In league play, strong soccer clubs often meet expectations when going into a match as the favored team. This is especially true when the league’s top clubs are in action. It is rare that the elite teams of leagues such as the English Premier League or the Spanish La Liga drop points to a lesser club. However, there are instances when it might be a prudent move to bet on the upset when these top teams are playing.

Top clubs hold a far more vigorous soccer betting schedule than that of the rest of the league. Because the top teams often qualify for other competitions, such as the Champions League, they play more games in a season than that of the lesser teams. Additionally, these elite teams often go deeper in league cups such as the FA Cup. Thus, there are sometimes instances where the top clubs play two or even three matches in a single week. When a team is engaged in multiple games in a week, it is often wise to bet on the upset at the back end of their week. The team is often fatigued and banged up from their busy schedule. This can give the underdog a slight edge, especially in instances where the favorite has logged significant mileage traveling to and from their matches.

In addition to competing in more matches per week on average, soccer club teams on the top tier such as Manchester United often have several international players. These players are called to duty for international matches where they represent their country. These international matches almost always call for extensive traveling and the players log more hours on the pitch in a week than they are able to handle optimally. Thus, teams returning several players from international duty are often fatigued and their form is far worse than it is in normal weeks. Thus, the normal favorites are susceptible to the upset.

In addition to the fatigue factor, sometimes soccer betting players that are central to a side’s attack or defense go down with injury. When a team loses their leading scorer to a red card or injury, a significant portion of their production goes out the window. Some teams have a more difficult time making this decrease in production up than other squads do. When a team’s superstar is out of action, they too are susceptible to the upset and bettors are often wise at booking action calling for the upset.