Betting on both teams to score in a football match has become very popular with punters of all abilities over the last few years. Many betting companies now offer coupons, special offers and incentives related to this market which is sometimes referred to a Goals Galore.

Just like standard win, lose or draw bets, Goals galore predictions can be made on a single game or on two or more selections as part of a multi-bet coupon. The outcome of the bet is not certain until the final whistle of the game, which is one of the main reasons that these types of bet are so popular. No matter how many goals one team has scored, it only takes a single goal from the other side for the bet to pay out.

For the casual punter, BTTS bets can add an extra element of excitement to any match. For the more serious punter, they represent yet another opportunity to gain an advantage by researching trends in the market.

How to bet on both teams to score

First we have to do our research and decide which teams to back. If we look at the 2013/14 Premier League season we notice that both teams scored in 73.7% of Liverpool’s away games. This indicates that Liverpool were likely to score and concede goals when playing away from Anfield in that season. When Fulham played at home both teams also scored in 73.7% of the matches. It therefore makes sense to assume that the game between Fulham and Liverpool at Craven Cottage that season would have been a good contender for a BTTS bet.

Bet example 1:

Game: 12-2-2014 Fulham v Liverpool

Bet: both teams to score

Result: Fulham 2-3 Liverpool – win

In this example, the high percentage for both teams meant that the outcome was very likely and sure enough, the bet paid out.

As a general rule, if both teams have a percentage of over 65% for their respective home or away matches, then the bet is worth considering. When the combined percentage of both teams exceeds 140% then the result becomes very likely.

Apart from the two teams mentioned, the Premier League did not provide too many of these opportunities in the 2013/14 season. So let’s take a look at La Liga in Spain and see how that compared.

If we apply the criteria above and separate the teams with a high ratio at home from those with a high ratio away, we see that there were some good opportunities for Goals Galore betting in the Spanish top flight.

Spanish teams with a BTTS score ratio of 65% or higher when playing at home in the 2013/14 season:

Athletic Bilbao 68.4%

Valencia 68.4%

Villarreal 68.4%

Spanish teams with a BTTS score ratio of 65% or higher when playing away in the 2013/14 season:

Sevilla 73.7%

Real Sociedad 68.4%

Now we have our two groups, let’s look at the actual head to head results between these teams.

Bet results:

27-04-2014: Athletic Bilbao 3 – 1 Sevilla -win

11-05-2014: Athletic Bilbao 1 – 1 Real Sociedad – win

22-09-2013: Valencia 3 – 1 Sevilla – win

19-10-2013: Valencia 1 – 2 Real Sociedad – win

21-12-2013: Villarreal 1 – 2 Sevilla – win

13-01-2014: Villarreal 5 – 1 Real Sociedad – win

So by applying our criteria to every team in the Spanish league last season, we get a 100% strike rate. The odds won’t be huge on these types of bet but with these kinds of results, that does not matter.

Of course, you will need a decent sample size to get accurate figures and it can often be worth waiting at least six games into the season before identifying opportunities.

Which leagues are best for BTTS betting?

It is important to do your own research so that you can bet with total confidence. By doing so, you will start to notice some patterns appearing. Certain leagues will be better than others for certain markets. For example: In the top tier of European football, the German and Spanish leagues tend to provide more BTTS betting opportunities than the English and Italian leagues.

If you are more adventurous, you can research the lower leagues and find teams that score and concede on a regular basis. Once you have chosen your games, make sure your track down the best odds by checking all the betting sites before placing your bets. You can place single bets or combine them in an accumulator; many bookmakers have ready-made coupons for these types of bets.