Football is currently undergoing a time that none of us have seen before. Major leagues are either playing or slowly returning to action, and they are all playing behind closed doors.
This is a very strange situation for those taking part in each game, and even more strange for those of us who are sitting at home watching. However, that is life at the moment, we are seeing many strange occurrences, with drive-thru cinemas being the latest.
The lack of noise from fans causes us to hear every single thud of the ball, shout from the players and much more. The atmosphere is certainly strange, and it will affect the games and who wins them.
So, what about if you bet on football? You must treat these games differently, watching as many as you can to get an idea of the pattern you are going to see.
Ultimately, just like the games we are seeing are very different, betting on them is also the same.
Watch as Many Games as Possible
This is football like we have never seen before, and it requires a new approach. The only way you can get enough information to do that is to watch as many games as possible.
These don’t even need to be from the same division as the one you are betting on, for example if you like to bet on Serie A, you will gain information by watching Premier League games. Behind closed doors football is different to normal football, building up experience with games is key.
Look out for what happens, especially in terms of stats that you can bet on. How often are cards shown, what do corner numbers look like and are we seeing goals happen as normal.
All of these can shape the way you bet for the remainder of this season, and probably for some part of next season, as this is likely to go on for months.
Treat Games as Neutral Venue Clashes
Based on the games we have seen from the Bundesliga so far, there is no home advantage. Home teams have been winning at a far lower rate than normal.
This is something you must consider when the other leagues return. The reason for this happening is not just down to the league, it is down to the situation and all the main European leagues will be in the same situation.
The best way to approach games is to look at things as though the game is being played on a neutral venue.
This means you may find value in backing the away teams for success, especially if the bookmakers are slower than you to pick up on this and find what needs to be changed.
As more leagues return to action, more games will be played so that we can see if this trend continues, but it is certainly something to consider in the early stages.
Turn to Stats Betting
When watching games, you can take a look at the stats on offer and decipher them. Are we seeing fewer goals and fewer cards because the games appear to be cagey? This certainly appears to be the case based on the early stages of the Bundesliga.
Stats betting on goals, cards and corners is an incredibly popular way to bet and could be even more productive for those who work out which way games are going to be played with no fans in attendance.
Many bookmakers offer these betting markets, and with a betting offer from them, you can use these without risk to see if they suit your betting style. Some offers come with no deposit needed, giving you the opportunity to use your free bets and assess whether stats betting is what you want to do.
The most popular stats to bet on are goals, cards and corners. These all look slightly different behind closed doors, and those who can identify opportunities in the coming weeks will stand in good stead to reap the rewards of that.