A very popular football betting market in the UK is the Over/ Under 2.5 Goals betting market. Placing these kinds of bets is very simple and enjoyable. We’re going to explain in this guide exactly what the Over/ Under 2.5 goals betting market is and how you can use it on most bookmakers online.
Over 2.5 Goals Meaning
Over 2.5 goals means that you are betting on the prediction that there will be at least three goals during the course of a football match. For your bet to be successful, the goals scored needs to be three or more. If there are 2 goals or less in a game, so that includes score lines such as 2-0, 1-1, 1-0, 0-0, then your bet will lose.
Over 2.5 Goals Examples
To provide more detail into what a successful bet would look like for this betting market, we have provided some brief examples of real scores from real football matches that would have made you profit when using this betting type.
- Manchester United 2 – 1 Liverpool
- Leicester City 0 – 3 Newcastle United
Examples of unsuccessful score lines for this bet type would be:
- Crystal Palace 1 – 1 Manchester united
Under 2.5 Goals Meaning
Under 2.5 goals means that a football match must have less than three goals scored. So, you guessed it, there can only be a maximum of two goals scored. Match scores that would lead to this betting type being correct would include: 0-0, 1-0, 1-1, 2-0. Anything above these scorelines, such as 3-0, 3-1, 4-0, etc would be incorrect.
Under 2.5 Goals Examples
Here are examples of Under 2.5 goals football results:
- Manchester United 1-1 Crystal Palace
- Liverpool 0-0 Chelsea
Over/ Under 2.5 Goals Explained
It’s never easy trying to pick up new betting concepts and betting markets for the first time. With so many different choices, it can be difficult to decide which markets to learn and then which ones to place bets on.
If you’re an avid football fan, then we can tell you with confidence that this is one of the more popular betting markets when it comes to football betting and we highly recommend it. It is also one of the easiest to understand.
When betting on the Over/ Under 2.5 goals betting market, focus on the key elements of each of the 2 selections that you can place: Over 2.5 & Under 2.5. That is all you need to worry about. You are simply choosing a match and predicting whether it will have over 2.5 goals or under 2.5 goals.
Half a Goal
Although the number 2.5 goals may cause some confusion, it is actually there to avoid confusion.
The half a goal adds clarity as to whether or not the bet will be successful because 3+ goals is over 2.5 and >3 goals is under 2.5.
If betting sites were to change the markets to “over 3 goals” or “under 3 goals”, then punters wouldn’t know if their bet had won or lost if there were exactly 3 goals in a match. So having the .5 goals adds clarity.
Why Bet On Over/ Under 2.5 Goals?
As mentioned previously, this betting market is one of the easier concepts to understand, which already gives it an advantage.
If you’re a common spectator of the Premier League, European Leagues or any football leagues around the globe for that matter, you should hopefully have some level of understanding and knowledge of current team performances, and be able to pick out high scoring games and low scoring games to place a bet on. Of course this is just a general rule as there is some degree of unpredictability and lots of surprises in football.
If there is a fixture, which consists of two high scoring teams, then you may be confident to place a bet on over 2.5 goals in that match. Or even if it is just based on the research of one team. If a team scores an average number of 3 goals a game, then you might predict that in their next fixture they’re going to score 3 goals or more.
Betting on this market is a lot easier than trying to bet on the correct score, because in this instance you don’t need to worry about the correct score, just how many goals are scored.
Benefits of the Over/ Under 2.5 Goals Betting Market
There are some great benefits to betting on these circumstances. Some of which we have mentioned above and will quickly go through again, as well as plenty more reasons why you should consider this betting strategy.
It is one of the easiest betting markets to understand and one of the most popular betting markets in the UK.
There doesn’t need to be a whole lot of research done to lock in your predictions. You can find basic research information like recent form, league standings, head to head, injuries, key players involved, etc.
This market can be used on both betting exchanges and traditional bookmaker sites. You can take a look at our best bookmakers that we recommend, as well as the best bookmakers for free bets.
Disadvantages of the Over/ Under 2.5 Goals Betting Market
Despite this being a market that we would recommend to bettors when in search of a selection to make at a bookie, there is a slight disadvantage to it.
If you look at the betting odds for this market, they typically are very low. You have to remember that many bookmakers also do their due diligence to calculate the likelihood of every outcome on specific fixtures.
Therefore, unless you add many of these selection types to an accumulator bet or perhaps you use an incredibly high betting stake, you may not see the highest of returns, certainly now in comparison to other markets.
Also, the bet is only valid in normal time. If the two teams end up going into extra time, then the bet will end on whatever the score was after 90 minutes plus injury time/ stoppage time.
How To Place an Over/ Under 2.5 Goals Bet
Here is our quick and easy step-by-step guide to placing your own over/under 2.5 goals bet prediction.
- Head over to your bookmaker and log in, or sign up with a new betting site. Preferably choose one with the best odds.
- Enter the football betting market and choose a match/ matches that you want to bet on.
- Locate the Total Goals market, or Under/ Over 2.5 goals markets and select the odds for whichever one you think will be correct.
- Enter your betting stake and confirm your bet.
Which Bookmakers Offer Under 2.5 Goals In Football Betting?
Most bookmakers, in fact all bookmakers will have total goals markets, or under/ over markets as they are more commonly called. You don’t need to worry in that respect, what does need to be considered are the other aspects which are going to affect both risk and profits. You want your bets to be as profitable as possible.
So aside from predicting the number of goals and trying to bank a winner, look at aspects such as betting bonuses, betting odds, other betting markets available and much more. For example, you could choose a betting site that offers a new customer free bet when you sign up, then you could use this free bet on the total goals market. This would mean that you could not only bet risk free but make a profit without wagering any money!
Total Goals Betting Tips
Our team of experts have uncovered the most important and influential factors to help you achieve that winning feeling. If you plan to bet on under 2.5 goals or bet on over 2.5 goals, you’re going to want to know these betting tips.
Check Previous Head-to-Head Fixtures
Football betting is never straightforward, the team you want to win or think will win may not. To give yourself the best chance of choosing the correct teams that games that will consist of more goals or less goals than 3, depending on what you need, you need to monitor the head to head fixtures of the clubs involved in the fixture.
Look at the total number of goals when the teams have met previously. What can you expect to happen? Have they typically been high scores or low scores? This will give you a better indication into what you should put on your betting slip.
Analyse Recent Form
If the teams are in bad form, then asking for 3 goals scored might be too much to ask for. It might be a game decided simply by one goal, in which case an under 2.5 goals scored bet would be successful.
Looking at how teams have been playing in the last 5 games would be a good benchmark. Have they been playing well? What has been the number of goals scored? What was the final score?
Check the News
You should keep on top of the latest news in regards to the teams, this will help you to avoid a betting mistake. Are there any injuries to be aware of? Anything that could possibly unsettle a team and make them perform differently to what you should typically expect?
Analyse The Average Goals Per Game
The average goals per game is always a good indication for whether over or under 2.5 goals is likely. If a team averages 1.5 goals per game, then the likelihood of them scoring three or more goals by the time the match finished is very unlikely.
Over/ Under 2.5 Goals Meaning FAQs
Why is it 2.5 goals, a team cannot score half a goal?
The .5 goal is just a marker to avoid confusion. It allows punters to understand that 3 goals in a game is over 2.5 and 2 goals in a match is under 2.5 goals.
What Sport Can I Use This Market On?
This market applies to football betting. We recommend betting on the most popular leagues such as the premier league.
Can I Use This For In-Play Betting?
Yes, the 2.5 goals market is available when in play betting.
What Does Over 2.5 goals mean?
It means there needs to be 3 goals scored or more. So less than 3 goals would not work.
What Does Under 2.5 Goals Mean?
It means less than 3 goals need to be scored.
