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Why 0-0 Is the Most Important Championship Stat in 2017/2018
It seems like basic common sense that those betting on football should always use statistics to give them the best chance of landing a win. Obviously, that’s not always the case, with plenty of punters ‘betting with their hearts’ rather than their heads.
However, some statistics can offer such a stark insight into the trends of a team, league or country that they should not be ignored. One such trend that has become apparent recently is the number of 0-0 score lines in the Sky Bet EFL Championship this season.
Betting on the correct score is certainly one of the most common bets for football punters, especially if they are watching the game live. However, it is human nature not to back a stalemate in these instances, because the spectator naturally wants to see a few goals in the game. Being smart about how you use football statistics really could help you line your pocket.
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Championship could be set for record number of stalemates this season:
Breaking down the results so far this season in the Championship, after each team has played 28 games, we can see that there have been 33 instances of 0-0 this year. That represents approximately 10% of the 336 matches played so far in the 2017/18 EFL Championship season.
While that may not seem so remarkable at first glance, it is worth noting that only 34 games in the entire 2016/17 season ended up finishing 0-0. So, with 216 games remaining in the Championship this year, the teams are well on course to almost double last season’s total number of stalemates.
How this can be applied to football betting:
Taking note of these trend changes is important for betting. The average odds for an EFL Championship match to finish 0-0 normally come in around 8/1, although this can fluctuate depending on which teams are involved. In short, there has been potentially a healthy profit made by punters backing that scoreline in the Championship this season compared to last.
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Certain teams, of course, have a greater propensity towards 0-0 draws than others. This season Millwall have had five 0-0 draws from their 28 games so far. That represents around 18% of all games played by Millwall. Compare that to, say, Nottingham Forest, who have only drawn one of their 28 games (4%) so far this season.
Punters should combine research with promotions:
The point to be made here is that the use of detailed statistics, while not guaranteeing a fool-proof way to predict any result in a football game, can lead to a clearer picture for a punter. Indeed, the savviest punters complement their statistical research with the use of promos.
These trends are always worth following, even if it is to see whether it is something of a statistical anomaly in a single season or something that demonstrates a cultural shift in the way football is played in a particular league or country. For example, Italy’s Serie A used to be famed for its low-scoring, catenaccio football which yielded plenty of 0-0 scorelines, but now is counted among the highest scoring leagues in Europe.
