I've spent over 20 years inside the betting industry. I'll guide you to avoid the hype, ignore the noise, and steer clear of the common pitfalls that catch out everyday punters.
January 1st Football Favourites
We took a look at the best odds from the best bookmakers for football on the 1st of January 2022 (ahead of the New Year Games).
We wanted to see how many of the short-priced favourites went on to win their national football Championship.
As you can see most are very short with the biggest priced odds those of Linfield (2.75) in Northern Ireland who are battling it out with Glentoran and Cliftonville with 20 games played.
The next biggest is Rotherham (2.5) who have even more top-of-the-table rivals, Sunderland, Wigan, Plymouth, and Wycombe are hot on the Miller's heels.
- How many of these shorties will win their title?
- How many of the teams would you lay?
- A £1 Acca on the top 10 prices would return just under £250
- We will follow the teams throughout the rest of the season and update the changing betting odds from all the leading bookmakers.
- Pink means the odds are getting bigger
| Country | Favourite | Betting Odds 1st January 2022 | Betting Odds February 1st 2022 | Betting Odds March 17th 2022 | Betting Odds April 8th 2022 | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | Manchester City | 1.17 | 1.14 | 1.53 | 1.54 | Champions |
| England (Championship) | Fulham | 1.8 | 1.25 | 1.05 | 1.02 | Champions |
| England (League 1) | Rotherham | 2.5 | 1.91 | 1.65 | 3.0 | 2nd |
| England (League 2) | Forest Green | 1.61 | 1.13 | 1.17 | 1.06 | Champions |
| Scotland | Glasgow Rangers | 1.52 | 2.0 | 3.5 | 12.0 | 2nd |
| France | PSG | 1.06 | 1.01 | 1.01 | 1.01 | Champions |
| Spain | Real Madrid | 1.13 | 1.13 | 1.04 | 1.05 | Champions |
| Italy | Inter Milan | 1.37 | 1.25 | 2.38 | 2.25 | 2nd |
| Germany | Bayern Munich | 1.04 | 1.03 | 1.05 | 1.01 | Champions |
| Austria | FC Salzburg | 1.01 | 1.001 | 1.002 | 1.001 | Champions |
| Czech Republic | Slavia Prague | 1.62 | 1.62 | 2.2 | 1.75 | Champions |
| Denmark | FC Midtjylland | 1.85 | 1.8 | 3.2 | 4.25 | 2nd |
| Finland | HJK Helsinki | 1.06 | 1.06 | Champions | ||
| Greece | Olympiakos | 1.05 | 1.05 | 1001.00 | 1001.00 | Champions |
| Netherlands | Ajax | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | Champions |
| Northern Ireland | Linfield | 2.75 | 2.1 | 1.91 | 1.67 | 1.17 |
| Norway | Molde | 1.33 | 1.33 | 1.33 | 1.33 | 2nd |
| Poland | Legia Warsaw | 1.62 | 1.62 | 1.62 | 1.62 | Lost |
| Romania | CFR Cluj | 1.15 | 1.02 | 1.06 | 1.07 | Champions |
| Russia | Zenit St Petersburg | 1.33 | 1.33 | 1.33 | 1.33 | Champions |
| Sweden | Malmo | 1.57 | 1.57 | 1.57 | 1.83 | Champions |
| Turkey | Trabzonspor | 1.11 | 1.05 | 1.0 | 1.0 | Champions |
In the major cup competitions, the bookmaker odds are way more generous.
When backing some of these prices you will have the ability to trade out on a betting exchange if that team progresses.
For example Algeria at 7.0, were they to impress in their group matches in the African Cup of Nations and win all three games and then get an easyish draw you could be looking at say 3/1.
Obviously, if one of the favs stutters and gets knocked out you will not be able to get out of the bet with a profit.
Backing all these favourites in a football accumulator would be fraught with risks and they are unlikely to all come in but would be a return of around 140K for your £1.
| Competition | Favourite | Betting Odds January 1st 2022 | Betting Odds February 1st 2022 | Betting Odds 17th March 2022 | Betting Odds April 8th 2022 | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Cup | Brazil | 6.5 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 6.0 | |
| African Nations Cup | Algeria | 7.0 | Knocked Out | |||
| Champions League | Manchester City | 4.0 | 3.8 | 3.0 | 3.0 | Knocked Out |
| Europa League | Borussia Dortmund | 6.5 | Knocked Out | |||
| Europa Conference League | Roma | 8.0 | 8.0 | 6.5 | 6.5 | Won |
| FA Cup | Manchester City | 4.5 | 3.75 | 2.75 | 2.62 | Knocked Out |
| Carabao Cup | Liverpool | 3.0 | Won |
Please check back at the beginning of each month when the prices will be updated, it will be interesting to see how these teams get on.
