Football betting – Analysis

To bet well on football, you must first look at the ranking and the current form of the 2 teams. You can base your bets on the last 5 matches. Be aware of the expected absences of the players of both teams, they will surely be decisive for the final result.

Also take into account the motivation of each team (does the team have a goal in relation to this match: a qualification for the European Cup for example).

The history between the 2 teams may be important. Psychologically, knowing that the team hasn’t won against its evening opponent for 20 years adds pressure for the players. For example, OM has not won on the Bordeaux pitch since the 1977/1978 season, an eternity.

Also take a closer look at a few other points: is the home team performing well at home? Do their opponents often take points away from home? Which team is going to be the freshest physically? Is one of the two teams playing a more important match, for example a decisive match for qualification for the Champions League, in the coming days?

We advise you to bet at the last moment, when the official line-up is released. For Ligue 1, the “compos” are available about an hour before the match. By taking a last look at the weather (rain can, for example, penalise an attacking team), you will have all the cards in hand to make your bet a success.

The criteria not to be missed are in order of importance:

• The ranking
• The shape of the moment
• The challenge and motivation
• Team compositions
• The performance of each team at home and away
• The future agenda
• Physical freshness
• The history between the 2 teams
• Weather and lawn conditions

Football betting – Which competitions to play in?

For beginners, we advise you to play preferably on League 1. This is the league you know best and on which you will easily have a lot of information at your disposal. The Champions League also leaves little room for surprises, unlike the Europa League, which is sometimes neglected by some good teams who prefer to concentrate on their championship.

If you have a little more time, you can take a closer look at the Ligue 2 or foreign championships. Some bookmakers are not specialists in the so-called exotic championships, the Russian championship which is offered at Bwin and PMU Sport for example. It is therefore in these competitions that you can find Value Bet.

The Top 5 competitions to bet on:

• League 1
• European Cups (Champions League and Europa League)
• National Cups (French Cup and League Cup)
• Foreign championships (Premier League, Liga, Serie A, etc.)
• International competitions (World Cup, Euro, etc.)

Football betting – Difficult matches to bet on

Although there are large differences in level between certain nations, international matches can sometimes be very hard to predict. As a French citizen, you probably have little information about the New Zealand or Ecuadorian selection. Do they have any key players missing? What is their current motivation? Are they capable of transcending themselves in a major competition?

Let’s take the example of the World Cups. France and Italy, finalists and winners respectively in 2006, finished last in their group in the first round in 2010. In 2006, France had only moved up to 2nd position behind Switzerland. In 2002, France, Portugal, Cameroon and Argentina were left out of the first round. In general, the first matches of a World Cup are difficult to predict. However, things become clearer from the 1/8th position for the bettor.

Every major international competition brings its share of surprises, as the result is a degree of motivation and pride in playing for one’s nation, which is difficult to detect.

The start of the season can also be a trap because you never know when the chemistry between all the new players recruited in the off-season will take hold. We saw it in 2012, with PSG who drew many matches at the beginning of the season despite the arrival of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. At the end of the season, avoid matches with no sporting stakes which can go in any direction.

Finally, the derbies are always very complicated to bet on. It’s a special type of match where mental and motivation often take precedence over the quality of the football players.

Top 3 of the most difficult matches to bet on:

• Derbies (Inter Milan/Milan AC for example)
• Matches with no stakes (often at the end of the season)
• The first matches of the World Cup

Where to bet football?

The best bookmakers for betting football are undoubtedly Bwin and PMU Sport, two operators who offer the largest number of football matches. These online betting sites offer around 50 bets for each match, leaving you the choice to find a winning bet!