Can You Bet On Preseason Football?

Can you bet on preseason football is a question we often get asked, but this question can have two different meanings. If you’re talking about betting on preseason games played by football clubs from leagues such as the English Premier League, La Liga, the German Bundesliga, and Serie A, this is what we’re going to discuss in this article, rather than betting on preseason American football.

Do Bookmakers Offer Betting On Preseason Football?

If you’re reading this article, you probably already know that many professional football clubs play preseason matches or go on preseason tours that are designed to give their established players some match practice and/or the option to try out some lesser-used or new before the season kicks-off. These matches are also sometimes referred to as friendlies.

However, while there’s no reason why bookmakers can’t offer odds on these preseason matches, most of them choose not to. This is because these matches are often a massive mismatch, with top teams playing much lower-rated opposition. Team selections can also make pricing up matches a nightmare.

As an example, let’s look at Liverpool’s preseason matches before they embarked on their title winning 2019/20 season.

Liverpool played seven preseason matches before they played in the Community Shield, and they kicked-off with a visit to Tranmere Rovers who they duly beat 6-0, as you might expect. But what was impressive about that result was it was achieved by a barely recognizable Liverpool line-up.

The team that Liverpool put out that night was: S Mignolet, N Clyne, N Phillips, J Gomez, Y Larouci, A Oxlade-Chamberlain, A Lallana, J Milner, H Wilson, R Brewster, and R Kent. It’s nothing like Liverpool’s normal starting-11, but a similar team also beat Bradford away from home 1-3 a few days later.

Despite Liverpool’s success in these matches, it is this uncertainty about team selection that discourages the bookmakers from offering odds about preseason matches, as they’re scared that they will be subject to big gambles from people betting with inside information.

The uncertainty about team selection was highlighted better in Liverpool’s next match, a home fixture against fellow Champions League regulars Borussia Dortmund. Liverpool would have been expected to field a much better side against such big opposition, but they again fielded a team of youngsters and players that are normally on Liverpool’s substitute bench. Liverpool lost this fixture 2-3.

Liverpool then played the likes of Jordan Henderson, Andy Robertson, and Virgil Van Dijk in their next preseason match at home against Sevilla, but they lost 1-2 to a much stronger side fielded by the Spaniards. This pattern continued in home games against Sporting Lisbon (2-2) and Napoli (0-3).

At this point, bookmakers may have been tempted to offer reasonable odds about Liverpool beating Lyon in their last friendly but they would have come unstuck as Robert Firmino and Mo Salah started the game and made major contributions in Liverpool’s 3-1 win.

Liverpool’s preseason games prior to the 2019/20 season make it easy to see why bookmakers don’t like offering odds for preseason football matches.

What Preseason Football Bets Can I Have?

Bookmakers do offer a variety of other football odds preseason, but most of these focus on markets such as which team will win the English Premier League, which teams will finish in the top-4, which teams will be relegated, and which player will be the top scorer. There are also lots of other preseason football markets that you may wish to explore.

If you have money that’s separate from your regular football betting bank, you can make decent profits from betting on these types of preseason markets. But the problem with betting on them is you need to tie your betting bank up from August to May, which is something many of us don’t want to do. Many of us want to grow our betting banks more quickly, and the best way to do this is to bet regularly on football.

Luckily, while many of Europe’s major football leagues run similarly from August to May, there are other betting opportunities in other football matches in other countries around the world. Of course, many summers are also filled with major international football competitions such as the Euros and World Cup.

So, basically what we’re saying is you don’t need to bet on preseason matches when there are other football betting opportunities that offer you a better chance of winning. What you need is to have a good understanding of football from around the world, and an even better idea of how to use this knowledge to exploit a variety of markets to find value bets.

Finding regular value is the key to making a long-term from football betting. If you’re not sure what ‘value’ means, it is simply when you can place a bet at odds that are bigger than you think they should be. For example, if you could consistently bet Liverpool at 5/4 when the statistics suggest they should be even-money, you would always be placing value bets.

Can you bet on friendlies?

Yes, you can bet on friendlies. Friendlies are exhibition matches that are played outside of official competitions, and they are often used as warm-up matches or to test new players or tactics. While they may not have the same level of importance as official competitions, friendlies can still be a popular betting market for football fans.

Many sportsbooks offer a range of betting options for friendlies, including match result, over/under goals, and handicap betting. However, it’s important to do your research and consider various factors, such as team form, injuries, and weather conditions, before placing your bet, as these can all impact the outcome of a match.

Bear in mind that friendlies can be unpredictable, as teams may not be playing at full strength or may be experimenting with different strategies. As a result, betting on friendlies can be considered a higher-risk type of bet compared to official competitions. However, if you do your research and stay up-to-date with the latest news and developments, friendlies can offer an exciting and potentially rewarding betting market.

How Do I Find Value Football Bets?

Finding regular value football bets can take a lot of time studying the form book and a mountain of statistics. Luckily, if you don’t have the time to do this, there is an alternative solution which is to follow the football betting advice of one or more of the professional football tipsters you’ll find here at Betting Gods.

The easiest way to do this is to check out the Betting Gods free tips page, where we post daily tips from a selection of our tipsters. Our free tips also cover a variety of sports such as horse racing, basketball, NFL, NHL, cricket, tennis, golf, and eSports.

If you want to receive all the tips from any of our tipsters, they also offer affordable monthly subscriptions that are designed to help you make a long-term profit from betting on football or other sports. The results of our tipsters are fully transparent, and you’ll be able to see their total profit, average monthly profit, win rate, and return on investment.

You’ll also be able to find your perfect football tipster by checking out information such as how long the tipster has been active, what time his tips are sent out, average tips per month, and the average odds of his selections.

We hope that’s answered your question about, can you bet on preseason football.


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