and one against the mighty Luxembourg. So, let’s face it, only one of those games holds any water and not much at that.

Northern Ireland have beaten both Scotland and Denmark over their last 10 matches, also beating both Andorra and Luxembourg as well. The match is being played on neutral ground in Hungary, too, and with Belarusians not being allowed to travel, the travelling Northern Irish fans will be creating the most noise. It’s not like many locals are going to be packing out the 11,200-capacity stadium.

A routine win for the Ulstermen looks to be on the cards.

Cyprus v Romania – Over 1.5 Romania goals

Nations League match at the George Karapatakis Arnea, Larnaca
TV: Viaplay, 19:45

Romania made a good go of it at the Euros over the summer before coming undone at the hands of the Netherlands in their 0-3 Last 16 exit. They’ve won both of their games since, scoring six goals and conceding just one.

Cyprus—well, you’d like to write something positive, but they’re pretty bad. They’ve won three of their last 15 games, two of which were against Lithuania and the other against the might of San Marino, so you wouldn’t give them much hope here.

Will they score? They’ve only scored three over their last five at home, one of which was against Spain, so there’s at least that. However, Romania is in good goal-scoring form, so we’re going to back them to get at least two.

Saturday football betting tips

Poland v Portugal – Both teams to score & over 2.5 goals
Serbia v Switzerland – Both teams to score, yes
Spain v Denmark – Spain to win & over 1.5 goals
Belarus v Northern Ireland – Northern Ireland to win
Cyprus v Romania – Over 1.5 Romania goals

*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.

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