The Beautiful Game is back! After a bit of a break during the pandemic, the world of football is back and rekindled with a new spirit. Whether you’re a seasoned sports fan or a newer trader to the market, here’s what you need to know to get started in English football wagering.
Goalscorers
The first key stat to look at is the goalscorers. For a bet to be a successful one, you’ll need some combination of talent and luck. However, as far as luck is concerned, you can control this stat. On the other hand, the more you can do to influence this stat, the better your chances of winning. Unfortunately, this one is pretty hard to predict. Some of the best footballing nations, like Germany and Spain, score a lot of goals and have been known to change the scoreline in the last minute of the game. This makes them tricky to bank on. If you’re looking for a steady source of income, this one isn’t for you. However, for goalies, this is one stat to pay attention to. The less goals your team scores, the better your chance of winning.
Over/Under 2.5 Goals
Another option for those looking for a more reliable chance of winning is the over/under 2.5 goals stat. This one doesn’t rely on any kind of luck and can, in theory, be controlled by using well-executed strategy. The problem with this one is that, although it’s based on mathematics, there’s still a lot of subjectivity involved. To give you a better idea of how much subjectivity there is, let’s take a look at Germany. The Germans are widely considered to be the masters of football analytics and one of the best teams in the world. Nevertheless, they have a losing record both under and over this stat.
Looking at their history, you’d think that the Germans would be pretty consistent in their goal scoring. However, looking at a single stat—that is, the number of goals scored per game—you’d be wrong. Over the course of the last four seasons, the Germans’ average goals-per-game number is 2.32, but over their history, this stat ranges from 2.07 to 2.67. In other words, in recent years, the Germans have been lucky with the ball but very unlucky with regards to their goals scored. With that in mind, if you’re a German football fan, you’d better be careful with your wagers on this one.
Attendance
Last but not least, we have the attendances stat. For those looking for a more reliable chance of winning, this one is hard to ignore. After all, if a team isn’t drawing an audience, they’re not going to score many goals, are they? The issue here is that, although the attendance stat can be used to identify over- or underachievement, it can also be manipulated by a clever coach. To give you an idea of how much manipulation there is, let’s take a look at Spain. Like the Germans, the Spaniards are masters of statistical analysis and have a really impressive track record. Nevertheless, during their history, they’ve drawn large crowds to just one game. That was in 1932, when they played a World Cup qualifier against England at Wembley. Since England is one of the most popular countries in Europe, this one would seem like an obvious victory for the home side. However, let’s take a look at the actual stats. In that game, Spain only had 1,600 spectators, while England had 11,000. So, although the home team won 4-3, it wasn’t considered a particularly good match at the time.
If you’re a betting man (or woman), you’ll need to decide what’s the most important stat for soccer when betting. Do you go with goalscorers, over/under 2.5 goals, attendances, or something else? It’s all about what you’re looking for. The above should give you a good idea of the various stats for soccer and how to approach betting on these stats. If you want a steady source of income, you should look into the goalscorers stat. However, if you want a more reliable chance of winning, it might be better to bet on the over/under 2.5 goals stat. Just keep in mind that in modern football, everything is subject to change in the last minute. This is especially true with regards to the goals scored stat. One minute, you’re ahead by a lot and feeling extremely confident. The next, you’re down by a goal and feeling deflated. This is why, as a betting man, you’ll need to approach these stats with a bit of caution.