After months of suspension, the world of sports was back for the much-awaited conclusion of the 2019/20 season. And so was the online sports betting business. With the best European football championships back on TV, betters from all across the world went back to their favorite websites to predict the final results of the games of their favorite teams.
Meanwhile, it’s important to keep in mind that many British betters like to take their chances on football championships outside of the UK, such as the Portuguese Primeira Liga.
The Primeira Liga has a new champion
Before the restart, few people were sure about which team was going to win the Primeira Liga. FC Porto and Benfica were in the top two spots of the table, while Sporting and Braga fought it out for 3rd place.
But a disastrous restart from Benfica erased all doubts. A series of poor performances and bad results cost Bruno Lage his job as head coach, and Sérgio Conceição’s Porto took over at the top.
On 15 July, with two games still to go, FC Porto defeated Sporting 2-0 and was crowned the new champions of the Primeira Liga. It’s the 29th time Porto have won the competition, falling short only to Benfica, who have 37 titles. Only three other Portuguese teams have managed to win the competition: Sporting (18 times), and underdogs Belenenses and Boavista, with a title each.
An exciting league for foreign betters
Even though the Primeira Liga is usually dominated by the same three major teams, the championship has proved to be more competitive in recent months, especially since the restart of the competition. Looking at the primeira league table, one sees that only 22 points separate the relegation spots from the 5th place, which grants access to the qualifying round of the Europa League.
Additionally, smaller teams have been showing their teeth against the major Portuguese clubs, which has resulted in some unexpected and odds-contradicting results. This season, the newly-promoted FC Famalicão has impressed football fans with good results, quality football, and a promising young squad.
On the other hand, historical Portuguese teams such as Sporting de Braga, Vitória de Guimarães, and Rio Ave have been growing due to increasingly consolidated football structures, a growing fan base, and lots of respectable moves in the transfer market.
Why bet in the Primeira Liga?
As Portugal prepares to host the final stage of this year’s Champions League, which will be played behind closed doors, foreign betters should start paying more attention to this small but respectable championship.
You will always be able to bet on online betting sites such as Paddy Power or Betiton Sport. Nowadays, the countries that bet the most in Primeira Liga, besides Portugal itself, include the United Kingdom, Brazil and neighboring Spain.
Looking back at how many quality players have gotten their European start in Portugal, from natives Cristiano Ronaldo and Bernardo Silva to foreigners like Hulk, David Luiz or Nemanja Matic, there's really no good reason to ignore a league sits amongst the top six national football championships in Europe.
