The European competitions are back this week, with the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League at the semi-final stage.
We have previewed five of the matches taking place, including four involving Premier League teams.
A £10 wager on our three-leg acca would pay out £47.98, while the same stake on our five-leg version offers a potential return of £149.17.
3⃣ Three-fold acca
- Birmingham City vs Ipswich Town: Both teams to score (8/11)
- Coventry City vs Hull City: Coventry to win (4/6)
- Norwich City vs Millwall: Under 2.5 goals (4/6)
Back the 3-fold acca at Tote to win £47.98 from a £10 bet
5⃣ Five-fold acca
Add this to the mix for a winning five-fold:
- Sheffield United vs Bristol City: Sheffield United to win (8/11)
- Leicester City vs Sheffield Wednesday: Leicester over 2.5 goals (4/5)
Back our 5-fold acca at Tote to win £149.17 from a £10 bet
Birmingham City vs Ipswich Town: Both teams to score
Birmingham City enjoyed a record-breaking campaign in League One last season, romping to promotion with an all-time high points tally of 111.
The Blues had a squad that could have competed in the Championship even last term, and they have only added to it since promotion was secured.
Birmingham are targeting a second promotion on the bounce and they will draw inspiration from Ipswich Town, who achieved that feat when they went straight up to the Premier League in 2023/24.
Ipswich began this campaign as the favorites for the Championship title having kept hold of Kieran McKenna over the summer.
Liam Delap and Sam Morsy aside, Ipswich have also succeeded in retaining the bulk of their squad as they aim to secure an instant return to the top tier.
This feels like the perfect game to kick off the Championship season on Friday night, and we expect attacks to get the better of defences.
Back both teams to score at 8/11 with Tote
Coventry City vs Hull City: Coventry to win
Coventry City’s decision to replace Mark Robins with Frank Lampard last November did not go down well initially, but the board was vindicated by subsequent events.
Coventry surged up the table under Lampard, and although they might have turned things around anyway, the former England midfielder deserves credit for overseeing such a significant improvement.
Yet the campaign ultimately ended in disappointment, as Coventry suffered play-off heartache against Sunderland in the semis. The target in 2025/26 is to avoid the end-of-season lottery and go up automatically.
Hull City, on the other hand, could have another relegation battle on their hands. The Tigers only survived by the skin of their teeth last season, and they are clear underdogs against Coventry on the opening weekend.
It is hard to see Hull avoiding defeat in this one.
Tip Coventry to win at 4/6 with Tote
Norwich City vs Millwall: Under 2.5 goals
No team has won promotion to the Premier League more often than Norwich, who will hope to be in the mix in 2025/26.
The Canaries endured an underwhelming season last time out, finishing in the bottom half of the Championship for the second time in three years.
Liam Manning looks like a smart appointment after his fine work at Bristol City, and it will be interesting to see how quickly he can get his ideas across at Carrow Road.
Millwall consistently punch above their weight at this level, although they regularly fall just short in the play-off battle.
Could things be different this season? Alex Neil, a former Norwich head coach, looks like a good fit for the club and Millwall have done some promising business in the summer transfer market.
This will be a tight, hard-fought game and goals could be at a premium.
Select under 2.5 goals at 4/6 with Tote
Sheffield United vs Bristol City: Sheffield United to win
A last-gasp Sunderland winner in the play-off final was the cruellest possible end to Sheffield United’s season in May.
Chris Wilder vacated the hot seat at Bramall Lane soon after, with Ruben Selles chosen as his replacement following his Hull City exit.
Promotion is the aim again for United, and they will hope the top end of the Championship is not quite as strong as last season, when both Leeds United and Burnley reached treble figures for points.
However, the departures of Anel Ahmedhodzic and Vinicius Souza mean Selles has a weaker squad at his disposal than Wilder did in 2024/25.
Bristol City will also struggle to replicate their achievements last season, which in their case was a place in the play-offs.
Liam Manning has jumped ship for Norwich City, and Gerhard Struber has his work cut out in attempting to pick up a positive result this weekend.
Choose Sheffield United to win at 8/11 with Tote
Leicester City vs Sheffield Wednesday: Leicester over 2.5 goals
Sheffield Wednesday have bigger fish to fry than Sunday’s trip to the King Power Stadium.
With players and staff having foregone their wages for several months, there is a genuine concern that Wednesday could run out of money.
Danny Rohl has stepped down as manager and his replacement (and former assistant) Henrik Pedersen working with a threadbare squad.
This is the ideal opening game for Leicester City, whose own financial difficulties pale in comparison to those of Wednesday.
The Foxes can compound their opponents’ woes in this one.
Go for Leicester to score over 2.5 goals at 4/5 with Tote
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.
For example, Ladbrokes requires a minimum of five legs to be in the acca. The combined odds have to be over 3/1, and no individual leg can be at odds of below 1/10.
The maximum refund is £10 with Ladbrokes, and it comes as a free bet. You will only receive this if you follow the above rules and only one leg of your acca losses. If any more than one leg loses, you get nothing.
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
Ladbrokes Acca Insure
Ladbrokes offer you your money back as a free bet on your 5+ leg acca if one selection lets you down.
Unlike the majority of acca insurance offers, the acca insure offer from Ladbrokes applies to both pre-match and in-play acca bets. This is ideal if you like betting on the top leagues during live TV matches.
The Ladbrokes acca insurance offer can also be used on a large selection of popular football betting markets. They are the match result, both teams to score, the match result and both teams to score, correct score, over/under total match goals, and 2up&win.
Your acca needs to be placed at combined odds of 3/1 or greater, and no one selection can be lower than 1/10. If one leg lets you down, you get your money back as a free bet. Your free bet is valid for seven days.
- Open Ladbrokes account
- Choose your teams/outcomes to include in your acca
- Minimum of five legs in acca
- Enter your bet amount/stake on your betslip
- If bet wins, all good
- If one leg loses, get a free bet refund up to £10
- You have seven days to use your free bets
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
About the author

Dean Etheridge
Dean Etheridge is an experienced freelance sports betting writer who specialises in football, cricket, and darts, with a keen focus on the Premier League and Champions League, as well as in-depth coverage of Premier League Darts and major tournaments. He can turn his hand to all aspects of the beautiful game and beyond, delivering expert analysis across a range of sports. He predominantly covers the Premier League and Champions League but can turn his hand to all aspects of the beautiful game. You can follow Dean on LinkedIn (@deanetheridge)
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