Today's Handicap Predictions

A handicap bet gives one team a goal head start or deficit before kick-off, which levels a mismatched fixture and turns a short price into a workable one. On a -1 handicap the favourite must win by two clear goals; on +1 the underdog wins the bet by winning, drawing, or losing by exactly one. There are two families: European handicap, which keeps the draw as a third option and can result in a handicap draw, and Asian handicap, which removes the draw entirely and can refund the stake on whole-number lines. Handicap markets usually carry a lower bookmaker margin than the straight match result, which is why they often offer better value on a strong favourite. Matchplug publishes a handicap call on every fixture where the outright price is too short to be worth taking.