How playing fantasy soccer can help your betting

How Playing Fantasy Soccer Can Help Your Betting

By Michael Gales Jan 16, 2013

Tweet

Fantasy Soccer has exploded over the last decade with millions of virtual managers poring over statistics for hours each week hoping to gain an edge. The analysis involved has strong similarities with betting handicapping, so success in the Fantasy World could lead to profit in the real world of betting.

Utilize the time you spend on Fantasy Soccer

The title “fantasy” in Fantasy Soccer (or Fantasy Football, as it’s known in Europe) is quite misleading. At their cores, both fantasy soccer and soccer betting are based around solid statistics.

For example, player values are not just made up off-the-cuff; they are created from sophisticated calculations that take into consideration a host of statistics concerning the player.

And while real-life team owners hold extensive negotiations over even the smallest transfers in the hope that their decisions will pay off come game day, so too do fantasy soccer players spend hours each week examining player statistics, evaluating their fantasy squads and contemplating transfers.

With so much data available in fantasy soccer, it is the perfect tool to practice your statistical analysis, and to improve your chances of making a soccer betting profit.

Stats, Stats & More Stats – Make Use of Stats Databases

There is a plethora of information available on soccer fantasy websites which can help aide your sports betting decisions – most websites offer vast data on both players and clubs.

We all make generalisations regarding players’ abilities as there is no way we can objectively watch every player and attribute him a value. Thanks to Fantasy Soccer, however, factual data is freely available to inform bettors how many assists, goals, successful passes and tackles a player has completed.

Tapping into this data is a great way to improve your knowledge of soccer betting

Negative contributions are also highlighted – yellow and red cards, missed penalties, in-completed passes and goals his team have conceded with him on the pitch.

Specific team data is also available. Stats ranging from team goals to possession statistics are ready available alongside average number of bookings per game and when teams are more likely to concede.

Moneyball was a famous book written by Michael Lewis looking at the success of Billy Beane and Bill James at Oakland A’s. The pair enjoyed unpredicted success by basing their transfer policy on a numbers based interpretation, and away from subjective decision making.

This is like betting, where real bettors simply crunch numbers and amateur bettors go with gut instinct or make very simplistic conclusions such as who is highest up in the table.

Tapping into this data is a great way to improve your knowledge of soccer betting and help you make more informed soccer betting options.

Up-to-date News – Knowledge is Power

Being one step ahead of the game is relevant for both fantasy league managers and sports bettors. The difference between being up-to-date with the latest news could be the difference between winning and losing.

News about injuries, suspensions and starting line-ups will all have an influence on betting decisions, and fantasy soccer websites offer breaking news on all of the above.

For instance, let’s say Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie are injured but might be recovered in time for their next game. If you move them out of your Fantasy Soccer squad early in the week, you’ve reduced the risk that you’ll have two useless strikers for that weekend. If they recover, however, you’ve wasted vital transfer opportunities and removed two high-scoring players. What do you do?

Knowing what action to take in a similar same risk/pay-off situation is also vital in soccer betting. If Rooney and van Persie were injured, betting for Manchester United to win before they are confirmed as fit would give you better odds and increase your winnings – however, if they aren’t fit, Manchester United will undoubtedly have less chance of winning.

Having this information readily available could allow you to gain a slight edge over the traders and therefore help you make a soccer bet before the odds are updated.

Spot Form: Take Note of Players and Teams In-Form

Fantasy Leagues offer bettors the chance to look at features throughout the website to aide their soccer betting. And certain fantasy soccer websites offer in-depth club and player form guides, which are a fantastic way to spot mismatches.

For instance, there are tables and graphs highlighting players who are in form and those who aren’t. Acknowledging a player in a rich vein of form that is playing against a team that is struggling or a player in poor form can create mismatched opportunities.

If you regularly play fantasy soccer games, it would be beneficial to utilise the software on offer for your sports betting, and if you don’t, it’s about time you signed up, to ensure you have the best opportunity to make a soccer betting profit.

*Odds subject to change

If you have feedback, comments or questions regarding this article, please contact the author.