Whether they come at the last minute or just seconds after a ball has been kicked for the first time, all goals are of equal importance. There’s no doubt that those struck at the beginning of the game are more emotional than goals scored in the opening five or ten minutes – but the fact remains that all goals award one point to the attacking team. The time at which a goal is earned is, for the most part, irrelevant.
What Are The Early Goal and Late Goal Betting Markets?
The early goal and late goal betting markets allow you to place bets on a goal being scored in the first 25-30 minutes and the final 25-30 minutes of a football match.
In addition, some bookies provide odds on ‘No Goals’ being scored. Like its ‘Goals’ counterpart, you’ll only be paid if both sides score or fail to score a goal during the allocated timeframe. For example, let’s say a Goal/No Goal takes place from minutes 45-75 and no later, and You have a bet on either selection from minutes 75-90. Should a goal go in during the final 15 minutes of the affair and you have a ‘Goal’ wager placed, you win. If no further goals are awarded in this time, bets on ‘No Goals’ win.
The timescales published by bookies will vary depending on the fixture in question. Here’s an example that demonstrates such variations:
- Bet365 are offering ‘Early Goal’ and ‘No Early Goal’ before minute 25:00 in a game between Belgium and Wales.
- Bet365 are offering ‘Early Goal’ and ‘No Early Goal’ before minute 32:00 in a game between Croatia and Denmark.
It’s the same market, yet the available timeframes are very different. The same applies in the ‘Late Goal’ department, as shown below.
- Bet365 are offering ‘Late Goal’ and ‘No Late Goal’ after minute 74:59 in a game involving France and Austria.
- Bet365 are also offering ‘Late Goal’ and ‘No Late Goal’ after minute 73:59 in a game between Poland and the Netherlands.
As you can see, there are slight differences in how the market operates depending on the match.
What Does ‘Early & Late Goals’ Mean?
According to William Hill, this market can be described as the following:
William Hill’s Description
Predict whether a goal will be scored within the specified time period of the match.
In relation to ‘Early & Late Goals’, this means that only goals scored in a specified time period either early or late in the game will count towards winning bets. The same is true for bets under ‘No Early/Late Goal’.
Terminology Explained For Early & Late Goals Betting
As discussed earlier, a goal is a goal. No matter the time it is scored, the point is awarded equally whether it’s the first minute, 31st minute, or the 91st minute. The only differences between goals are the time at which they’re scored, as well as the method utilized by the team to score.
Having said this, it’s still important to know the ins and outs of the terminology concerning the ‘Early & Late Goals’ betting market. Learning what the market means can open up a whole new world of understanding this type of bet and should go a long way towards influencing winning punts in the future.
‘Early Goals’ are goals that have been scored near the beginning of the football match. They always come before halftime, and most sportsbooks offer odds on selections prior to minute 35:00. Between minutes 35:00 and 70:00 are generally considered to be the ‘middle of the game’, so you will rarely – if ever – find bets on ‘Early Goal’ following the first 35 minutes. When a goal is awarded to a team within the band that constitutes an ‘Early Goal’, wagers on this selection will earn returns.
Similarly, ‘Late Goals’ are scored in the final third of a matchup. Most bookies offer odds on this market after minute 70:00, but you may see some games where prices are available dipping into the late-60s (ie, 68:00). Bets on this selection are winners when a goal is scored after the specified time.
‘No Early/Late Goal’ is a great betting market for games where you believe an early or a late goal is unlikely to be scored. This is essentially the same market as ‘Early Goal’ and ‘Late Goal’, in that you’re betting on a goals market set between specific timescales – but with a twist. Rather than betting on a goal being scored, you’re betting on a goal not to be scored. As a result, you’ll win a bet on this selection if both teams fail to score early or late in the game.
Strategy & Tips For Early & Late Goals Betting
Such is the simplicity of this market, there is very little to discuss when it comes to strategy. You can only prepare so much for this type of bet. Therefore, we recommend doing one thing and one thing only: analysing when teams score goals.
Do they tend to strike within the opening ten minutes? Do both sides have a habit of making a fight of it late on in the day? Has either outfit shown a tendency to take more shots the later the game goes on? To be precise, this is the question you should ask yourself before diving into a bet on this market:
- Does this fixture expect early or late goals?
If you notice a pattern where either of the two sides scores before minute 25:00, then place a bet on that selection if the odds are worthy of your money. Should you discover a spike in late goals over the last few weeks when these two clubs have taken to the field? Stick your wager on a ‘Late Goal’ to be scored. It’s as simple as it sounds and does not need to be made complicated by over-analyzing unnecessary and irrelevant statistics.
It can be difficult to predict whether a goal will be scored in an entire match, so the difficulty in betting on the specific timeframe in which a goal is earned is even more pronounced. Find a trend, put it to the test. This is your best bet in terms of finding a winning formula.
And don’t neglect ‘No Early/Late Goal’ selections, either. Some teams go on horrific runs of form where they can’t score for hundreds of minutes. Moreover, there are sides that wilt at the end of games or simply cannot get going at the start. You need to take advantage of these sides by placing a stake on the ‘No Goal’ section of this market type.
To wrap up:
- Bet on the ‘Early Goal’ market when you see teams that regularly hit the net in the opening few minutes.
- Bet on the ‘Late Goal’ market when you notice teams that often score late in the day.
- Bet on the ‘No Early/Late Goal’ options when teams hit a rough patch.
Best Bookies/Odds For Early & Late Goals
Bookmakers are growing in numbers every year, with tonnes of businesses hoping to compete with the big dogs. The truth is that most popular bookies are oft-used for a reason. They’re just better.
And that applies to this market. The best bookmakers on our radar offer competitive prices for a wide range of selections, which comes as no surprise. Here is a list of our favourite bookies that provide customers with a plethora of fantastic selections and odds for the ‘Early & Late Goals’ betting market.
- Bet365 – Widest selection of timeframes and odds
- William Hill – Offers a vast array of timeframes to bet on
- SkyBet – Good prices when the market is available
Of these three, there’s no doubt that Bet365 offers the best experience for bets on this market. William Hill’s prices are usually acceptable, if a little below the industry standard, while SkyBet doesn’t always publish this market for popular games. The clear winner here is the one with the widest selection of in-game timescales and the most rewarding odds – Bet365.
