How Soon Before a Football Game Should You Dive Into Analysis?

Match analysis is a must for everyone who is passionate about football betting. While most football analysis focuses on past matches, bettors have to do with a different type of analysis – they try to analyze upcoming matches in order to predict an event.

There are many tools that can aid the bettor in the process of analysis, things like statistics, match previews, predictions and so on. One useful resource is a football prediction from ClubSport, where the reader is offered possible bets and the reasoning behind them. These tools can offer great support in making the analysis more accurate and thus increasing the winning chances.

Another key aspect of analysis is time, namely how long before the kick-off should the bettor delve into the details of the match. This article is meant to offer an answer that could enhance the punter’s expertise and analysis.

First-Stage Analysis: 2-3 Days Before the Match

The first stage of the analysis should also be the most exhaustive one. Ideally two or three days before the match, the bettor should look into the statistics that concern the two teams set to go head to head.

At this stage, the punter might look at stats like head-to-head results, goals scored per game, goals conceded per game, number of clean sheets and so on. More advanced stats would include things like expected goals (xG) per game and expected goals allowed per game. It is also useful to analyse the recent form by looking at the teams’ recent five to seven matches.

Because many clubs, especially the big ones, almost all play twice per week, it is impossible to do this kind of analysis earlier. This kind of deep dive requires more effort, and two-to-three days in advance is the perfect time for it.

It is at this stage that the bettor may decide on the kind of bet they will place once the matchday comes. Or at least make a list of possible bets and pick the best-suited one when the game is about to start.

Second-Stage Analysis: On Matchday

The second stage of the analysis is also important. While it is not meant to be as information-heavy as the first one, it is nonetheless a key step in the decision-making process.

Early on matchday, the punter may want to read the latest news and see if there will be starting players missing on either side. Injuries may happen during the last training before matchday, or somebody may wake up with a fever, and that is why it is important to be up to date on the matchday squads of the two teams.

During this stage, it is also advisable to read a couple of previews from reputable sources. The previews will include the latest squad news, an analysis of the recent form and a predicted result. This knowledge can be used to assess a bettor’s own analysis and test their expectations against the expectations of analysts and experts.

Final Assessment: One Hour Before the Game

The shortest and quickest type of analysis should happen an hour before the game when the line-ups for the match are made available. Yet it is a crucial step in deciding whether to go ahead with the bet or which option exactly to choose.

Sometimes players may pick up injuries during warm-up and thus the team may be left without their main goal scorer or defensive leader. Alternatively, a coach may decide to rest some of his disciples without announcing it prior to the game. And, of course, there are instances in which managers decide to come out with an unexpected experiment to confuse the opposition. But these experiments can also confuse the bettors, because it is impossible to predict what is on the mind of a coach. 

So, to sum up, there is no short answer to the question of when the punter should dive into match analysis. Ideally, this analysis would happen in three stages and can start two-to-three days before the game. At the same time, it is important to be up to date with the latest development and read the news and previews early on matchday. Finally, the ultimate decision should be taken based on the actual line-ups that are out for the match, and they become available only one hour before the kick-off.