Both teams to score, shortened to BTTS, wins when each side scores at least once. The table below has the weekend’s BTTS tips from an outside prediction provider, shown as published. Saturday and Sunday carry most of the week’s football, so the list is long and the BTTS and over 2.5 questions come up together.
This page looks at that overlap, because the two bets are so often confused. It also checks whether weekend matches differ from midweek ones for BTTS, using 33,324 matches over five seasons and 14,617 over the last three.
Today’s tips
Ar2
Ferrocarril Midland
Deportivo Maipú
Kz1
FK Aktobe
FK Atyrau
Ca1
Forge FC
Vancouver FC
Bo1
Real Tomayapo
CDT Real Oruro
Br2
Ceará SC
Ponte Preta
LC
Columbus Crew
Pachuca CF
LC
Charlotte FC
Club Atlas
Bg2
Marek
Etar Veliko Tarnovo
Ec1
LDU
Ind del Valle
Ua2
Niva Ternopil
UCSA
Ru4
FK Astrakhan
PSK Dinskaya
LC
FC Cincinnati
UNAM Pumas
AtN
Wallern / Marienkirchen
Kuchl
Cl1
Universidad Católica
Cobresal
Co2
Deportes Quindío
Cortuluá
Cl2
Deportes Santa Cruz
Puerto Montt
Nz2
Waterside Karori
Napier City Rovers
Ar1
Independiente Rivadavia
Estudiantes Río Cuarto
Mx2
Alacranes Durango
Piratas
Mx2
Tepatitlán de Morelos
Atletico La Paz
Sv1
Isidro Metapán
CD Águila
Ni1
Real Estelí
CD Walter Ferretti
Ar3
Juventud Antoniana
Alvarado Mar del Plata
LC
Tigres UANL
Minnesota United
0 – 0(0 – 0)
MxW
Atlas W
Pachuca W
Pe1
Universitario
Sporting Cristal
Pa1
San Francisco FC
Herrera FC
Cr1
CS Cartaginés
Sporting (CRC)
Gt1
Malacateco
Club Xelajú MC
Nz2
Wanaka
Selwyn United
Nz2
Miramar
FC Western
LC
Vancouver Whitecaps
FC Juárez
Nz2
Ferrymead Bays
Nomads United
Nz2
Eastern Suburbs (NZL)
Fencibles United
Nz2
Auckland United
Tauranga City United
Nz2
Wellington Phoenix (R)
Wellington Olympic
Nz2
Petone
Western Suburbs
Nz2
Island Bay United
Upper Hutt City
Tomorrow and the weekend
How the bet works
BTTS yes wins if both teams score in the 90 minutes plus added time. BTTS no wins if at least one team doesn’t. Extra time and penalties don’t count, and the final result and total goals are irrelevant. Postponed matches are normally void, and abandoned ones follow the bookmaker’s rule.
BTTS and over 2.5: two bets, one overlap
Most BTTS wins and most over 2.5 wins are the same matches. Two figures show it:
- When a match went over 2.5 goals, both teams had scored 79.8% of the time.
- When both teams had scored, the match went over 2.5 in 76.7% of cases.
The cases where they differ are easy to name. A 3-0 or a 4-0 is over 2.5 and BTTS no. A 1-1 is BTTS yes and under 2.5. The 1-1 draw is the most common score in football, and it’s the reason BTTS is the easier of the two when a match is tight.
What each goal total does to BTTS
The number of goals in a match changes BTTS a lot:
| Goals in the match | BTTS yes |
|---|---|
| 2 | 50.7% |
| 3 | 71.8% |
| 4 | 83.0% |
At two goals it’s a toss-up, because 1-1 (yes) and 2-0 or 0-2 (no) are about equally common. At three goals, 2-1 and 1-2 outnumber 3-0 and 0-3 by more than two to one. At four goals, only 4-0 and 0-4 get in the way.
When both teams attack
During a match, shots on target tell you when BTTS is likely. If both teams finished with three or more shots on target, BTTS happened in 67.5% of 18,336 matches. At four or more each it was 73.9%, and at five or more each 79.4%.
Before kick-off you can use the same idea on form. A pair of teams that both create several shots on target a game is a much better BTTS prospect than a pair where one rarely threatens.
Are weekends different?
Barely. BTTS happened in 54.1% of weekend matches and 52.1% of midweek matches in the newer sample.
| Day | Matches | BTTS |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday | 6,740 | 54.8% |
| Sunday | 4,070 | 52.9% |
| Friday | 1,510 | 54.0% |
| Monday | 724 | 54.7% |
| Tuesday to Thursday | 1,573 | 52.1% |
Saturday was the highest and Sunday a couple of points lower. With samples this size, a gap of two points isn’t something to build a strategy on. The league matters far more: the Bundesliga’s 60.1% and the Greek Super League’s 47.2% are thirteen points apart.
What a weekend list looks like
Take a list of forty matches. At the weekend rate of 54.1%, about twenty-two will have goals at both ends and eighteen won’t. In roughly twelve of the forty, the visitors will fail to score, and in nine the home side will.
None of those numbers say which matches are which. They tell you not to expect an all-yes or all-no weekend, and to be suspicious of any list that implies one.
Five rules for weekend BTTS tips
- Don’t pair BTTS with over 2.5 on one slip. They land together so often that you’re asking for the same thing twice.
- Remember 1-1. It’s the commonest score, and it wins BTTS yes while losing over 2.5.
- Look for two attacks. Both teams creating chances is what lifts the rate.
- Start from the league. A weekend list full of Bundesliga games has a higher baseline.
- Keep the list short. Pick the few matches you’ve checked.
Common mistakes
The first is backing BTTS yes on a heavy favourite at home. Strong favourites keep clean sheets in about half their matches, and the underdog has to score for the bet to win.
The second is backing BTTS no because the match looks tight. A tight match can still finish 1-1, and 1-1 is a yes.
The third is treating Saturday’s goals as a sign of what Sunday will bring.
Questions people ask
Is BTTS the same as over 2.5? No. BTTS needs a goal at both ends, and over 2.5 needs three goals from anyone.
Which score wins BTTS but loses over 2.5? 1-1.
Which scores win over 2.5 but lose BTTS? 3-0, 4-0, 0-3 and so on.
Do weekends have more BTTS? A little. The difference is about two points.
How many goals do you need for BTTS? At least two, one by each side.
Where are today’s and tomorrow’s tips? On the today page and the tomorrow page.
Tips are estimates and not promises. You must be 18 or over to bet, and a stake should be money you can do without.