Your #1 Source for Sports Wagering
Place Your Bets!
Soccer Betting – International Friendlies
Often times before big soccer tournaments, such as World Cup qualifier games and the Euro Championships, many international friendly matches take place between two countries that look to tune up before the big competition. It is all in the name, as a friendly match is friendly because noting is really at stake. Thee types of matches are a great way for teams to get in form and to try out new lineups and formations. A lot of people that bet on soccer think that you should shy away from betting friendly matches because they can be pretty difficult to predict much less handicap. However, if you know what to look for you can cash in on international friendly matches. There are some things that you need to look for in terms of betting on friendly soccer matches. The Motivation Factor Considering that international friendly matches do not mean anything in terms of the FIFA world rankings, many times, it can be difficult for the players to be motivated. Sure, players will want to perform, but, much like the coaches, they want to get their team better and find out the right formation and strategy to use rather than win the match. Many times the star players will not even play in these types of matches. However, there are times when there is pride and teams simply are big rivals, such as France against England or Argentina against Brazil. If a country was killed on their home pitch and play the team that schooled them, you can be sure they will be pretty motivated for a little payback. Club Rosters The roster for an international friendly match will be different then it will be for a World Cup qualifier or Euro Cup game. Star players will be left off the roster and younger players and backups will be used to see if they can be used in the bigger games that really mean something. Many times, bigger clubs, such as Manchester United and Barcelona, will not even release their star players to play in international friendly matches, as they do not want to risk them being injured. Even if the star does play they may not get in the game and they will also avoid risking injury, which may affect their play. You have to look at the roster of a team before you wager on them. The Managers Managers of countries will use international friendlies as a tune up and they will try out new players and various formations. For example, a team that generally plays with 2 forwards may try out 3 to see what happens. Managers will do this especially if they need to change their strategy knowing they face a team in an important upcoming match. Stronger Teams A lot of soccer bettors only know about a few national teams, such as England, Germany, Italy, or France. If a soccer bettor is not knowledgeable about a team they can think they are not a solid bet. They may think something like, Croatia is a much better team then Austria. This rational will make it so teams that are not as well known by the public may be a good value bet. This is even more so if the team is a home underdog. Since many international friendly matches end up a draw, a good soccer bettor will take a .5 goal advantage to make the draw a bet that will win money. While it is also the case that more well known home teams will generally win, they may not do as well away from their home pitch even though they are favored in a match. You can find a good value bet on lesser-known teams at home playing against better teams.
Follow WageringSports On:
Bet on Tennis
ATP, WTA, and Grand Slam Futures
www.betus.com/sports/tennis
Miss BetUS
Get a BetUS Girls calendar or DVD with new account!
www.betus.com/miss-betus
All Major US Tracks
Get up to 8% rebate on pari-mutual pools.
www.bookmaker.com/
Bet Calculator
Have a Gambling Problem? Visit National Council on Problem Gambling or email ncpg@ncpgambling.org or Call 1-800-522-4700 for help.
About Us
Blog
Sportsbook Reviews
Offshore Betting Lines
Gambling Guides
Sports Matchup Tool
Sports Cities
Contact Us