Football is arguably the best sport for betting action since there are hundreds of leagues and tournaments across the planet. In most sportsbooks, the sport has many markets with varying odds, confusing a large percentage of new bettors.

As a result, most amateurs end up betting for the sake of maintaining the action, in turn, incurring massive losses. This article highlights some things you need to know about football betting before risking your bankroll.

If you are a beginner, it is advisable to set a budget before diving into betting. Many start gambling with the belief that they will make a fortune in a short while. Unfortunately, sports betting is not a get-rich-quick scheme since the outcomes of games are difficult to predict. For that reason, those who don’t limit their expenditure end up losing more.

Real punters view betting as some form of entertainment expense rather than an income stream since many bettors record more losses than wins. Therefore, do not top up your betting account with amounts you’re not ready to lose since it might lead to frustration, stress, and other psychological repercussions.

Top betting platforms have comprehensive responsible gambling policies that guide users on preventing gambling addiction. Additionally, some sportsbooks have advanced tools that help punters limit their budget, time, and even self-exclude.

You should join such sites since you can use the features to limit your deposit amounts and minimize your betting sessions. Also, the self-exclusion tool can help you stay off the platform for some time to prevent time wastage and unnecessary losses.

Although most sportsbooks offer similar markets, their operations are not necessarily the same. Some of them are simply unlicensed offshore companies that do not follow any gambling guidelines. It is risky to deposit money on such platforms since they can easily shut down their operations and disappear with your cash.

Additionally, some illegal websites might collude with cybercriminals and misuse your banking details and personal data. Therefore, only sign up on sportsbooks with valid licenses and physical locations. To ensure you only join legal sites, choose betting sites from this list of safe Nigerian betting sites.

Legit sites adhere to strict regulations to keep users’ data safe, and they take different measures to prevent money laundering and other cybercrimes.

Odds also differ across sportsbooks since each company sets its betting margins. The differences might be small, but they significantly affect the potential payouts, especially when placing multi-bets. You can sign up on various reputable platforms and compare odds during key sporting events. However, you should check the terms before signing up since some betting sites might charge monthly administrative fees if your account is dormant.

Never use psychoactive substances like alcohol or cannabis while gambling because they can affect your mental process and negatively impact your betting decisions. Those who wager while intoxicated tend to have a poor perception of markets. For that reason, they end up making poor selections that can lead to massive losses, especially on sportsbooks that do not limit wager amounts.

While drunk, for example, you might not be patient since you’ll want to win as soon as possible, especially when placing live bets. Rushing things is risky because you might make many mistakes that can reduce your chances of winning.

On the other hand, persons under the influence of drugs might not feel the pain of losing. Therefore, they end up chasing their losses, imagining that they will win all the money back. Such a risky endeavor can lead to a disaster since the individual might top up more funds and continue betting without thinking about the consequences.

Most successful bettors are die-hard followers of specific teams, and they keenly follow major football competitions across the world. Although supporting a club does not guarantee that you’ll win your bets, it makes you watch plenty of matches. With time, you get to know the strengths and weaknesses of various teams, their key rivals, and their style of play. Such info can help you form valid opinions about different clubs or games. Therefore, you’ll be able to use your vast knowledge of the sport to make clear betting decisions.

You should also follow several leagues because it helps you understand different statistics that can potentially affect game outcomes. A player who keeps track of squad changes, injuries, top scorers, and other details can explore more betting markets than nonfans. For instance, you can bet on the possible goal scorer if you know the most talented players on a particular team.

Similarly, you can bet on goals over/under if you understand how each side plays. Lastly, fans tend to analyze a team’s history, its position on the table/standings, or head-to-head encounters. Having accurate statistics when betting is important because you can use the data to identify stronger squads with high confidence levels.

The betting industry has many terms that each gambler needs to know to bet effectively. You can start by researching how odds work because there are different odd formats. For instance, you might encounter decimal or fractional odds on your sportsbook, and you can’t wager if you don’t understand what they represent. It is also essential to master how to calculate possible payouts from a given stake. Such skills can be helpful while comparing the average return rates of different sportsbooks.

To avoid betting blindly, you need to know other things, such as placing different bet types and interpreting different markets. You should learn to stake a single bet, multi-bet, jackpots, virtuals, and other betting options. As a beginner, it is advisable to wager on single matches before advancing to accumulators and jackpots because the latter requires a deep understanding of different leagues.

Also, research the meaning of different markets such as Moneyline, Over/Under, handicap, and other selections. You can use such info to bet wisely and avoid markets that can potentially decimate your bankroll.

Final thoughts

Betting is fun, but wagering without a plan can be disastrous. If you are a beginner, we recommend that you follow our football betting tips to avoid incurring massive losses.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have officially written to FIFA to have their world cup qualifiers game away to Ghana moves to neighboring Benin Republic, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Ghana’s initial venue for the game which is the stadium in Cape Coast is not a good shape for a game of such magnitude after independent day celebration on it.

They plan to move the game to the stadium in Kumasi but that plan too falls outside the FIFA approved window for change of venue meaning a decision can’t be expected to be smooth with the game just eleven days away.

A top source at the NFF told OwnGoalNigeria.com that the football house have already done the needful by applying to FIFA for a change of venue following a report on the state of the pitch by an advanced team of the federation.

“We have sent out findings to FIFA and we also applied for a possible change of venue to Benin Republic which isn’t far from both countries and have a pitch good enough for a game of this magnitude. We are awaiting a response”, he said.

Alhassan Yusuf of Belgium side Antwerp has caught the attention of interim coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Austine Eguavoen, the coach has revealed.

Little known Yusuf has impressed mightily this season following his move from IFK Göteborg of Sweden with three goals and one assists in 23 games in the Jupiler Pro League. He also played 8 games in the Europa League. Four during the qualifiers and four during the group stages.

Eguavoen who said he is looking for a box to box midfielder in the mould of Thompson Oliha or Mutiu Adepoju of the 1994 Super Eagles squad of Nigeria said the 21 year old fits the bill.

He said although he isn’t in the sqaud for the World Cup qualifiers playoff games against Ghana. He will no doubt be in contention for a spot in the team after the games.

“There is a player also in Antwerp. You know Belgium is my home as well , a midfielder in FC Antwerp I have told people to help me check him out as well and to even get me his contact but I only saw him on TV”, he told Elegbete TV.

“I had to travel to Antwerp when the time is right. We will sit down, we will discuss because of the quality I said I am looking for in a midfielder. One of my friend Mark, his name is Mark Clarisse, a Belgium citizen. He is a white guy anyway. He has helped me check the boy out. The boy has that quality that I say I want. So any opportunity I have now I will call him up”, he concluded.

21 year old Adebayo Adeleye has caught the attention of the football community in Israel with his performance for top division side Hapoel Jerusalem following their promotion to the top division.

The former Nigeria U17 goalkeeper and U20 trainee has so far kept goal in 22 games in the league keeping four clean sheets in the process. At a point he was even named as captain of the team for three consecutive games.

However in what happens to be a sharp change in his fortune at the club he has warmed the bench in the last four consecutive games, leading to stories that he has lost his spot as first choice of the team.

Responding to questions on why the goalkepper hasn’t gotten the recognition many think he deserve, interim technical adviser of the Nigerian team Austine Eguavoen says it’s down to the fact that the game against Ghana is a dicey one.

He explained that it’s not wise to throw a goalkeeper into the deep end for a game of such magnitude but did confirm that he knows a lot about the shot stopper as he was the one who first spotted him at Under-17 level.

Hoffenheim defender Kevin Akpoguma is arguably one of the best Nigerian defender at the moment owing to the fact that he has been a regular for his German side who are chasing a UEFA Champions League spot.

However his name was conspicuously missing from the list of players called up for the senior national team of Nigeria ahead of their World Cup qualifiers playoff against Ghana.

Akpoguma has been a part of the Super Eagles and has four caps to his name, the last of which came in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Sierra Leone. He wasn’t selected for the Africa Cup of Nations by Austine Eguavoen who was named as interim coach following the sacking of Rohr who gave the 26 year old his Nigerian debut.

Explaining why he wasn’t in the list for the AFCON and subsequently the sqaud for the game against Ghana, Eguavoen said that the ex Germany youth international was called up as a replacement for the injured Leon Balogun for the AFCON but turned it down.

”Akpoguma was out of the list that went to the African cup of Nations but shortly after the list was released, we still had the opportunity to bring in one or two and then Leon Balogun was hurt and then we summon Akpoguma to come he didn’t. His club now said no”, he told Elegbete TV.

Speaking further he explained that the fact that Akpoguma isn’t in his sqaud doesn’t mean he isn’t a part of his squad anymore as he can still be called up for future games.

“So you see I want people to know that if you are out of a team that does mean you  cannot be recalled that’s the end. I have not watched Akpoguma but I have seen him close a little bit in Lagos and in Benin we went to against Sierra Leone together. Very good player no doubt.

”But I must say I have watched Ekong, Balogun, I have watched Omeruo, I have watched Ajayi and made me say he isn’t ahead of them. Now that Balogun isn’t available, I sent for him, he didn’t come and his club replied that he won’t be coming. That was why I went for Olisa Ndah. A very good young player who isn’t in the list at the moment but he is still in our plans”, he concluded.

Coach of Dutch Eredivisie side Sparta Rotterdam Henk Fraser belives Nigeria international goalkepper Maduka Okoye has shown enough to be listed among the best young goalkeppers in Europe.

Okoye has been excellent since making his top flight debut for Sparta Rotterdam following his free transfer from German side Fortuna Dusseldorf, where he was a part of their youth team set up.

Last season he kept ten clean sheets to stamp his feet as one of the top prospects in the league and in the process became the first choice goalkepper of the senior national team of Nigeria. This season he has four clean sheets.

After watching him keep his second consecutive clean sheet this season following the 1-0 win over Go Ahead Eagles, Fraser says he has shown over time that he is in the bracket of the best young goalkeppers in Europe.

” He has it in him to be the best because his foundation is very grounded. Over time you see his mental strength and development increase and it is helping him. He has done well this season enough to say he is the debate of the best young goalkeppers in Europe at the moment”, he concluded

In the wake of euphoria surrounding the brace scored by Nigeria international forward Victor Osimhen for Napoli in their 2-1 win over Verona, legendary Italian coach Arrigo Sacchi has called for the Nigerian to stay humble..

Osimhen who have been criticized heavily for his lackluster performance in the last three games responded with a well placed header and a side foot effort to help Napoli beat Verona.

The goal took his goal count for the season to 9 in the league from 19 games and as expected sparked talks that he is back to his best form but Sacchi belives he need to stay humble. He noted that he has the quality to be the best in his role.

“He has everything, it all depends on his mentality,” Sacchi said.

“Osimhen must remain humble. Values like humility, enthusiasm, generosity, and passion allow every player to give their best. If the team is dominating, it’s even better because the striker can get more service. Even the most famous actors need help from others.”

The interim technical adviser of the senior national team of Nigeria Austine Eguavoen says they have added another coach to the set up of the team ahead of the World Cup qualifiers playoff against Ghana.

Eguavoen has already had the technical crew which he heads beefed up after the Africa Cup of Nations with the addition of Emmanuel Amuneke who will serve as his first assistant.

Ahead of the game against Ghana, another coach will now join the set up as video analyst according to Eguavoen, he will complement the job currently handled by the duo of  Dr. Terry Eguaoje and Paul Aigbogun. Who were part of his assistants at the AFCON.

” We have a video analyst in Terry and Paul. However there is a guy coming to join us from the United Kingdom. He will assist us in the area is video analysis for the game against Ghana”, Eguavoen told Elegbete TV.

Relatively unknown Nigerian forward Solomon John made the headline in Czech Republic with the third goal for high flying Vlasim in their 3-1 win over Lisen.

20 year old Solomon who was signed from Nigeria football academy Simoiben provoked memories of Nigeria’s football legen Austine Okocha with the manner which he took his goal.

He used his pace to get past his markers with ease before showing clean pairs of heels to get past the goalkepper and scored what is his first goal for the club, who are pushing for promotion to the Czech Republic top division.

John who has trials with French Ligue 1 side Nantes before joining the Czech Republic will be hoping to help second placed Vlasim secure promotion to the top flight. He is also courted by top division sides in same country.

Quick, strong and deadly in front of goal, the club will look to cash in on him sooner rather than later but might decide to hold on to him if they eventually secures promotion to the top division.