Soccer
Soccer Betting Analysis
There’s also big international tournaments. The FIFA World Cup is king, but even the UEFA Euros and Copa America will have sportsbooks taking in a lot more money than the average Matchday in the international leagues.Â
Popular Soccer Leagues
Popular Soccer Tournaments
Other Soccer Leagues
Soccer Leagues By Country
Europe/UEFA
America / CONCACAF
America / CONMEBOL
How Do Point Spreads Work in Soccer?
When betting on soccer, knowing how to read the soccer odds board is crucial. Unlike most sports, where a moneyline bet is picking either team to win, soccer has three-way odds. This means that you can bet Team A to win after the original 90 minutes or Team B to win inside the original 90 minutes.
Where the twist comes in, is the third option. You can bet that it will be a draw after the original 90 minutes. You can look for more specific lines that are the traditional two-way odds. This way, if the match ends in a draw, it’s considered a push, or a no bet, but those moneyline odds won’t be as enticing as those on the three-way line.
You can also bet the spread, or the goal line. If Manchester City is -1½ favorites against Arsenal, Manchester City would need to win by at least two goals to cover the spread.
Bettors can also bet the total. It’s pretty self-explanatory: for this type of bet, you would choose whether the total number of goals scored in the match will go over or under the allotted total.
If Barcelona was playing Real Madrid, and the total was 2½, there would have to be three or more goals scored to hit the over, and two or less to cover the under.
Five Tips Before Betting on Soccer
- Stick to what you know. If you’ve never watched the Liga Nos (the Portuguese soccer league) you shouldn’t just throw money at it if you’re more familiar with other leagues around the world, no matter how big or small. Remember, soccer is the most popular sport in the world on a global scale, and there are sportsbooks out there that carry odds for smaller leagues.
- Check the matchday lineups. If you don’t know who is playing, it’s impossible to make an accurate read on the game. For example, if you took FC Bayern Munich because you think a player like Robert Lewandowski is going to have a field day against his scheduled opponent, and you find out later he’s not playing, you would probably regret your bet.
- Check the soccer injury report and card suspensions, for the same reasons listed above. While there is the sudden case of the healthy scratch with the manager choosing to give a certain player a day off against a lesser opponent, it’s preventable many times. There might be a chance that he was listed on the soccer injury report ahead of time. Same thing with card suspensions. Oddsmakers would know far ahead of time and the information would be out there.
- Don’t bet with your heart. One common mistake casual bettors make is that they just bet with their favorite team, or against teams they don’t like. While it may be successful in spots, it pays to do the research ahead of time.
- Look at a team’s form. Even the best teams can go on slumps during a season. So if a team is not playing at their level and they’ve only come up with two wins in five competitions, it may be worth looking into the reasons why. Was it because of injuries? Bad matchups? That team having players out for international duties? You should spend ample time doing research before you place any bets.
