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Best bets: Scottish Premiership, DFB-Pokal tips for October 29 2025
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Best Bets - Martin O'Neill

Best bets: Scottish Premiership, DFB-Pokal tips for October 29 2025



Football betting tips: Scottish Premiership, DFB-Pokal

1.5pts BTTS in Celtic vs Falkirk & Hibernian vs Rangers (19:45) at 11/5 (General)

1pt Over 3.5 goals in Union Berlin vs Arminia Bielefeld (19:45) at 15/8 (BetVictor, William Hill)

0.5pt No cards in Swansea vs Manchester City (19:45) at 9/1 (Boylesports)

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Hibernian vs Rangers

Tom Carnduff

We'll be discussing Glasgow's two crisis clubs as a multiple, but let's start with Rangers, who find themselves fifth in the Scottish Premiership table and 13 points adrift of leaders Hearts.

Danny Röhl is in with what is presumably a long term view for the club's fortunes - the current campaign is beyond repair.

But the former Sheffield Wednesday boss needs results and needs them quickly. Sunday's 3-1 success over Kilmarnock his first three points at the helm.

A trip to Hibernian could well be problematic given their season so far. Hibs currently occupy third and boast an unbeaten league start in front of their own supporters.

Danny Rohl
Danny Röhl has a win as Rangers manager

They've also been games filled with goals making BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE a pick for any Wednesday multiples.

Taking this has been a winner in three of Hibs' four at home, with the one game which didn't being the 4-0 thrashing of Livingston a couple of weeks ago.

BTTS has landed in 67% of their league contests this season, and while Rangers' league-leading rate of 78% includes games under former management, I'd side with it to continue as Röhl gets to grips with this squad.

Odds correct at 1500 GMT (28/10/25)


Celtic vs Falkirk

Tom Carnduff

Please, if you haven't already, go and read up about the Celtic's managerial situation before you crack on with this preview. Here, look, we've even covered it for you.

Yeah, fair enough, I can't be bothered reading long statements either but the top line is: Brendan Rodgers resigned as Celtic manager on Monday evening.

I always find 10pm on a Monday night is the best time to announce significant change like that. Oh, and why not release a second statement where the club’s major shareholder Dermot Desmond accused Rodgers of being “divisive, misleading, and self-serving”?

Let's make things better, go and get Martin O'Neill to take interim charge. He won THREE Scottish Premier League titles with the club, he took them to the final of the UEFA Cup! All we have to do with that information is just ignore that it was all prior to 2004.

Don't worry about the fact he's not managed in six-and-a-half years. I do like O'Neill as a pundit in all honesty but as a manager? The game has developed beyond his previously successful methods now, even if they're keen to stress this is very much a short term move.

Brendan Rodgers with the Scottish Premiership trophy
It's over between Brendan Rodgers and Celtic

They'll probably beat Falkirk still. You're not getting any better than 1/6 on them to do so, but with the club in such a state, I fancy BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE at a far more appealing even money.

Falkirk are actual tied with Rangers and Motherwell for games where both teams have struck this season, with games against Dundee United and Hibernian (both in the top four) finished 2-2.

Goalkeeper Scott Bain, formerly of Celtic, has only managed to keep one league clean sheet all season despite some strong showings - that being the 1-0 away win over Aberdeen in August (where he went off injured in the 74th minute).

The visitors have scored the same amount as Wednesday's opponents too (both sitting on 12 after nine games). In all honesty though, this bet is more about recent events.

It's a nice price as a single but I'm doubling it up with the Hibs vs Rangers game to give us 2/1 and above across the board.

Odds correct at 1500 GMT (28/10/25)


Union Berlin vs Arminia Bielefeld

Tom Carnduff

Arminia Bielefeld were one of the stories of European football last season, although it would have been fairly easy to miss it given the coverage the DFB-Pokal (German Cup) gets over here.

They would secure promotion as champions from the third tier but they grabbed the headlines in this competition - reaching the final despite their lowly position in the pyramid.

Not only that but they beat four Bundesliga sides en route to the final - one of those being Wednesday's opponents Union Berlin - before they eventually lost to Stuttgart.

And they've started this campaign in similar fashion, beating Werder Bremen in the last round.

This contest presents a rare away draw though. They were the home side for that entire remarkable run as they were when dumping Bremen out back in mid-August.

Arminia Bielefeld celebrate reaching the German Cup final
Arminia Bielefeld reached the final last season

I honestly can't call the result because of very recent history but I am happy to take the 15/8 on OVER 3.5 GOALS.

Only two sides in Germany's second division have seen more games go over 3.5 this season, with Bielefeld on 40%. The same applies for away games too (where Wednesday's visitors are on 50%).

Union are in a bunch of Bundesliga teams having four or more goals in three of their eight games this season but they did hammer regional outfit FC Gütersloh 5-0 in the last round.

Both teams have also struck in three of their four at home, and given the same applies for Bielefeld in their league away games, we can remain optimistic of action at both ends.

Given the prices and the usual scoring nature of German sides, it's a bet worth taking.

Odds correct at 1500 GMT (28/10/25)


Swansea vs Manchester City

Jake Osgathorpe

Hardly the marquee fixture of the Carabao Cup in Swansea. It could spring a shock, but that would be extremely unlikely given Manchester City's recent cup record against lower-league opponents.

Pep Guardiola's side haven't been eliminated by a team from outside the Premier League since 2017/18, when they were knocked out of the FA Cup by League One Wigan.

City's style leads to domination in these kind of fixtures, and turns them into one-sided, low-event contests, which brings NO CARDS into play.

It landed in their last Carabao Cup fixture, a 2-0 away win at Huddersfield, and in their FA Cup game with Plymouth last season. In fact, four of their last six games against lower-league sides have produced no cards, making the 9/1 on offer here tempting.

We'll have a small bet on a repeat given the referee appointment of Jarred Gillett, who has brandished 2.7 cards per game when overseeing Carabao Cup matches, including a zero card game and three one card games.

Odds correct at 1645 GMT (28/10/25)


Already advised:

1.5pts FV Illertissen to score 1+ goals and take 3+ corners vs Magdeburg (17:00) at 21/20 (bet365)


FV Illertissen vs Magdeburg

Tom Carnduff

I'll be honest, I haven't been closely following FV Illertissen on a weekly basis - although I really wish I had.

They play their football in the Regionalliga Bayern, one of the five regional leagues which make up the fourth tier of German football.

They've played 15 games, scoring 36 goals (a league high) and conceding 29 (the fifth-most). The previous round saw them drawing 3-3 with 2. Bundesliga outfit Nürnberg before they won on penalties.

Illertissen are actually in the same league as Nürnberg's second side who they beat 5-2 a few weeks ago. That, unsurprisingly, yet another game filled with goals.

Let's take those 15 league games. Three or more match goals have come in 12 of them, as has both teams scoring, while a significant total of eight have delivered at least five.

Augsburg's second string are one of just two sides to have kept them out - quite how they did that is the question when they currently sit 16th of 18 - with the other being a Wurzburger Kickers outfit in third.

So how do we tap into this? Over 2.5 goals is 1/2, with BTTS in at 4/6. Combining them as a multiple delivers a price just shy of even money but we can go over that by siding with ILLERTISSEN 1+ GOALS AND 3+ CORNERS.

As much as I'd love the relevant corner data to be available for that level of football, it isn't. But, given some of the scorelines we're seeing in games involving the hosts, it's fair to assume they're not a side who like to put defence first.

It's a low enough corner line to draw interest, while they've delivered on the goals front in the overwhelming majority of outings.

Odds correct at 1500 GMT (28/10/25)


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