If you want to end up ahead of the books when it comes to soccer betting, it’s important to understand how soccer bets work. Once you know how to bet on soccer matches, you’ll start making some money, but it takes some research and instinct as well.
First, take a look at the overall team form. Just because a team is picked to finish at the top of its table doesn’t mean that it will do so, and it certainly doesn’t mean that every match will be a win. Take a look at match reports for the most recent matches in which a team has appeared. If the stats appear to favor one team, but the other team won, the result may have had more to do with a lucky break with the ball or some heroics (or the opposite) from a goalkeeper. Remember that, over the course of a season, statistics provide a more accurate look at a team’s form than the won-loss record.
Next, you’ll want to follow the news stories for the team(s) on which you plan to wager. This tells you which players will not be appearing in the starting lineup – or at all, as the result of suspension or injury. You’ll also want to take a look at the quality of that team’s reserves. Long-term injuries can change the course of a team’s whole season, particularly if a side has wagered its fortunes on the health of just a couple of players. Even if a key contributor is returning, he’s likely not to be at full fitness.
Motivation is another factor to look at when researching a team. What kind of streak are they in? What are the players saying in the press? Is the team focused more on its league standings or on such competitions as the UEFA Champions League? How does the coach get the players to give their best? These are more subjective factors, but they also play key factors in a team’s performance.
Another helpful metric is the schedule that a team has. If one team has only been playing in league tilts for a month, while the other has had some international competition matches sprinkled in their league schedule, the team with the more travel as of late can end up being quite vulnerable to the upset from teams beneath them on the table.
Checking out the head-to-head history within a matchup is helpful as well. Of course, it’s important to make sure those results are recent enough to matter. If the whole rosters have turned over, then the results are meaningless, except in some cases where a rivalry remains in place and so one-sided that the team takes on the attitude of the fan base in competition.
Finally, you’ll want to look at the teams’ records when playing at home, away or at neutral sites. Some of the powerhouse franchises tend to play well everywhere because of the sheer tradition that they have built up. However, other teams really thrive at home while struggling a bit when they’re away from the home cooking. Other teams jell more effectively on the road, putting aside the distractions that can keep home teams from playing their best, and their road record will be better.
Understanding these types of factors will make betting on soccer more of a profitable enterprise for you. The research required to know these factors for multiple soccer teams takes a lot of time, but the good news is that you can make a lot of money if you bet on the right teams. These skills are designed to help you reach that goal.
Sources:
UEFA.com: http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/
Wikipedia.com: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_club_competition_records_and_statistics
