Football Predictions For The Week

| October 2, 2011

Predicting how football matches will go is arguably among the hardest endeavours, although it is tempting to believe that with just three results possible, one should be able to make an intelligent guess, more often than not.

Take a look at bookmakers’ odds, for instance. With money riding on the result of a sporting encounter, professional bookies use mathematical algorithms to work out odds on teams to ensure that their risks are hedged. These odds change as a match progresses; a goal by either side would tilt the odds in favour of said team.

The general assumption is that because “bookies put their money where their mouth is”, gambling information and statistics represent a fair approximation of the relative strengths of teams in the fray.

If you are looking for predictions on the results of this week’s football matches featuring your favourite teams, take a look at the following table. (Note: These predictions do not include matches in the English Premier League; to read our predictions on these matches, click on the Predictions link above this article.)

Important: To find the information you seek, even more quickly, enter the names of your teams, in the search bar above the table.

DateEventHomeAwayPredicted winner
8/5/2012Russian Premier LeagueCSKA MoscowKubanCSKA Moscow
9/5/2012UEFA Europa LeagueAtletico MadridAthletic BilbaoAtletico Madrid
9/5/2012English ChampionshipBirminghamBlackpoolBirmingham
10/5/2012German BundesligaHertha BerlinFortuna DusseldorfHertha Berlin
10/5/2012Dutch ErediviseNEC NijmegenVitesseNEC Nijmegen
10/5/2012Dutch ErediviseWillem IISparta RotterdamWillem II
10/5/2012Dutch ErediviseHelmond SportFC EindhovenHelmond Sport
10/5/2012Dutch ErediviseRKC WaalWijkTwenteTwente
11/5/2012English League 1StevenageSheff UtdDraw
12/5/2012English League 1MK DonsHuddersfieldMK Dons
12/5/2012Spanish La LigaReal SociedadValenciaDraw
13/5/2012Spanish La LigaReal MadridMallorcaReal Madrid
13/5/2012Spanish La LigaEspanyolSevillaDraw
13/5/2012Spanish La LigaGetafeZaragozaZaragoza
13/5/2012Spanish La LigaRayo VallecanoGranadaRayo Vallecano
13/5/2012Spanish La LigaMalagaSporting GijonMalaga
13/5/2012Spanish La LigaRacing SantanderOsasunaOsasuna
13/5/2012Spanish La LigaLevanteAthletic BilbaoLevante
13/5/2012Spanish La LigaVillarrealAtletico MadridDraw

But these statistics also get skewed a little when on the weight of their own information they attract bets for a particular team. In direct proportion to the number of bets placed, the odds on a particular team get skewed in said team’s favour to the extent that it no longer resembles the odds compiled using the original algorithm.

Thus crowd favourites such as, for instance, Barcelona FC, are likely to attract odds that are more favourable to them than their current form would suggest, and these odds in their turn are likely to persuade impartial bettors to wager their money on the team.

Bookmakers are not unduly perturbed by such skewing; in fact, they stand to earn more if bets placed show a disproportionate bias in favour of a player or team that is unlikely to win, on a particular day.

At the end of the day, nothing prevents every bookie site from assuring you that the algorithm they use is better than any competitor’s. Typically, such sites run down competitors’ sites with words of wisdom on the following lines:

“When it comes to making football picks most pro football handicappers & sports betting experts get stuffed at the goal line, because they use XYZ gambling info & ABC betting stats already factored into DEF pro football lines when determining their XYZ football picks & predictions each week…”

Disclaimer: At Sportingattitude.com, we do not make any claim as to the accuracy of our predictions. We advocate responsible betting; if you chose to gamble on the basis of these predictions, you would be doing so at your sole risk and responsibility.

Tags: , , ,

Category: Football, Predictions

About the Author (Author Profile)

Jinxatious is the Chief Editor of SportingAttitude.com
An avid writer, on an eclectic range of subjects, he brings to bear editorial experience garnered with a national newspaper in South-East Asia. He also has sportscasting experience, as a cricket commentator, and his passion for sport extends beyond Cricket, to Football, Tennis, and Olympic Sports.