Choosing a victor in a soccer match isn't just about picking the squad with star players. Various factors influence the final outcome, including team morale, weather, player injuries, game strategy, and notably, the advantage of playing at home.
In this piece, we'll explore the concept of home advantage in football, delving into these subjects:
There's a widespread belief in the edge a home team has, but does it hold water, or is it just folklore?
To assess if home matches truly offer an advantage, we need to dive into the statistics from league tables.
Here is the current snapshot of the Premier League table.
| GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool | 14 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 11 | 27 | 42 |
| Manchester City | 13 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 33 | 12 | 21 | 29 |
| Leicester City | 14 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 26 | 15 | 11 | 27 |
| Manchester Utd | 14 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 27 | 12 | 15 | 26 |
| Tottenham | 14 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 27 | 15 | 12 | 26 |
| Everton | 14 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 19 | 15 | 4 | 25 |
| Arsenal | 14 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 25 | 20 | 5 | 23 |
| Burnley | 14 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 19 | 18 | 1 | 22 |
| Wolverhampton | 14 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 21 | 17 | 4 | 21 |
| Chelsea | 14 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 18 | 15 | 3 | 21 |
| Sheffield Utd | 14 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 16 | 13 | 3 | 21 |
| Newcastle Utd | 14 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 21 |
| Crystal Palace | 14 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 13 | -2 | 19 |
| Brighton | 14 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 17 | 15 | 2 | 18 |
| Watford | 14 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 16 | 17 | -1 | 17 |
| Bournemouth | 14 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 17 | 21 | -4 | 17 |
| Aston Villa | 13 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 18 | 24 | -6 | 17 |
| West Ham Utd | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 23 | 26 | -3 | 15 |
| Norwich City | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 19 | 26 | -7 | 15 |
| Southampton | 14 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 16 | 30 | -14 | 14 |
| GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 14 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 26 | 9 | 17 | 37 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 14 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 35 | 17 | 18 | 28 |
| 3 | Chelsea | 14 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 29 | 24 | 5 | 24 |
| 4 | Leicester City | 14 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 28 | 13 | 15 | 23 |
| 5 | Wolverhampton | 14 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 20 | 17 | 3 | 21 |
| 6 | Southampton | 14 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 19 | 21 | -2 | 20 |
| 7 | Sheffield Utd | 13 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 13 | 12 | 1 | 19 |
| 8 | Crystal Palace | 14 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 14 | 19 | -5 | 17 |
| 9 | Manchester Utd | 14 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 15 | 18 | -3 | 16 |
| 10 | Burnley | 14 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 14 | 21 | -7 | 16 |
| 11 | Arsenal | 13 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 14 | 16 | -2 | 14 |
| 12 | Tottenham | 14 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 19 | 24 | -5 | 14 |
| 13 | Everton | 14 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 18 | 27 | -9 | 12 |
| 14 | West Ham Utd | 14 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 12 | 23 | -11 | 12 |
| 15 | Newcastle Utd | 14 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 12 | 29 | -17 | 11 |
| 16 | Brighton | 14 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 15 | 25 | -10 | 10 |
| 17 | Bournemouth | 14 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 24 | -13 | 10 |
| 18 | Watford | 14 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 26 | -15 | 10 |
| 19 | Aston Villa | 14 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 16 | 28 | -12 | 8 |
| 20 | Norwich City | 14 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 6 | 25 | -19 | 6 |
Analyzing the stats from the above home and away tables, it becomes evident that all teams, barring Chelsea and Southampton, have amassed more points on home turf than in away games.
Teams tend to net more goals when at home, having scored 418 goals so far this season on home ground compared to 347 away. This supports the notion that conceding fewer goals is more likely at home.
Typically, the first-named team in a fixture is the one playing at home. However, this does not apply when fixtures occur on neutral venues. Take the 2022 World Cup in Qatar as an example—there's no home team in the England versus Iran match.
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Having established that home ground advantage exists, let's examine why teams tend to excel on familiar turf.
A key contributor to home advantage is the fan presence. Player performance heavily relies on motivation, and fans provide that drive through vocal and visual support. Home teams allocate more seating to their supporters, often resulting in a significant numerical and vocal advantage over the away fans. This atmosphere often boosts player morale and can potentially intimidate the opposition.
Familiarity with the home stadium's pitch is another reason for home advantage. Pitches vary in dimensions and layout, affecting the gameplay experience. Home players are well-acquainted with the nuances of their pitch, which can be advantageous in set pieces like corners or accurate long passes.
Travel fatigue can hinder visiting teams. While less impactful in smaller countries like the UK, it can affect squads in leagues spanning larger regions, such as Norway, Russia, or Spain.
Hectic schedules mean teams often travel on match day, leaving little time for rest and recovery ahead of the game.
The presence of a home advantage undoubtedly impacts betting odds.
When a team is statistically more likely to triumph on home soil, their winning odds tend to decrease. However, the home team might not have the shortest odds if facing a notably stronger opponent. Nonetheless, their chances are generally seen as higher than in away contests. Conversely, traveling teams face steeper odds.
Noticeable variations in odds can occur on online bookmakers , depending on whether a team is playing at home or away. For instance, by reviewing the home & away tables above, we notice Norwich City scored 19 goals at home this season compared to merely 6 away. Hence, bets like ‘Norwich Over 1.5 Goals’ usually offer lower odds for home games than away ones.
Undoubtedly, playing on home ground offers several advantages, resulting in generally shorter betting odds compared to away fixtures.
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