We all know that the aim of the game in football is to score as many goals as possible. Hence, it will come as no surprise to you that those looking to bet on football have the option to bet on the number of goals that will be scored. This is called goals betting and the most common version of which is to be on over/under 2.5 goals. However, you can get on any number of goals you expect to be scored in a game. In this football betting guide to goals betting, we will explain all you need to know about betting on goals!
What is Goal Betting?
Goal betting is one of the biggest markets to bet on when it comes to football betting. Over/under and BTTS tips today are probably the two most popular bets outside of picking a team to win. BTTS (or both teams to score) involves both teams either scoring or not and you can look at a detailed breakdown of that market elsewhere on our site. For now, we will take a closer look at over and under goal betting
For those that don’t know over and under refers to a market where you guess if the number of goals in a game will be over a certain number. Bookmakers normally use a decimal point so there is no confusion. For example, the market will give you an option over 2.5 goals or under 2.5 goals. Â
Over 2.5 Goals Meaning
So, if you bet on over 2.5 goals you need at least 3 goals to win where as if you bet under 2.5 goals you win as long as there are 2 or fewer goals in the game scored.
I used 2.5 goals here as this is on most occasions the default over and under bet that bookmakers set. Why is this? Well for years now it’s the closest to the average amount of goals scored per game in most leagues. For example, here are the average goals per game scored in the top 5 European leagues this season at the time of writing.
- Premiership– 2.77 goals per gameÂ
- La Liga– 2.40 goals per gameÂ
- Bundesliga– 3.15 goals per game
- Ligue 1- 2.83 goals per game
We can see generally the average is between 2 and just over 3. The Bundesliga and Serie A having higher averages has been going on for quite some time now so try take advantage of this when you see the opportunity on a bookmaker’s site.
Now of course, you are not forced to just bet on over 2.5 goals tips or under 2.5 goal tips that you might see. If you fancy on boosting your price in a game you think will be high scoring you can move up to over 3.5 and so forth. Below I will run through some possible over and under bets and go through when you might use them.
Goal betting Explanation and Tips
We have already gone over the nuts and bolts of an over 2.5 bet so we will go through what to look for in over 2.5 goals tips. First of all, in a broad sense look at the league. As you can see from above the Bundesliga and the Serie A have a much higher goal average than 2,5 so looking at these leagues for your over 2.5 goals tips might be best. Then you should look at each team’s average goal per game to see if the bookmakers have priced it up correctly. For an added advantage try find each team xG (expected goals). If a team is not scoring much but creating scorable chances that could your time to pounce on some good over 2.5 tips.
Under 2.5 goals meaning Â
As already discussed under 2.5 goals is a bet for when you think the game will be low scoring. Your bet will win as long as there are not 3 or more goals in the match. Just like over 2.5 tips for under 2.5 goals bets you should look at the league but more importantly the teams. For example, Wolves have had a very good start to the season but they actually have the least goals per game in the Premiership due to their good defense but stuttering attack. Looking at games Wolves play in as well as other low scoring teams could be a good start to winning some under 2.5 goals betsÂ
Over 1.5 goals meaning
A much safer option than the 2,5 bets over 1.5 tips are much more conservative so can sometimes can be a great addition to an accumulator. With an over 1.5 bet you will only need to 2 goals in the game for that bet/leg to cash. Of course, the odds for this bet will be quite low but as mentioned it can be perfect for an accumulator because it is a safe option but can still help boost your odds.
Under 4.5 goals
By now you probably understand where we are going with these definitions. For an under 4.5 goals bet to hit you will need that game to have less than 5 goals. Now you are probably wondering aren’t the odds for under 4.5 goals bets really low? You would be correct. The only time you will even get slightly decent odds for this bet is if two teams with similarly scintillating attacks and leaky defenses are playing. However, under 4.5 goals has become popular recently with the bet builder function most bookmakers now offer. Combining under 4.5 goals with a match winner in the bet builder can turn an odds-on selection to a much more favorable above evens bet.
Other Goal Bet Definitions Â
Over 0.5 goals, and over 3.5 goals tips are also common but you get the gist of those markets now. Just like we discussed along with over/under betting BTTS tips today are two of the most popular bets in football gambling at the moment but another very profitable bet is result/total goals.
Result/total goals
The result/total goal bet can be a great way to boost your bet price. We have already discussed how pairing an under 4.5 goal bet with a result bet in the bet builder section can help boost your price, well, this goes one further. A lot of bookmakers will only offer you a result + over 2.5 goals under 2.5 goals and some may offer over under 3.5 goals but the bet builder will allow you to choose which ever option you prefer. This means you can boost your price considerably if you fancy someone to win and also think it’ll be a low or high scoring game.
Goal Betting Promos & Best Bookies
Goal betting promotions are not too common so when you can find one make sure to take advantage of them make sure to take advantage of it. Let’s go through some bookmakers that are good to use for goal betting.
Betway
Betway run a superb competition called: 4 to score, Betway allow you the chance to pick the first 4 goalscorers in 4 different games and if you get all 4 correct and you can win 50,000 pounds or euros. This is a great opportunity to work on your first goalscorer bets without any riskÂ
Paddy Power Â
Keep an eye on Paddy Power for great goalscoring promotions. Paddy Power try very hard to relate to their customers so will often offer deals in big games where if your player doesn’t score or scores second your first goalscorer bet will be refunded. They tend to target games that will have a high UK or Irish audience so keep an eye on their site.
Betfred
Betfred have for quite some time been running a great promotion called double-delight and hat-trick heaven. How it works is if you back a player first goalscorer and they open the scoring but also score once more or even twice more Betfred will double or triple the original price you backed them at depending how many more goals they score.
Bet365 Â
As is mostly the case Bet365 too deserve to be included in this list for good bookmakers. Now what we are looking at here is their early payout promotion. This is a great offer they run, where, in selected matches if your team goes up 2 goals, they credit that bet as a win straight away even if your team doesn’t go on to win. Now, this doesn’t sound like a goals bet but when we combine it with our bet builder 2,5 bets especially over 2.5 goals bet or higher combined with a result it can be a real help. It means once your team goes 2 up that part of the bet has already won and all you have to worry about is goals. So if you have Chelsea to win and over 3.5 goals if Chelsea go up 2-0 and end up drawing 2-2 you will still win! A great way to manipulate the system to suit you.
Goal Betting FAQ
ARE 2.5 GOALS WINNING FOOTBALL BETS?
Yes, for sure 2.5 goals tips can be some of the best out there to follow. However, as we mentioned above make sure to do your own research and dig up some stats on the teams you wish to bet on. Of course, if you don’t feel like trawling through stats just look at our predictions and accumulators as your bound to find some nice over and under bets in them every week!
WHAT IS A GOOD OVER 2.5 GOALS STRATEGY?
A good over 2.5 goals strategy is to first find a league that generally has high scoring games. Then keep an eye out for particular high scoring teams and/or leaky defences. If you keep a track of these you will be able to find some good value on 2,5 bets. WHAT OVER
2.5 GOALS STATS SHOULD I LOOK FOR?
Crucial stats to look for when it comes to over 2.5 goals betting are average goals per game, and then when looking at individual teams look at average goals conceded and scored. For an extra edge check out xG stats. Perhaps a team isn’t scoring a lot but is creating chances this could be your chance to get some good over 2.5 goals bets in as hopefully as their stats return to the mean.
WHAT DOES ‘MEAN’ IN BETTING IMPLY?
You might hear the word ‘mean’ thrown around a lot if you are looking at stats for 2,5 and other over and under bets. Mean is just another word for average and if it is used in relation to xG it basically means eventually the real life event should reflect the stats. So, for example last season Brighton should have finished much higher if they had converted the chances, they should have according to xG so you if Brighton sign a more prolific striker, they’re goal scoring stats might return to the mean. This means they could be great to look at for over 2.5 goals betting
