By now, you probably know what HTUP is, but if not, here’s a quick refresher. HTUP lets you cash in on your full-time predictions by halftime. And if your pick doesn’t land by then, you still have the full 45 minutes of the second half for it to come through. So, whether you’re backing Team A, Team B, or even going for a draw (yes, HTUP works for draws too), you get paid at the break if your choice hits.
This HTUP preview looks at the weekend’s action, showing how the feature can help you lock in winnings quicker while giving you an extra 45 minutes of cover if your first-half choice doesn’t land. We’ll kick things off with the Manchester Derby, but before that, here are our 5 picks with a chance to get over 4 times your betting stake:
Our Picks:
League | Fixture | Tips | Bet |
EPL | Manchester City vs. Manchester United | HTUP: Manchester CIty | |
LaLiga | Real Sociedad vs. Real Madrid | HTUP: Real Madrid | |
Bundesliga | Bayern Munich vs. Hamburg | HTUP: Bayern Munich | |
EPL | Burnley vs. Liverpool | HTUP: Liverpool | |
LaLiga | Barcelona vs. Valencia | HTUP: Barcelona |
- Total Odds: 4.24
- Booking Code: TQ2BQZ
Manchester City vs. Manchester United
Manchester United have had a pretty odd start to the season. They spent big on a new front three of Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Šeško, and while there have been flashes, it hasn’t quite clicked yet. In their 3 league games, they’ve taken a league-high 58 shots, with four hitting the woodwork. The problem is they’ve only managed 4 league goals (8th best), and 3 of those came from set-pieces. Another worry is the timing of their goals. Across 4 games in all competitions, they’ve scored 6 times, but 5 of those came in the second half. Their only first-half strike was actually an own goal against Burnley. That makes them risky in the HTUP market since most of their damage is done in the second half. And with Cunha expected to miss out after picking up a knock against Burnley, that feeling only grows stronger.
City, on the other hand, have led at the break in 2 of their 3 league games, both of which landed on HTUP. Even in their defeat to Brighton, the feature came into play. Erling Haaland had them 1-0 up at half-time before the Seagulls turned it around after the restart. The last Manchester Derby also showed how the feature could work. Josko Gvardiol’s first-half header had City ahead, only for the game to flip late on with a Bruno Fernandes penalty and a brilliant Amad finish sealing United’s win.
For this one, Pep Guardiola will once again pin his hopes on Haaland with Cherki and Omar Marmoush ruled out. The Norwegian is in hot form, scoring 3 in 3 league games and bagging 6 for his country during the break, including a 5-goal demolition of Moldova. That’s bad news for a United defence that hasn’t looked steady so far.
Betting Tip:
Real Sociedad vs. Real Madrid
With 3 wins from 3 to open the season, including two half-time leads, Real Madrid look like a strong HTUP option as they head to the Reale Arena. Going back to last season, they’re on a 6-game winning run in the league, with half-time leads in half of those matches. In their own special way, they’ve been a great example of how this feature works as they end up winning even when they don’t hold the lead at half-time.
Los Blancos have started this season with 2 clean sheets, and have given up just 1 goal. In 183 games against the hosts, they have won 102 times including a pair of 2-0 wins last season. They’ve actually won their last 4 games against Sociedad, keeping a clean sheet in 3 of those. In fact, Real Sociedad have beaten Madrid just once since 2019, making me lean more towards the visitors.
Sociedad have had a slow start with just two points from their opening three fixtures. They drew 1-1 with Valencia and 2-2 with Espanyol before suffering a 1-0 defeat to Oviedo. After last season’s 11th-place finish - their worst since 2018 - pressure is already building on Sergio Francisco. To make matters worse, new signing Yangel Herrera is sidelined until October, leaving their midfield short of options.
Betting Tip:
Bayern Munich vs. Hamburg SV
Bayern Munich welcome newly promoted Hamburg to the Allianz Arena on Saturday in what looks set to be another one-sided contest. HSV’s long-awaited Bundesliga return hasn’t gone to plan. Two games in, they’ve yet to score a goal or even carve out a real chance, with one draw and one defeat. Their record in Munich makes for grim reading too: they haven’t taken a single point away to Bayern since 2008, losing nine straight visits by a combined score of 51-3. Their last Saturday night trip here ended in a brutal 9-2 defeat.
Bayern, on the other hand, have hit the ground running. They’ve matched a club record with nine goals from their opening two league matches. Vincent Kompany’s side has taken maximum points, with Michael Olise now scoring in six straight Bundesliga games, including three already this season. Harry Kane also has three, while new signing Luis Díaz has added two. The champions have scored at least twice in 16 consecutive home league matches, their longest such run in four decades. I not only expect them to hold a first half lead, I expect it to be a comfortable lead.
Betting Tips:
Burnley vs. Liverpool
Looking closely at Liverpool’s numbers this season, it’s easy to see why they’re a strong HTUP pick. In 3 of their 4 games across all competitions, they’ve gone in at half-time ahead, with the only exception being against Arsenal, a game they still went on to win. Even in their Community Shield loss to Crystal Palace, they led at the break, which makes them 4/4 on HTUPs so far. This trend even carries over from last season. During their season-ending 4-game winless run after sealing the title, they still went into half-time ahead in 2 of those matches before letting things slip late on. In simple words, they’re fast starters.
With Atletico Madrid heading to Anfield in midweek, the Reds will want to settle this one quickly so they can rotate and rest some big names, which makes the pick more appealing. Turf Moor has also been kind to them. In 9 league visits to Burnley, they’ve only lost once and won the other 8, including victories in their last 6 trips. Overall, they’ve lost just 2 of 18 Premier League meetings with Burnley (14 wins), so this feels like one of the safest HTUP calls around.
Betting Tip:
Barcelona vs. Valencia
Barcelona welcome Valencia to Camp Nou on Sunday night looking to keep up their strong record in this fixture. The Catalans have dominated recent meetings, including that 7-1 thrashing back in January on their way to the league title and a 5-0 at Mestalla weeks later in the Copa del Rey.
Barca have clearly had Valencia’s number, with 8 wins and a draw in the last 9 clashes across all competitions. That’s an 89% success rate if you’re eyeing the HTUP pick, and in 5 of those games they were already ahead at half-time, meaning you’d have cashed out early.
Right now, Barcelona sit 4th in La Liga with seven points from three matches, averaging 2.3 goals, 21 shots, and close to 70% possession. Valencia are down in 9th with four points. They brushed aside Getafe 3-0 last weekend, but their xG remains among the lowest in the division.
With Barcelona unbeaten in their last seven home matches against Los Che, both the stats and current form lean heavily toward another home win.
Betting Tip:
BetKing offers you the chance to win big by betting on different leagues like the EPL. Check out our weekend betting tips for a full complement of bet predictions this weekend!