Throughout the year, local and national teams hold football friendlies. As opposed to training sessions that do not reflect the reality of the field, friendlies are the closest to the actual competitive experience.

There are several periods to play friendlies. The main one is in pre-season, and it allows a new group of players to work on tactics. During the season, friendlies are also used to break the training routine and work on more specific points.

These football friendlies are very different from official matches. For one thing, the best players lack motivation. As the final whistle approaches, the pace of the game does not change as teams do not take any particular risks.

Betting on football friendlies

For a coach, friendly matches are a springboard for experimentation, an opportunity to discover new tactical schemes. The outcome of the match is not given much importance. Instead, football friendlies prioritize the defence and attacking game, the efficiency of the tactical model and the quality of the game.

In friendly matches, coaches make up to 12 substitutions if they are played under the auspices of FIFA. Usually, after the first half, a completely different blend of players appear on the field.

Young and reserve players are more willing to put in a decent performance. This is their chance to prove themselves and get closer to claiming a starting spot in regular league games.

Recommended betting on a friendly football match

Friendlies generally tend to produce more goals because teams play more openly and experiment. Therefore, we recommend betting on friendly football matches with more than 2.5 goals.

Another recommended bet for a friendly match is to make a live bet because, as a bettor, you sometimes need to gauge the level of motivation of a team once the kick-off is underway.

Betting on the final result of the match is still the most traditional bet and is done in the same way as in normal football (all football bets).

Betting on international friendlies

Some nations do better in friendlies than others. Various countries have different attitudes towards matches of this less competitive variety. Before each major tournament, national teams play several friendly football matches.

However, Brazil never play "friendlies". Seen as unbeatable, the country is expected to win every game once they don that famous yellow jersey. On the other hand, we would stay away from a bet on Italy in any game where nothing is at stake. Although Italy is one of the best football nations worldwide, they are known for their pragmatic approach at the best of times.