Sports and gambling go hand in hand like bread and butter. There is nothing as historically close to gambling and wagering as sporting activities, as people cannot seem to resist the need to support and back up their claims and sports knowledge with some money.
Sports bettors of the modern-day however know how difficult it may be to win money from their tickets, mostly because it is not always up to them. Despite how much time and preparation they devote to a ticket and the games they play, the outcomes cannot seem to come their way. They lose money in the process, become frustrated, and play even more without thinking too much chasing a good result.
This is no way to bet on sports, especially football. As the most popular game in the world, betting on it comes with various factors that can easily decide the outcome of a game you are interested in. For this very reason, we decided to tell you how you can better analyze a football game and bet on it like a professional. To learn more about sports gambling in general as well as to bet on a match or two, make sure to pick the right place from GambleUSA.
Learn the Game
It goes without saying that you should know as much as possible about the sport itself if you mean to bet on it. However, it is not enough to learn the basics of football and expect to have winning tickets. Far from it. You should actually learn much more than the surface stuff and dive as deep as you can. You should study all the different leagues and their teams, the coaching staff, the calendars, and fixtures, as well as the private lives of the biggest stars in the sport. All of this influences the game. You can also review the changes in sponsorships, the management of teams, and the types of contracts the players signed. When you have so much info on your side, nothing can surprise you as you will be ready for it all.
Statistics Galore
You probably know already how many statistics there are for a single football match. This should therefore be the core of your knowledge and the very thing you examine before any bet you make. The internet is your best ally here since you can find whatever you need on there. Goals, wins, and losses are just the tip of the iceberg. What you need to review as well as how good the team is playing against each opponent, what their head-to-head score is, what is the usual goal difference, how many minutes each player plays, what minutes do the substitutions take place. What is more, make sure to know when the teams and players tend to score so as to better judge the outcome and specific moments of the game. Count the number of cards the players on each side get, check the ball possession, the number of fouls, corners, and free-kicks they take per game. This is all crucial info that when joined together makes for a powerful ally in betting.
The Officials
Ah yes, the very people to blame for every bad move no matter whose blame it actually was. The referee and his linesmen companions are the usual suspects for the troubles in every match, both for the players who received the calls and you as the bettor whose ticket just failed. However, if you learn what certain officials tend to do, who they may unintentionally favor, what their relationships with specific teams and players are, you can use it to your advantage and place more specific bets that award more money. There are some truly famous referees out there in the football world, and the best of the best are frequent guests for the most exciting games mostly due to their demeanor, style of officiating, and experience. If you follow them apart from the football stars, you will be golden.
Leave the Fan Inside you on the Sides
There is no place for emotions and fandom in the serious world of sports betting. Therefore, if you are a fan of Manchester City and there is a game that favors some of the other top teams in the Premier League, do not go with the love/hate mechanism despite wanting them to lose. Use what you know and be realistic. Never mix emotions in if you want to win. This is especially true in national tournaments and cups. If you know that your team is an obvious outsider who has no chance of beating the usual favorites like Brazil, Spain, or Germany, do not bet on some crazy make-believe outcomes that have no chance of happening. Go with the favorite to win and model your bet around that, like guessing the number of goals, ball possession, what half will see more goals, and so on. Supporting a team is one thing. Trying to win and walk away with more money than you came with is key in betting.
Team Chemistry, Relationships, and Current Form
When teams are experiencing rough stretches or whole seasons that should be forgotten as soon as possible, it is not smart to take their history into consideration and bet on them because they are a greater team in general. There are always a few underdogs that have seasons better than they should have. At the same time, giants like Barcelona and Real Madrid who are struggling a bit at the moment know a thing or two about bad stretches. Sometimes it is because of the management, and other times it is the coaching staff that has no idea what to do. In modern times, it is often the unhappy and dissatisfied players who do not want to be there, become spoiled, or do not want to play with certain teammates. Egos clash in sports and they are always a recipe for disaster. Therefore, make sure to closely follow what is happening inside the clubs, especially those playing in multiple leagues, cups, and tournaments at the same time.
Bonus stuff to take into account:
Match importance is often the key factor, like when a team has to win and advance or stay alive and escape relegation.
The odds are not always the best judge of the possible outcome, so combine them with your knowledge and gut feeling.
Schedule difficulty is also important because not all teams have hard games equally scheduled throughout the season. Those competing in UCL or UEL have the most games and the toughest calendars.
