This article is being inspired by the current pre-season (2024/2025) matches that I’ve seen unbelievable results and it all takes my mind back to when I started betting on sport.
When I first started betting, I made a mistake that many new punters fall into: I bet on friendly matches.
Not just one or two, I made a habit of it. I thought I was being smart, analyzing form, checking head-to-head stats, reading team news like most punters do.
But time and time again, those bets ended in frustration. A top-tier team would lose to some underdog I’d barely heard of… or a “guaranteed win” would finish 0–0. At first, I was confused. Then it hit me:
Friendlies Are for Coaches, Not for Winners
Let me put it plainly: Friendly games are not designed to be competitive — they’re designed to be experimental. If you go to flashscore.mobi you’ll see a lot of such fixtures in this time of the year.
When a coach lines up his team in a friendly, his priority isn’t winning. It’s testing. Tweaking. Trying things out.
Here’s what most coaches are thinking in a friendly:
- “Let’s try a new formation today.” Very often coaches try this in friendlies.
- “Let’s give the benchwarmers some minutes.”
- “Let’s ease the star players back from injury.”
- “Let’s see how the new guy plays at right back, even if he’s a winger.”
In other words: They’re rehearsing, not performing.
So while you — the bettor — are expecting results, the team is just out there going through the motions, trying to get sharp or test ideas. There’re many reasons why betting on friendly games is such a bad idea.
The Bettor’s Pain: When a Big Club Lets You Down
If you’ve ever bet on a “big team” during a friendly, you know the pain. You see the name: Barcelona, Man City, Bayern.
You think: “This should be a walk in the park.”
Then they draw 1–1 with a club you’ve never seen on TV. Why? Because you cared about the win. They didn’t.
They made 8 substitutions. Their star striker played 30 minutes. The manager told them before the game: “Let’s keep it light, no injuries, focus on passing drills.”
Meanwhile, you’re yelling at the screen like it’s the Champions League Final.
Friendlies = Chaos for Betting
Let me give it to you straight:
- Form doesn’t count.
- Stats don’t hold up.
- Motivation is unknown.
- Lineups are unpredictable.
In fact, everything we normally use to make smart bets becomes useless in a friendly. You can read that again.
Why I Now Skip Friendlies Completely
After a few too many losses, I set a hard rule: No betting on friendlies. Ever. I don’t care if Real Madrid is playing a team from the second division. I don’t care if the odds look like a gift from heaven. Because I’ve learned the hard way: friendlies are not about winning — they’re about preparing.
Unless you’ve got confirmed lineups, insider info from the training ground, or a hotline to the coach, you’re just guessing.
And betting shouldn’t be guessing.
My Advice to Serious Sports Bettors
If you want to bet smart and protect your bankroll, take this one to heart: Friendlies are for fans and coaches — not for punters.
Watch them if you enjoy football. Use them to scout players or understand a team’s tactics. But when it comes to putting money down? Walk away.
Stick to matches where both teams care about the result. Where you can trust your research. Where a win actually means something to the players and the coach.
Because in those games, your edge as a bettor actually matters.
Final Word: Friendlies Might Look Tasty — But They’re All Hype
Every punter has been tempted by a juicy friendly match. But trust me, the odds are a trap and the outcome is a gamble. Let the coaches experiment all they want. Let the fans enjoy the spectacle. But you? Save your bets for the real battles.
That’s where smart money lives. You can always visit our homepage for more football predictions.
