Over 4.5 Goals Meaning in Betting - What Does Over 4.5 Goals Mean?
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Written by Peris Wambu
- Updated: Jul 1, 2025
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The over 4.5 goals betting market means that you win a bet if a match ends with a total of 5 or more goals. It may not be very popular because most football matches do not conclude with too many goals scored.
In this article, we highlight various features about this market and how you can enhance your success rate. You can also check other top betting markets, including over 3.5 goals, under 4.5 goals, and handicap betting.
Over 4.5 Goals Betting Explained
Since most football matches end in scorelines such as 1-0, 1-1 or 2-1, the most popular markets include over 2.5 goals and under 3.5 goals. Unfortunately, with these betting markets the odds are often low which means that payouts for winning bets are often low.
On the other hand, the over 4.5 goals betting market has a low probability of happening. As such, Kenyan betting sites normally publish high odds; hence winning bets have a very lucrative payout. Despite placing a small stake, you will still make decent profits.
Like most markets in the under/over broader category, the over 4.5 goals option also applies for the 90 minutes regulation time. You realize that if a game advances to extra time or penalties, there will likely be 5 or more goals scored. However, bookmakers only consider results in regulation time and the few minutes of injury time.
Over 4.5 Goals Scorelines
The table below outlines the possible results for a win or a loss in the over 4.5 goals betting market.
SCORE | GOALS | RESULT |
0-0 | 0 | Lose |
1-0 | 1 | Lose |
2-0 | 2 | Lose |
2-1 | 3 | Lose |
3-2 | 5 | Win |
2-4 | 6 | Win |
3-4 | 7 | Win |
Over 4.5 Goals Betting Examples
Man City vs. Real Madrid
The first example of the over 4.5 goals comes from attacking teams that encounter each other. For example, Manchester City is a highly scoring team. It has a set of good strikers, including Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush.
On the other hand, Real Madrid is equally endowed with world-class attackers like Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior. A match between these two teams will likely end with a total of 5 or more goals.
Liverpool vs Tottenham
Another example of an over-4.5-goal outcome would feature a game between a clear favorite and a struggling team. In the Premier League, for instance, a game between Liverpool and Tottenham ended in a 5-1 scoreline. This is a perfect example because a total of 6 goals were scored.
Bayern vs Bayer
The above two examples highlight the possibilities of an over 4.5 goals winning bet. In the last example, we can explore a losing bet. In this case, we consider a match in the Bundesliga featuring Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen. These are the main title contenders and have a strong defensive record. A match between them will likely end in a 1-0 or 1-1 scoreline whose total is below 5 goals.
Tips for Over 4.5 Goals Betting
Football matches involve a lot of aspects to achieve goals. Therefore, not many games will end with a sum of 5 or more goals. However, this does not take away the fact that you can make correct predictions in this market.
In this section, we have identified some strategies to help you increase your chances of success in the over 4.5 goals bet.
Focus on single bets
You already know that the over 4.5 goals bets have minimal success chances. If you add many selections to it, you will spoil your chances. Stick with a single bet because the odds are attractive with a bigger reward potential despite the size of your stake.
Another better way to wager on the over 4.5 goals bet is to parlay the profits on other bets when you register a win.
Identify Leagues that are not very popular
Betting on less popular leagues is another way of boosting your winning chances in this betting market. This means all the top 5 European leagues should not be your priority.
Games outside Europe do not have a compact style of play or defensive discipline. So you can expect a high number of goals per game.
Statistics show that some bottom-tier European leagues have a high scoring rate. These include the Luxembourg National Division and the Switzerland Super League. The Dutch, Hungarian, and Asian leagues also have high scoring potential and lucrative odds.
Use Head-to-Head Stats
A history of head-to-head stats will provide insights on the possible goals to be scored in a game. If previous records show that the match often ends with 5 or more goals, you can bet on the game.
Liverpool and Manchester City are the current top attacking teams in the Premier League. Their encounter is often very vicious. For instance, between 2021 and 2022, 3 of their 5 encounters ended in a total of 5 or more goals.
Live Betting
Placing live bets at football sportsbooks is ideal for the over 4.5 goals market. This way, you will see how the game progresses and the chances of ending with 5 or more goals. For example, if Barcelona is playing Real Madrid and is 3 goals down at half time, you will be almost certain that Barcelona will recover and probably draw, ending with a total of 6 goals.
The worst case could be that Barcelona scores 2 goals to bring the total to 5 goals, which means you still win the bet. The only disadvantage is that as more goals are scored, bookmakers reduce the value of odds.
Review the Defensive Records
Checking defensive stats will inform you whether the team’s defense is weak. If teams playing have weak defenses, you can expect many goals to be scored, at least 5.
During the 2021/2022 season, Norwich had a bad season with a very poor defensive record against the top 6. Out of 12 games, 5 of them ended with 5 or more goals. When a defensively weak team plays a top team, there is a 40% chance that 5 or more goals will be scored.
Top Betting Sites in Kenya for Over 4.5 Goals Betting
Below are our top recommended betting sites that offer competitive odds on the over 4.5 goals betting market in Kenya.