Statistical Football prediction is a method used in sports betting, to predict the outcome predictz today of football matches by means of statistical tools. The goal of statistical match prediction is to outperform the predictions of bookmakers[citation needed][dubious - discuss], who use them to set odds on the outcome of football matches. The most widely used statistical approach to prediction is ranking. Football ranking systems assign a rank to each team based on their past game results, so that the highest rank is assigned to the strongest team. The outcome of the match can be predicted by comparing the opponents' ranks. There are many football ranking systems, such as the FIFA World Rankings and the World Football Elo Ratings. There are three main drawbacks to football match predictions that are based on ranking systems: * Ranks assigned to the teams do not differentiate between their attacking and defensive strengths. * Ranks are averages that do not take into account skill changes within football teams. * The main goal of a ranking system is not to predict the results of football games, but to sort the teams according to their average strength. Another approach to football prediction is known as rating systems. Rating systems assign each team a constantly scalable strength indicator, while ranking refers to team order. Stern suggests that rating can be applied to more than just a team's attacking and defensive strengths. It can also be used to assess the skills of each player.
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