Football Statistics and Betting Terms: A Glossary

Plain-language definitions of the terms used in football predictions: 1X2, xG, BTTS, Asian handicap, calibration, implied probability, push and more.

By Adam from Poland · 27 Oct 2026 · 7 min read

Football statistics come with their own vocabulary, and betting markets add more. This glossary explains the terms used on GoalStatsHub match pages, tips and guides in plain language, with links to the guides that cover each one in depth.

1X2: The three possible full-time results: 1 is a home win, X a draw and 2 an away win. The three probabilities always add up to 100%.
Asian handicap: A goal head start or deficit applied before the match, settled on the adjusted score. Whole-goal lines can end in a push. See Asian handicap explained.
BTTS (both teams to score): Whether each team scores at least once. Covered with over/under in BTTS vs over/under goals.
Calibration: Whether stated probabilities match what happens: of all outcomes rated 30%, about 30% should occur. The main test of a probability model. See how to judge football predictions.
Clean sheet: A match in which a team concedes no goals.
Confidence level: On our pages, how much data stands behind a prediction. Low confidence means the model had little recent information, for example early in a season, so the figures are rougher.
Correct score: The exact final score. Even the most likely score rarely passes 15%. See how to read a correct score matrix.
Double chance: Two of the three results combined: 1X (home or draw), X2 (draw or away) and 12 (either team wins). Its probability is the sum of the two outcomes.
Draw no bet: A bet on one team where the stake is returned if the match is drawn. The same as Asian handicap 0.
Expected goals (xG): Either the quality of chances a team created in a match, or the number of goals a model expects a team to score before it. See expected goals explained.
Form: A team’s recent results. Useful context, but short runs contain a lot of chance; see team form and regression to the mean.
Head-to-head (H2H): Previous meetings between the same two clubs. Often a small and dated sample, so best read alongside current form and strength.
Home advantage: The edge a team gets from playing at its own ground, worth a few tenths of a goal per game on average. See home advantage in football.
HT/FT (half-time/full-time): A market on both the half-time and the full-time result, with nine combinations. See half-time predictions and goal timing.
Implied probability: The probability contained in a price: 100 divided by decimal odds. Odds of 2.50 imply 40%. See betting odds vs probability.
Margin (overround): The amount by which a bookmaker’s implied probabilities add up to more than 100%. It is the bookmaker’s built-in edge.
Over/under: Whether the total number of goals, corners or cards is above or below a line such as 2.5. Half lines can’t be tied.
Poisson distribution: A probability distribution for counts of rare events, used to turn expected goals into the chance of each number of goals. See a worked example.
Probability: How likely something is, from 0% (impossible) to 100% (certain). A 70% favourite is expected to fail three times in ten.
Push: A result in which the stake is returned, for example a draw on Asian handicap 0.
Regression to the mean: The tendency for unusually good or bad runs to be followed by more ordinary results, because part of the run was luck.
Sample size: How many matches or predictions a figure is based on. Small samples mislead; see how many games before the table tells the truth.

Missing a term? Let us know through the contact page and we’ll add it.

18+. These definitions are information, not betting advice. Please read our responsible gambling page.