Soccer Betting Tips: Best Bets, Odds and Analysis for May 17, 2026

Some of the biggest cup finals in Europe and a PSL title decider fill up this week's schedule. My best bets this week cover five games spread over the Europa League final, the DFB Pokal, the EFL Championship playoff, the Scottish Cup and the Betway Premiership. For more previews and tips, head over to bettingtop10 South Africa.

As I see it, Aston Villa go into this final as rightful favourites. Unai Emery has lifted the Europa League four times as a manager, and that history in the competition hands Villa a clear advantage over a Freiburg team in their first ever European final. Both sides have been strong throughout the run, with Villa netting 28 and letting in only eight, while Freiburg scored 25 and let in ten. Villa are also unbeaten in three earlier trips to Istanbul and kept a clean sheet each time, an impressive record that is sure to boost their belief. Freiburg ended seventh in the Bundesliga with 13 wins in 34 matches, and their run of 11 straight Europa League home wins is impressive, but this game is at a neutral venue. They will also miss key forward Yuito Suzuki, who is out with a broken collarbone. For Villa, Amadou Onana is aiming to be back from his calf problem in time for the match.

Value Reasoning: My pick is Aston Villa to win at 1.75: Emery has four Europa League titles as a manager, Villa have defended better over the campaign and Freiburg are missing players, so everything points to a Villa win in Istanbul.

Bayern Munich arrive at this final in brutal form. They wrapped up the Bundesliga season by beating Cologne 5-1, Harry Kane ended with 36 league goals and the team as a whole scored 122, a league record. They also brushed aside Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 in the DFB Pokal semi-final. This season's meetings between the two sides tell a clear story: Bayern beat Stuttgart 2-1 in the Supercup, won 5-0 away in the Bundesliga and won 4-2 at home in the league. Stuttgart are not a soft touch, though, as they finished fourth in the Bundesliga to book a Champions League place and come into this match unbeaten in five. The way I see it, Stuttgart have enough going forward to score, which makes Both Teams to Score a strong option, but Bayern's dominance over them this season makes the champions an obvious pick to win. With what both attacks have produced, Over 2.5 goals looks close to a sure thing.

Value Reasoning: The odds are short, but I am taking Bayern Munich at 1.35: they have beaten Stuttgart three times this season with a combined score of 11 goals to three, and with Kane's record breaking form and Bayern's all time Bundesliga attack, this is the simplest pick of the week.

Southampton ended the Championship fourth on 80 points with 22 wins, and they closed the regular season unbeaten in 19 games. That is the kind of form a side needs to cope with the pressure of Wembley. Hull got here by seeing off Millwall 2-0 over two legs, with striker Oli McBurnie ending on 17 league goals, and they were resilient all season. Southampton had to go to extra time to get past Middlesbrough in the Championship semi-final, with Shea Charles striking in the 115th minute to clinch a 2-1 win on aggregate. For me, playoff finals at Wembley tend to bring goals: both teams have real quality in attack, the big day calls for adventure, and with a Premier League spot on the line neither side can sit back. The 19-match unbeaten run shows me Southampton are solid enough at the back not to be swamped, while still having the drive going forward to break Hull down. I think both teams will score and that Southampton will come out on top over 90 minutes.

Value Reasoning: My pick is Southampton to win at 1.40: they had the better Championship season, with 80 points from 22 wins and a 19-match unbeaten run, which makes them my choice to win promotion at Wembley.

Celtic clinched a fifth Premiership title in a row, and a record 56th in total, by beating Hearts 3-1 on the last day. They head to Hampden Park in strong form under Martin O'Neill, a man who knows this ground and this kind of day very well. Dunfermline play in the Scottish Championship, one full tier below Celtic, and got to the final by edging Falkirk on penalties after a goalless semi-final. The difference in quality is big, so Celtic look like the ideal banker for this one. I see O'Neill's team taking charge early on, and even though Lennon will set up to defend, Celtic have so much attacking depth that a second-tier club will struggle to hold them for 90 minutes. Celtic's form and the gap between the sides support the Over 2.5 Goals market.

Value Reasoning: My pick is Celtic to win at 1.25: a fifth Premiership title in a row, a 3-1 win on the final day and a big quality gap make Celtic the safest favourite on this week's card.

Orlando Pirates go into this last-day game with the title in their grasp, hoping to end a wait of 14 years for a Betway Premiership crown. Victory will be enough to win the league, after TS Galaxy shocked Mamelodi Sundowns 3-2 on 12 May and gave Pirates a real chance at the trophy. Pirates showed what they can do in attack by beating Magesi FC 3-0 on 9 May, with Maswanganyi, Sebelebele and Appollis all scoring. Durban City held them to a scoreless draw on 16 May, but with the title on the line their motivation for this game could not be greater. Orbit College are 14th and fighting to keep their PSL place, and that set-up should bring goals: Pirates have to keep pushing forward, while Orbit need something from the game to survive. As I read it, a Pirates team hunting history at Mbombela Stadium will show no mercy. I expect them to score more than once and collect all three points.

Value Reasoning: My pick is Orlando Pirates to win at 1.30: 14 years without a league title, a clear edge in attack against a side battling the drop and a last-day game that calls for everything from Pirates all back this bet.