Spread betting on football allows the punter to bet on more than just the event, with a vast range of markets available for a sporting bet. Unlike fixed odds betting, punters aren?t restricted to betting on just the result and spread betting allows punters to bet on anything from the number of corners in the second half or the number of cards in a blood-and-thunder local derby .

Below are explanations for some of the most popular football Spread Bets offered by Sporting Index:

Supremacy - This is a spread betting market predicting a team's dominance over their opposition. We will predict how many more goals any given team will score against their opponents.

Example:
We might make Arsenal favourites to beat Chelsea by 0.1-0.3 goals. Therefore, if you think Arsenal will win you might bet high at 0.3 for the stake of your choice, in this case, £50 a goal.

If Arsenal were to win the game 4-1, their winning margin (make-up) would be 3 goals.

Had you placed your spread bet high at 0.3 you would have made 2.7 times your stake.

(3 - 0.3) x your stake = 2.7 x £50 = £135

But if Chelsea had won 1-0, the same bet would have lost you 1.3 times your stake.

(0.3 - -1) x your stake = 1.3 x £50 = -£65

Total Goals - This football betting market is based on the total number of goals scored in any given match by both teams.

Goal Scorers' Shirt Numbers - A spread bet in this market would be based on the aggregate number of shirt numbers for all the goal scorers in a match. If Arsenal were to draw 1-1 with Chelsea with players wearing shirt numbers 14 and 10 scoring the goals, the shirt numbers would result in 24 points.

Total Bookings - How many cards will the referee show during a match? Our scoring system allocates:

10 points for a yellow card (maximum one per player)

25 points for a red card

If a player receives a yellow card and then a second yellow card i.e. red card then he is awarded 10 + 25 = 35 points.

Total Corners - This spread betting market is based on the total number of corners taken by both sides in a game.

Time of 1st Goal - How many minutes will elapse before a team scores? In this football betting market we also make predictions on the time of the 1st home goal and 1st away goal. The maximum result is 90 minutes (injury time does not count).

Total Goal Minutes - This is a very volatile market and care should be taken when placing bets. You must use your judgement to estimate the total aggregate time of all goals scored in the game. Goals scored in the 44th and 82nd minute would add up to 126 total goal minutes.

Individual Player Goal Minutes - This spread betting market refers to the total minutes of all the goals scored by an individual player in a match. So, if a player scored two goals in a match, one in the 34th minute and the other in the 68th minute, his result would be 102 minutes.

A player's make-up that does not score in a game is 0 minutes.

Check The Sporting Index Web Site For More Information

Trading Talk.. This weeks round up of the key sporting events

Football
The title race is hotting up and the Big Four take each other on again in the second round of ?Grand Slam Sunday' this weekend. Liverpool travel to Old Trafford to face their most bitter rivals and sellers of United' supremacy at 0.4 with Sporting Index will be encouraged by the Reds' recent run of seven straight victories since their defeat to Barnsley . This will be further boosted by United losing two of their past five games at Old Trafford. However, buyers of United' supremacy will point to the Red Devil's recent dominance in these contests ? they have won six of the last seven Premier League encounters between the two sides and Liverpool haven't managed to score against them in the last six league meetings.

Although both of these clubs are attack-minded and are two of the highest scoring teams in the league, buyers of total goals at 2.4 will be alarmed to hear that seven of the last 10 games between the two sides have had one or no goals. There have been two goals once and three match goals twice in that period. Interestingly, five of the last nine goals scored in games between these two have been scored by defenders which will be music to the ears of punters who buy defender player goal minutes.

Sporting Index's current Premier League points index forecasts that Man United will end the season on 86 or 87 points. They would have to register 17 points from their final eight games, which include matches against Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal. Liverpool are predicted to earn 73 points, 14 more than their current figure of 59 and buyers of this figure will be hoping they can break their United hoo-doo, as well as produce their now customary strong Premier League finish.

The other key game is Chelsea v Arsenal at Stamford Bridge . Arsenal sit just two points above their London rivals in the League table and will slip down to third place if leaving West London empty handed. It looks like being a fight right down to the wire to finish second to United according to the Sporting Index Premier League points market, with both sides forecast to get 82 points. Buyers of Chelsea supremacy will be encouraged by the Blues winning four of the last seven contests between the sides. However, they have only taken two points from the last three league games against the Gunners. Buyers of total goals will be concerned that the last six league games between the two have all had two or fewer goals.

One of the key facets of games between these London rivals in recent years has been their aggressive, fiery nature. Buyers of bookings will be licking their lips as two of the last three games had final bookings make-ups of 90 and 145. However, Premier League games between the two have followed a similar pattern in the past three years and there has only been one high make up each season. Alan Wiley issued nine yellow cards at the Emirates in December and sellers will be praying for the pattern to continue.

Motor Racing The second Grand Prix of the 2008 season takes place in Malaysia on Sunday and buyers of Lewis Hamilton season points at 108 will be hoping he can make it two from two at the track in Sepang. He was second to Fernando Alonso last year and there could be fireworks if the two enemies are in touching distance at any point during the race. Sepang is a very wide track which makes it perfect for overtaking manoeuvres, yet it is also one of the most complex and technical ones on the F1 circuit, with a combination of tight turns and long high velocity straights.

Alonso has a very strong record here, winning two and finishing second in the last three years. Buyers at 15 in the race index (where you are awarded 60 for a win, 40 2 nd , 30 3 rd , 25 4 th , 20 5 th , 15 6 th , 10 7 th and 5 8 th ) will be hoping he can finish in the first five to guarantee a profit. Interestingly, in the last two years the first two places have been occupied by drivers from the same team. Last year it was Alonso and Hamilton for McLaren and in 2006 it was Fisichella and Alonso for Renault. Hamilton can be bought at 35, whilst his team mate Heikki Kovalainen can be bought at 24 if McLaren are to make it a one-two for the second year running.