Pre-Match Research
There are two main types of soccer punters; the first is the avid fan who will bet on their favourite team to win no matter how they are currently playing form-wise. Whilst there is nothing wrong with this loyalty, for those fans whose team is in a lowly position in the league, they will often not only suffer the sadness of their team losing, but also they will lose out financially when they have had a gamble on their team and then that team goes on to lose that match!
The second type of punter is more savvy and experienced, and knows that the only way to win, is to never let personal preferences or loyalties get in the way of their betting decisions, and to only stick to the facts and form presented to them in regards to picking which team is most likely to win on the day.
Whilst many of the ways in which you can amass information, and perform pre-match research on any soccer team, may be self explanatory, we thought it would be wise to take a look at some of the more commonly found ways do this. We will take a look at some of the other ways of amassing the necessary knowledge, facts and figures needed to help you make an informed decision on what, or who to have a bet on.
Newspapers and Magazines
Whilst grabbing a newspaper, and heading straight to the back pages, is what most soccer fans will do, these articles are often biased in their opinions, and in most cases, whoever wrote that article will be expressing their own personal opinion on a game or team. However the pages you should be heading too are the league tables, which will show you where each team is currently placed, and will also let you know the results of previous matches and list all up and coming matches.
There can be a lot of things happening behind the scenes in any football club, and this is where it can pay dividends to visit the website of that particular soccer team to get all of the current facts and figures, and more importantly factual information on them.
Fanzines, fan websites and fan blogs are also very handy places to visit for picking up often unreported happenings within a soccer team, and whilst some of the reports should be taken with a pinch of salt, make sure you give them a good read through and visit them regularly to get all the latest gossip, about what is happening behind the scenes.
Current Form and League Placing
Whilst it is very easy just to lay your money down, and have a bet on your personal favourite soccer team in the hope that they can pull off a miracle, more so when they are faced with playing against a team in a much higher league position, at the end of the day it is your money you are placing at risk, and it will pay dividends for you to look at the form of both teams in each match, and then decide which has the best chances of winning.
Look at things such as past matches between the two sides, whilst also keeping an eye on how well they perform when playing home games, and also when playing away, as some teams simply cannot win when playing away against certain other teams, and this is often repeated from season to season, so previous form really does stand true when some teams play against each other.
Should a team be trying out new players, or have made some recent transfers, then this is often the key to a turnaround in their form, and it can often pay to risk a few pounds when a team has some new sign ups being put into play on the field for the first time.
Betting on a Team
There are also a few pointers we can give you in regards to when and where you should place any wagers on your chosen team. Some punters make the mistake of placing a bet in the town where their home team are playing, or even at the stadium itself, and this can often see them taking reduced odds at such venues, as the sheer volume of wagers placed, will mean the bookie reduces the odds accordingly.
So if you are wishing to place a wager on a soccer team, then get online, and checkout several odds comparison type sites where they will list all of the major gambling sites, and show you the current odds available on each and every match being played that day, this will enable you to pick up the best odds.
You should also consider using a betting exchange, as these types of betting sites are renowned for giving you instant access to the very best odds available. By betting on a betting exchange, and as you are gambling with fellow punters, you can also request your own odds or even lay teams to lose. This can often put you in a position whereby no matter what happens in a match you can lock in a guaranteed winning profit.
One word of caution however, as some punters often get the urge to double up their stakes on the next match that a soccer team will play in, if that team lost their previous match, they do this in the mistake of thinking that their team must win eventually. But by using a double up betting system they think, quite mistakenly, that they are bound to win soon.
However, this type of betting system can often turn around and bite you, as a long run of losing bets will mean you having to place some huge staked amounts, in the hope of winning back what you have previously lost. So whatever you do, never get tempted to bet this way, unless of course you have more money than sense!
Nothing will beat researching each team that is playing against each other on any given day of the week, and whilst going with a gut feeling can often prove successful, when it comes to football in particular, the most savvy of punter knows that facts and figures never lie, and some time spent checking out these facts and figures can and will save you a small fortune in lost bets!
