We know that Europe is the home of football but, for now, those leagues are done and the players are heading off for some much-needed rest.
As punters though, we still want some footballing action to bet on. Where can you get that betting fix until the return of the big five? Here we look to answer that very question.
Norway’s Eliteserien
The first league we’re going to look at that could deliver your football betting fix is Norway’s top flight, the Eliteserien. The league is only a handful of games old, which means it will be on your screens for a while to come yet with the end of the campaign not until mid-November.
In terms of the structure of the league, the top end is pretty bog-standard in that the team with the most points all games (30) have been played is the Champion. At the bottom, whether or not it’s normal to you will depend on which of the big five leagues you watch. Three teams are relegated – just like the English Premier League – but it’s not just the bottom three that’s drop. The two worst-performing clubs are gone. The third bottom, however, plays off against a team in the second tier to decide who will play in the Eliteserien again.
Now you know the structure of the game, who are the key teams to watch out for? Bodo/Glimt are the current title holders but they’re already 10 points off the pace behind leaders Lillestrom; they’re unbeaten from nine games played. If you still fancy Bodo to reconquer the title, it’s a long shot but you can find the odds for it here: https://www.bovada.lv/
Another side worth watching is Rosenborg; they are the most decorated club in Norway whilst Molde and Viking are no fools either. The bottom of the table is tight at the moment with the exception of Kristiansund; from seven games so far, they’ve taken just the solitary point.
Head stateside for the MLS
It’s quite a change of pace from the Norwegian league but the MLS is an ever-evolving league that deserves a bit more attention. The format of the competition might be near to mind-blowing for those that have never paid attention outside of Europe but it’s a pretty common structure in American sport and South American football.
The competition is split into two halves with each league winner being awarded a ‘winners’ trophy. What follows though is a slightly different thing for most European-based fans. Rather than end with league winners, the pool of teams gets reduced and pushed into a playoff-style run of fixtures. This will filter through teams in a knockout-style tournament until two teams are left to do battle for the outright crown.
Where the MLS is concerned, we’ll stay away from the teams to back and instead throw out a few names that might pique your interest. The obvious comes down in Miami with David Beckham’s Inter Miami outfit; they’re bossed by Phil Neville and there is a Beckham/Neville junior mix-up in the feeder club too. As for the wider league, Valentín Castellanos of New York is an intriguing talent with 16 goal contributions from as many games so far this season.
Jesus Ferreira though leads the MLS scoring charts for Dallas with nine goals to his name. A big name from European football that is still playing in the States is Javier Hernandez. The MLS season ends in October.
The Egyptian Premier League is stacked with storylines
The Egyptian Premier League isn’t one that will immediately jump off the page as being interesting but they’re currently around halfway through their campaign and the league is finely balanced in a variety of places. That makes it a good ground for football betting. There are arguably four sides – but definitely three – in the race for the league title with Zamalek and Al Ahly perhaps the key duo battling it out right now. Ironically, it was those two who ended last season as the standout pair in the league; Zamalek won the title.
Down at the other end of the league, there are just six points separating five teams, which could become even tighter owing to the bottom side – Eastern Company – having a game in hand over a few of the teams in and around them. Then, in the middle of the pack, there is little between any of the teams and any string of positive results could see teams drive towards the upper region of the standings.
As for how the league works, it’s very simple. The champion is determined by the team that earns the most points; the bottom trio of teams drop into the second division where they are replaced by three promoted sides. Finally, a couple of key players to watch include Zamalek’s 26-year-old winger Zizo, who has 11 goals and five assists from 17 league games and Ali Maaloul of Al Ahly; the 32-year-old full back has a goal contribution for every 103 minutes of action!
There you have it, three leagues that can sustain your football betting fix whilst Europe’s big five are in the off-season.
