Couchcall

seven ways to watch, and this week's game for each

What kind of fan are you?

There is more than one way to watch a game you have no stake in. Here are seven, with the parts of the Couchcall score that serve each and this week's game for each type, picked from the numbers before the start. Most people are two or three of these.

The numbers personthe xG nerd

You watch with a second screen: expected goals, shot maps, win probability. A 0-0 with 3.1 xG a side is a good game to you, and you know why.

What to look for. Pace is the expected total, taken from the over/under line, so it is the closest thing in the score to a pre-match xG. Closeness comes from the betting market with the margin removed. A high pace and a high closeness together is a game the numbers expect to be open both ways.

Leagues that suit you. Bundesliga, Premier League, La Liga, UEFA Champions League.

Staying spoiler-free. Post-match xG tables and shot maps show the result. Watch first, open the numbers after; the game page keeps the final score behind a disclosure for the same reason.

Start with.

  • Expected goals spoiler-freeWhat xG measures, how the models differ, and where the number falls short.
  • FBref may show resultsClub and player records for hundreds of competitions, going back decades.
  • FotMob may show resultsLine-ups, player ratings and live scores; the live scores are the spoiler.
  • Hudl StatsBomb may show resultsAnalytics writing from a football data company: methods, recruitment, match analysis.

This week for you: Cottbus v Bochum, 2. Bundesliga, Fri 30 Oct 18:30 (Berlin time). Couchcall score 56; pace 100, closeness 99.

The tactics readerthe tactics wizard

You watch the shape more than the ball: the press, the rest defence, the coach's adjustment at half-time. Two good teams with different plans is the best night of television you can think of.

What to look for. Quality and closeness carry 55% of the score between them, combined so that only a game between two strong sides that is also even scores high. A mismatch can still be interesting tactically, but the score will not flag it.

Leagues that suit you. UEFA Champions League, Premier League, Bundesliga, NFL.

Staying spoiler-free. Tactical breakdowns are almost always written after the game and start from the result. Look for previews instead; the rivalry maps and team pages here hold no results.

Start with.

  • The Athletic FC may show results videoVideo explainers of systems, players and stories; many start from a recent result.
  • Hudl StatsBomb may show resultsAnalytics writing from a football data company: methods, recruitment, match analysis.
  • Total Football Analysis may show resultsTactical analyses of teams, coaches and matches across Europe.
  • Spielverlagerung may show results in German and EnglishTactical analysis, German football in particular, in German and English.

This week for you: SaiPa v JYP, Liiga, Fri 30 Oct 18:30 (Helsinki time). Couchcall score 70; quality 81, closeness 99.

The rules specialistthe one who knows the tie-breakers

You know the offside law by heart, you have opinions on three-point games and you can work out who goes through on goal difference before the broadcaster does. Formats are part of the fun.

What to look for. Stakes is the term for you: what the result decides in the table, from promotion and relegation places to play-off spots, with a play-off game scoring at least 0.9 on its own. The league pages list each league's zones place by place.

Leagues that suit you. UEFA Champions League, SHL, Liiga, EFL Championship.

Staying spoiler-free. Tables move after every game, so a standings page is a spoiler for anything you have not watched yet. Check the table before the round, not after.

Start with.

  • Laws of the Game spoiler-freeThe laws themselves from IFAB, the body that writes them, with each season's changes explained.
  • Laws of the Game, explained spoiler-freeWikipedia's walk through the seventeen laws and how they came about.
  • Ice hockey rules spoiler-freeWikipedia's overview: offside, icing, penalties, and where North American and international rules differ.
  • American football rules spoiler-freeWikipedia's overview of downs, scoring, penalties and how college and NFL rules differ.

This week for you: Jukurit v Lukko, Liiga, Wed 28 Oct 18:30 (Helsinki time). Couchcall score 72; stakes 89.

The story followerthe story person

You want to know why this one matters: the derby, the old grudge, the side on a run, the manager on his last chance. The result is the end of a story, and you want the beginning.

What to look for. Rivalry is a hand-kept table of pairs, each weighted from 0.3 to 1.5; form is the last five results; upset spice rises when a team with something at stake is not a clear favourite. The rivalry maps show every pair we weight.

Leagues that suit you. NCAA Football (FBS), EFL Championship, SHL, Liiga.

Staying spoiler-free. Stories are where spoilers hide: a headline about a streak tells you how the last game ended. The team pages show verdicts only, never results.

Start with.

This week for you: Rögle BK v Malmö Redhawks, SHL, Thu 29 Oct 19:00 (Stockholm time). Couchcall score 78; rivalry 100, stakes 85, upset spice 100.

Here for the hitsthe one who wants to see people crash into each other

You like the sport loud: open-ice hits, a goal-line stand, a scrum along the boards. Skill matters, but so does the collision.

What to look for. The score does not measure physical play, and we would rather say so than guess. What it can do is find the best hockey and American football games, the sports where contact is part of every play, and rank them on everything else.

Leagues that suit you. NHL, NFL, Liiga, SHL.

Staying spoiler-free. Highlight reels of big hits usually come from finished games. Search for them after you have watched.

Start with.

  • NHL video rulebook spoiler-free videoEach penalty shown on video: boarding, charging, interference and the rest.
  • NFL Films may show results videoDocumentaries and classic games from the league's film studio.
  • NHL on YouTube may show results videoHighlights, hits and features; highlights show results.
  • SHL on YouTube may show results videoThe league's channel; highlights show results.

This week for you: Golden Knights at Bruins, NHL, Mon 2 Nov 19:00 (New York time). Couchcall score 74; closeness 98, stakes 74.

The drama chaserthe one who stays for stoppage time

You want it in doubt until the end: the late equaliser, the overtime winner, the comeback nobody saw. A comfortable win is a wasted evening.

What to look for. Closeness is your term before the game: a coin flip scores 1, a 90% favourite 0.36. After the game the verdict is built for you, from how the game moved rather than how it ended, so a worth-it verdict means it swung, without saying which way.

Leagues that suit you. NHL, SHL, EFL Championship, 2. Bundesliga.

Staying spoiler-free. The verdict pages never print a score outside the disclosure, and the verdict lists are in start order, never ranked, because a ranking would give the drama away.

Start with.

  • MoneyPuck may show resultsExpected goals, win probability and playoff odds for every game.
  • Premier League on YouTube may show results videoHighlights and features from the league; highlights show results.
  • Bundesliga on YouTube may show results videoHighlights and features; highlights show results.
  • EFL on YouTube may show results videoHighlights and features; highlights show results.

This week for you: Portsmouth v Swansea, Championship, Tue 3 Nov 19:45 (London time). Couchcall score 60; closeness 100, upset spice 100.

The neutral grazerthe channel hopper

You have no team and one free evening. You want the best thing on, in your time zone, on a service you can get, and you are happy to switch if it goes flat.

What to look for. The Couchcall score as a whole is built for you, and so is the TV guide: every game on today and tonight, hour by hour, with the listing for your market.

Where to start. The TV guide and today's picks.

Staying spoiler-free. Switching between games is the easiest way to see a score you did not want. The TV guide shows a verdict, never a result, once a game is over.

Start with.

  • FotMob may show resultsLine-ups, player ratings and live scores; the live scores are the spoiler.
  • Premier League may show resultsThe league's own site: fixtures, clubs, news and the table.
  • Bundesliga may show resultsThe league's own site in English: fixtures, clubs, stats and the table.
  • 2. Bundesliga may show resultsThe league's own site in English: fixtures, clubs and the table.

This week for you: Bayern v Dortmund, Bundesliga, Sat 31 Oct 18:30 (Berlin time). Couchcall score 75; closeness 57, quality 81.

Every league has a guide with more links like these, each marked for what it may show: College football, NFL, 2. Bundesliga, Championship, Premier League, Champions League, Bundesliga, La Liga, Veikkausliiga, NHL, SHL, Liiga.

The picks above change with every build, from the same numbers as the rest of the site. How Couchcall works sets out every term and weight.