Well, the English Premier League is perhaps one of the most popular football leagues around the globe. Well, its competitiveness is just unmatched. Whether you’re watching the Manchester Derby, London Derby, or just any other game in the EPL, you can’t help but just get hooked. In fact, this is the reason why betting on the EPL is such a sport. Sometimes you just don’t know what to expect.
For example, the weekend just ended with some hot games in play. West Ham vs Man United, Arsenal vs Liverpool, Chelsea vs Newcastle and others. During this weekend, you can be sure that there are some people who were certain about the bets they were placing and some were just guessing what might happen and hoping for the best.
But someone would ask, is there anything that you would do so that you can somehow be sure that your bet is going to work? Let no one ever lie to you that betting is fully a game of chance. Football can change during the last few minutes of the game, but most of the time, there are things that you can consider when placing a bet to be sure that you come out with something good. This article explains some of the things.
Previous performances
You see, the previous record of a team, the wins, draws and losses from previous games, is a good indicator of whether they are going to win, draw or lose. For instance, if a team on the top five is playing a team that is facing relegation, then it would be really good idea to wager on the top team.
Okay, let’s think about the 2023/24 season. Sheffield United and Luton Town were relegated, and if you look at their performance in the last five games, Sheffield had lost all of them. Now, compare them to Man City, which had won its last five game. Well, if these two teams would go on a head to head, then most probably, Man City will definitely win. The winning streak might be tough to break. Such considerations are really important when betting.
Home and away performance
Another major consideration you can’t ignore is a team’s performance in their home and away games. If you are a football fan, then you know that there are those that perform significantly better when they are at home than when they are away. You can also attest the fans of a team really matter, and if a team cannot handle the away pressure then you are most likely to lose.
For example, Liverpool has been known to perform really well when playing at their home ground, Anfield Stadium. Actually, top managers and players have been quoted stating how their teams fall under pressure because of the electrifying atmosphere of the grounds.
For instance, Thierry Henry was quoted saying that during his first few years at Arsenal, they did not do really well at the Stadium. Etienne Capoue was also quoted saying that playing in Anfield is hell. From the atmosphere to how the Liverpool players play when they are there, as an opposing team, you are operating in hell for 90 minutes.
Well, as a bettor, do your research and understand how the opposing teams handle the home and away pressure. By doing that, you can speculate how well a game might turn out.
Injuries and suspensions
It is common sense that even if a team is so good, there are definitely some key players that make the team better. Those players that give opponents a headache. It just makes sense that some of these players are out because of injuries or suspension, the team might struggle a little bit. This doesn’t mean that the team cannot win without them, it just means that there is a specific aspect of the team that would be missing if they are out.
Take for example, Manchester City. Some of their top players including Rodrigo, Jack Grealish, Jeremy Doku, and Kevin De Bruyne are out due to injuries. If you have been following through their games, you know that these are game makers. Like KDB just brings out the best of Haaland. That’s just a well-known fact. We can all see.
On another side, Manchester United would have been miserable if the red card given to Bruno Fernandes during their game with Tottenham had not been overturned. Well, this red card would have seen him face a three-match suspension for foul play. Now imagine Man United playing without their captain. If you love to bet, then you might think twice on betting on the team when it is lacking that kind of anchor.
Head-to-head records
This is another thing you can never ignore when placing bets. You see, how well a team has been performing against another in the past can give a rough estimation about what might happen in a game. It’s almost certain that in the absence of any major upheaval, the majority winner has a considerable chance of victory.
Let’s take, for instance, a head-to-head between Chelsea and Aston Villa over the years. You see, out of their last 60 skirmishes, Chelsea has won 31, Aston Villa has won 14, and the teams have had 15 draws. Now, the highest possibility will be that in their next match, Chelsea might win, and it would be even more so when the match is hosted at Stamford Bridge.
As you can tell, betting is not just waking up one day and deciding to wager on a team you have no idea of their performance. It calls for proper research before you can make a bet that has high chances of winning.