It’s advisable to always tread carefully as far as these matches are concerned. It’s very rare that you’ll watch a friendly where both teams are going all out to win the match because a) they’re relatively meaningless matches, b) managers tend to field experimental, often disjointed teams and c) players want to avoid the risk of injury wherever possible, especially as they’re now such an expensive commodity.

Therefore, when considering a bet on an International Friendly, consider the following. Which team will be more motivated to win this match? Does either team have a point to prove to the fans or manager? What are the likely starting line-ups? Asking yourself these questions will help to develop a more informed opinion which is always better for betting purposes than a hunch or gut feeling.

It’s also worth looking at the head-to-head record of the two teams – it never fails to astound me how the players on each team can change but the characteristics are often still retained for decades on end. Finally, there are some obvious ricks to watch out for – there are usually very few yellow cards brandished by referees this match and there is usually more chance of there being a draw by the final whistle.