Premier League Betting: Basics of Soccer Futures

Curious about Premier League betting, including soccer futures? Well, this is the article for you! The globalization of soccer means that billions of people tune in to the sport on a regular basis.

Interest in the sport has grown exponentially over the years in the US and the English Premier League is one of the most popular professional sports leagues worldwide. Below we explain the basics of betting on soccer and take a look at some Premier League betting topics for beginners. 

With the new Premier League campaign kicking off on August 11, 2023, now is the time to learn how to bet on soccer if you’re not already a fan of the sport or familiar with betting on it. The league consists of 20 different teams that play 38 games each over the course of the season. 19 of those are played on their own turf, whilst the other 19 are played on the road.

In total, 380 games are played in the league each season, giving plenty of opportunities for Premier League betting enjoyment. There is a near unlimited supply of different markets to choose from as well.

The fundamentals are essentially the same as betting on any other sport. The simplest market you can bet on is the moneyline. 

That would allow you to back a winner in the match, as you would normally do with US sports. However, the difference with soccer is that there is the possibility of the draw. That means there are three potential outcomes for your bet, opposed to the usual two with US sports.

Like the moneyline market, basic Premier League betting essentially follows the same principles as most other sports. The main market to bet on is the outright winner of the league. The market can give you excellent value, especially if the league is won by an underdog. 

Nevertheless, recent years would suggest Premier League betting does not provide the best value. Manchester City have been crowned Premier League champions in five out of the last six seasons. As a result, the odds for them to win the league this season are pretty short. The value isn’t really there if you want to back them to win the competition. 

A good alternative that many sportsbooks offer is the “without the favorite” market. Man City are the frontrunners to go on and win the Premier League this season and so to find better value, you can bet on the winner without Man City. 

Say you place a bet on Arsenal to win the league on the “without Man City” market. If Man City go on to win the league and Arsenal finish in second then you would win your bet. However, if Arsenal finish in third and Liverpool finish in second, your bet would settle as a loser.

This particular market works well if there is a clear favorite to go on and win the league for that season. With the competition in the league strengthening and becoming more and more competitive, there are plenty of teams who could finish as runners-up. Hope our North American readers can wrap their heads around that Premier League betting market.

The “top goalscorer” market is a Premier League future that allows you to bet on the player who will score the most goals in a particular season. That doesn’t always correlate with the eventual Premier League winner so it is a good alternative. 

Man City’s dominance is making it increasingly harder to find good odds to bet on in terms of Premier League betting. Of course, the odds for other teams to win the title are larger. But the monopoly that City are creating makes you think: is it worth betting on other teams? 

In spite of that, City’s signing of Norwegian superstar Erling Haaland has once again given bettors a tough task. The 22-year-old scored 36 Premier League goals last term in just 35 appearances. That set the record for the most goals in a Premier League season by a single player.

Haaland’s dominance in this market is likely to continue for years to come and offers little value due to such a short price on offer. However, there are plenty of world class goalscorers in the Premier League and it will be pretty incredible if Haaland is able to repeat the same feat. Therefore, you can find value in betting on top class players other than the Norwegian to become top goalscorer. 

With this betting market, though, you need to watch out for ties. Quite often, players will finish on the same number of goals come the end of the campaign. Sportsbooks may settle the bet differently, depending on their rules, so make sure to read the terms and conditions carefully. 

Betting on Premier League betting is not solely limited to the top end of the table. You can also do so towards the bottom half. One market you can explore is the relegation future. Three teams are promoted from the Championship (English second tier) every season, whilst the three bottom ranked teams in the Premier League move down to the Championship. 

Naturally, it is usually the promoted sides from the second tier who are usually favorites for the drop. They will not likely give you the best value in this market. Nevertheless, teams who have narrowly escaped relegation from the Premier League in the years prior stand a good chance of going down in the season after. Therefore, you can find good value when identifying these teams.

However, be sure to keep an eye out for the latest news. The summer months see a host of changes for many clubs. That includes transfers, managerial changes and tactical developments. This can impact the entire prospect for a team as they head into the new campaign. Therefore, it is imperative to look at each squad and their staff before the new season when betting on futures. 

Prior to the beginning of the season, many bettors like to gamble on Premier League futures. The advantage to that is that it can give you better value odds than if you were to place a bet midway through. 

Of course, you would have more information about how the team is performing for that season. However, if you research well and have a good hunch about a team before the start of the campaign, you can get excellent value. Just talk to the few people who backed Leicester City to win the title for the 2015/16 season! 

Many different sportsbooks will offer markets on Premier League betting. If you like a particular sportsbook and are happy to bet with them then, of course, you can stick with them. Bear in mind, though, that they will be in competition with each other and you may be able to find a better price elsewhere.

Similarly to trade deadlines in the middle of the NFL season, Premier League clubs can make transfers throughout the year. Of course, that can alter a team’s chances of where they finish by the end of the season. 

Be wary of the winter transfer window too. Midway through the campaign, clubs in the Premier League have the chance to alter their squads once more. This can make a significant impact on how a club is able to perform for the rest of the season. 

However, you can also bet on Premier League futures throughout the season. As a result, if you can’t find any value or think a lot could change as the season progresses, you can wait at a later date when the chaos has settled down. But be wary, the market will reflect this!