Spectating soccer games and betting on them has become a favorite pastime worldwide. Especially if you are new to the soccer betting space, it’s best to learn the greatest strategies for success when engaging in sports betting while watching a soccer game. Evaluating the different bet types and overall best practices will help you strategize accordingly.
The Different Soccer Betting Types
Understanding the best soccer betting strategies starts by learning the different bet types. From there, you can form a specific strategy on how you can place wagers for that exact bet type when the opportunity presents itself.
Match Winner (1X2)
Choosing a match-winner bet is one of the most simplistic and popular soccer betting types. You choose 1 if you believe the home team will win. Select 2 if you think the away team will win. Notate an X in your bet if you think the teams will tie during the fixture.
Over/Under Bets
You can bet on whether a soccer team scores more or less than a specific number of goals. For example, you may believe that Arsenal FC will score more than 2.5 goals, which is considered an overbet. You may desire to place an over-and-under bet for the same team as a way to hedge your bets and capture at least one guaranteed win.
Asian Handicap
One team receives a handicap during the game, reducing the potential of a fixture ending in a draw. The team granted the handicap is given a headstart in the soccer game to gain an advantage.
Both Teams to Score (BTTS)
The BTTS bet allows you to decide whether both teams will score at least one goal. Evaluating historical data of how the teams fared in past matchups together and their usual scoring performance in other fixtures can help you make your decision.
Correct Score
Attempting to place a correct score bet too early in the game could cause a disaster. Wait until the last few moments of a game when it looks like the score may be locked in and the teams are neck-and-neck with their offense and defense.
Research, Research, Research!
You don’t want to place soccer bets blindly without thoroughly researching the involved teams, historical data from past matchups, and current news updates that will help you make more informed betting decisions.
Evaluating team form and collected statistics is one way to integrate research into your betting decisions. Did any key players from either team get injured recently? Were there any substituted players during the match or any new transfers from another club, if applicable? Were any players recently suspended? Factoring in these statistics from all angles ensures a thorough understanding of the current odds of the team you are betting on to succeed or fail in an upcoming fixture.
Evaluate each team’s home and away performance in prior matchups with one another and in previous fixtures overall. Remember that teams on their home turf usually perform better because of familiarity with the field and more fan support. The away team may have reduced morale from not having as much fan support and may struggle through navigating the game’s turf if they aren’t familiar with the field.
Betting on Specific Leagues or Competitions
Some bettors perform better if they place wagers on teams and leagues that they know more about. This allows for better analysis of the team’s performance to make the best betting decisions. Larger leagues like the Premier League always receive analysis from industry experts and sportsbooks with sharper odds than that of smaller leagues. With so many individuals analyzing the larger leagues, it could lead to some skewed odds analysis while the fewer individuals generating odds for smaller leagues could lead to better betting success with not as many errors in the odds.
