Betting on goalscorers in football matches is one of the most popular bets. Players who have bagged 20+ goals a season seem like a good bet to most punters and you can usually get some attractive odds for them to find the net first compared to betting on the match winner or a team to score first.
In this article, we’ll we taking a look at goalscorer bets and covering the following topics:
There are a number of different types of bets punters can place of goalscorers in football matches with some bookies offering more than others.
The three main types of goalscorer bets are:
First Goalscorer: You are betting on a selected player to score the first goal in the match.
Last Goalscorer: You are betting on a selected player to score the last goal in the match.
Anytime Goalscorer: You are betting on a selected player to score at any point in the match. Usually, this does not included extra time or penalties.
Generally, you will receive higher odds for a player to score the first or the last goal compared to an Anything Goalscorer bet as it is less likely to happen. However, betting on an Anytime Goalscorer means that your bet will be active for as long as the player is on the pitch. If you bet on a first goalscorer, your bet could be over within the first minute.
There are also various other types of goalscorer bets.
A player to score a brace: You are betting on a selected player to score 2 or more goals throughout the match.
A player to score a hat-trick: You are betting on a selected player to score 3 or more goals throughout the match.
Each Way First Goalscorer: With this bet, half of your total stake is placed on a selected player scoring the first goal of the match and the other half is placed on the scoring the second or third goal. This gives you an additional chance for a return should another player score the first goal.
To score an own goal: You are betting on a selected player to score an own goal in the match. An unlikely event but some bookies do provide odds for this market.
Goal Method: Some bookies will allow you to select a player and the method which they will score a goal with. This could be a header, a penalty, a left-foot shot, a right-foot shot or from outside of the penalty area. Some players such as tall defenders come up for corners and so can often be a good bet to score a header. Other players (usually midfielders) who have a good strike on them can be a good bet to score from outside of the area.
Top Goalscorer: This betting market is available throughout tournaments and competitions rather than for individual matches. For example, you can bet on the top scorer in a Premier League season or bet on the top scorer of the World Cup.
Some bets allow you to combine goalscorer bets with other bets. For example, Scorecast bets are when you select a player to score first and a correct score and Wincast bets are when you select a player to score first and a team to win. Our football correct score tips may help you pick a score and then you simply need to choose a goalscorer.
You may be confident that a player will score, but remember that there are 21 other players on the pitch, all of whom are capable of putting the ball in the net. However, there are some things you can do to increase your chances of landing a winner.
Ensure the player is in the squad – If your player is injured or on the bench, backing them to score first is a bad idea. Some bookies may refund your stake if a goal is scored before your player makes an appearance but generally, you want to make sure your player is starting. If you are backing a last goalscorer then again, make sure they are in the squad. However, it’s not always a bad bet if they are on the bench if you are confident that they will make an appearance. Many players are used as ‘super-subs’ and often get the last goal in matches.
Analyse the game – Is the match important to the team for which the player you are backing plays for? Do they need goals? If so, it’s likely that they will create more chances and a better chance of your goalscorer bet coming in. On the other hand, if the match is the 2nd leg of a cup game and the team have a 3-0 lead from the 1st leg, they may play defensively and so backing a goalscorer from the opposing team may be a better bet.
Player Stats – How many goals has your player scored this season? Have they scored recently? How often do they score the first goal? These are all questions you should be asking yourself prior to placing a goalscorer bet. You can view player stats on many websites and so the information you need is readily available for free.
Tactical Changes – Look for any changes in not just the squad but also formation. If you backed a forward, are they playing up front by themselves this week or do they have support? Have the creative midfielders who create chances for the forward been replaced by defensive midfielders? If so, the striker may not get as many chances.
The odds for goalscorer bets will vary between bookmakers. However, for these type of bets you may wish to look elsewhere as very often you can much bigger odds betting on goalscorers at betting exchanges. If you haven’t used a betting exchange before, they may seem daunting as you can place for back bets and lay bets. However, as you want to be backing a player, they work in a similar way to traditional bookies.
The most popular online betting exchange is Betfair Exchange and the vast majority of the time, you will be able to get much bigger odds on goalscorer bets than if you placed them with a bookmaker.
If you prefer to bet with a bookmaker over a betting exchange then we recommend Bet365 who regularly offer competitive odds on football.
Alternatively, online bookie Betfred have a long-standing promotion named Double Delight / Hat-Trick Heaven where if you back a player to score the first goal and they do and then go on to score a 2nd or 3rd goal, your bet will be paid out at double or treble the odds! It’s one of the best betting offers available for goalscorer bets and worth taking advantage of.
18+, Applies to single bets placed on the specified Double Delight & Hat-Trick Heaven First Goalscorer market. selected matches only. extra time, in-play bets & own goals do not count. Bets using existing free bet funds do not count. T&C's Apply. begambleaware.org
There are a number of types of goalscorer bets available but whichever one you decide to place, always do your research first to give yourself the best chance of seeing a return. Also remember to check the terms of each bet as some may or may not refund your stake should your player not start or is taken off the pitch before the first goal is scored.
If you are looking for the best odds on goalscorer bets then betting with a betting exchange is a must. However, some bookies such as Betfred have specific offers for goalscorer bets which aren’t available on betting exchanges and so they are also worth taking into consideration.
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