How to Win Your Office Prediction League

Every office has one. The person who wins the prediction league year after year while everyone else wonders what they are doing differently. They are not a football savant. They probably could not tell you who plays left back for Brentford. But they win. Consistently.

The secret is not some hidden knowledge about football. It is about approach. The people who win office prediction leagues tend to follow a handful of principles that have nothing to do with tactical analysis and everything to do with discipline, patience, and understanding what the game actually rewards.

Whether you are just setting up your first league at work or trying to finally dethrone the person from accounts who has won three years running, these tips will help.

Consistency Beats Brilliance

This is the single most important thing to understand about prediction leagues. You do not win by having one perfect gameweek. You win by being slightly above average across 38 of them.

Think about it mathematically. If you score 1 point per match on average across a full season, that adds up. The person chasing bold predictions - 4-3 scorelines, shock away wins - might nail one occasionally, but they are giving up easy points everywhere else. We have written about this in depth when looking at staying consistent across a full season.

In an office league, most people will have a few brilliant weeks and a few terrible ones. The winner is usually the person who avoids the terrible ones. Boring? Perhaps. Effective? Absolutely.

Stick With Common Scorelines

Here is a stat that surprises people: around 25% of Premier League matches end 1-0 or 1-1. Another big chunk finish 2-1 or 2-0. If you are predicting scorelines in that range, you are giving yourself the best chance of picking up points week after week.

That does not mean you should predict 1-1 for every single match. But it does mean you should resist the temptation to predict 3-2 just because it would be exciting. Save the adventurous scorelines for the matches where you genuinely believe something unusual will happen.

• Home favourites: 2-1 or 2-0 are your bread and butter
• Tight matches between similar teams: 1-1 or 1-0