Over 3.5 Goals Meaning & Betting Strategy

Goals goals goals. They are the main thing we all watch football for, the reason your club has just wasted another £Xm on another number nine, and probably the thing that delivers us the best feeling in the world. 

It's also a key component of several football bets and one of the most popular markets for punters on Betfred. The concept is pretty simple, but to explain it here at Betfred Insights Education we have put together this explainer article on over 3.5 Goals Meaning & Betting Strategy.

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New customers only. Deposit via Debit Card & place first bet £10+ (1/1+) on Sports in 7 days. £30 Sports & £20 Acca Free Bets within 10 hrs of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility, payment excl. & T&Cs Apply.

What is over/under 3.5 goals betting?

Easy enough. This market allows the punter to gamble on whether a match will see the two teams collectively exceed (over) or fail to reach (under) 3.5 goals.

For example, if you select over for the match in question, the game needs to produce at least four goals. So the likes of 3-1, 4-0 and 2-2 would be settled as winners.

And if you choose under, there can only be a maximum of three goals in the game so winning scorelines would include 0-0, 2-1, 1-0 and 2-0.

Similar to betting on both teams to score, this allows punters to seek a bet on the goals of the game without the pressure of the outcome of the match itself.

What are the advantages/strategy for over 3.5 goals betting?

The main advantage of betting on over/under 3.5 goals is the simplicity of it, which is akin to that of the both teams to score market.

It also allows you to take into account the strength of both attacks, without having to rely on predicting the correct match result, which can often be difficult - decided by a late goal or an error. In this market, every goal counts and you can just sit back and hope they roll in.

For a neutral, this is a great market to get involved in and unlike over/under 1.5 goals or over/under 2.5 goals - with the latter often being the common benchmark, over 3.5 goals provides bigger odds and could lead to bigger winners.

If you manage to land a over/under 3.5 goals accumulator, you are likely to be rewarded with a big win based on how many selections you go for. The big advantages are the value, and the fact that you don't need to nail the correct result or goalscorers to land a potential winner.

When it comes to strategy for choosing games to back for over/under 3.5 goals, you should do your research. The form guide for both teams both home and away is worth exploring to see just how frequently they have been involved in games that have produced either three-plus goals or fewer than three.

Recent records can also give you an idea of each side's form heading into the fixture. The home team may be on a run of failing to score in front of their own fans, or their striker may have hit a dry spell or a purple patch. Perhaps a team that scores plenty at home sets up incredibly defensively on the road. All of these factors are worth considering and usually you can find patterns by looking at their recent results, or even diving deeper and taking a look at the underlying xG numbers.

It's also worth having a quick glance at the latest team news just to make sure the key forwards are fit to play in your selected match. We have a wide range of previews featuring team news on Betfred Insights so check out our website for the latest up-to-date information. If a star striker is out, a team that scores a lot of goals may not be as fluid as they usually are, so it is worth just making sure they are fit and firing.

The same applies for if a team is missing a key defender or goalkeeper. It is worth waiting until the two managers for each team have had their press conferences as they will sometimes confirm whether a player is out, which will assist the bettor in deciding whether over/under 3.5 goals is the smarter play.

Over/under 3.5 goals should be available to back in every game on Betfred, and it's a simple market for new punters to get stuck into. With the new football season coming up, it's a chance for you to do your research and try and back a winner.

For more information, check out How to Bet on Football Online with Betfred

You can check out all our latest Football Betting Odds on the market page at betfred.com