When betting on soccer, the home field advantage matters. Teams perform far better on their home pitch than they do on the road. At home, defenses are stronger, more balls find the back of the net, and the fans are very loyal to their hometown sides. When betting on soccer matches, a soccer bettor can bet on the games by way of the point spread or they can do so by betting on the money line. When a bettor plays the point spread, either they accept points or they spot the opposing team points. When betting soccer matches via the money line, either a player pays a premium on their winnings or they get a discount for their winnings. Knowing the details of both point spread betting and money line betting in soccer matches is imperative to knowing which way to bet on the home team.

On average, a home team scores a little over 1.75 goals per game when playing at home. Additionally, the home team surrenders fewer than 1.2 goals per game on average. This stat shows that the average soccer team has an edge of just over .5 goals per game when playing at home.

For example, suppose the Bolton Wanderers plays at home against Arsenal FC. The money line might look something like the following:

Bolton Wanderers +175

Arsenal FC -222

This means that if you bet on the Wanderers to win at home, you will win $175 for every $100 wagered if Bolton defeats Arsenal straight up. Additionally, you look at the soccer odds point spread way of betting and you notice the following line:

Bolton Wanderers +1

Arsenal FC -1

This line suggests that Bolton are being spotted an entire goal at home. As a result, the score line for the purposes of betting starts off with Bolton winning 1-0 against Arsenal. When presented with such a line, how should you bet if you are wanting to wager on the home team? In order to decide how to bet the home team, you should look at the league average for home goals scored compared to home goals conceded. Additionally, you should look over the home team’s record at home before deciding how to bet the home team. Additionally, you should consider similar statistics for the visiting team. In instances where the home team is getting points and the number of goals they receive are greater than the average difference in goals scored vs. conceded in both the league and the individual team’s average, you should take the points at home when you like the home team to win. If the home team is giving up points, or the points given to the home team are less than the team and league averages, you are best served betting the money line on the home team.