Alex Tarabrin

I studied economics but never worked in the field. In 2021, my love of football and my interest in analysis came together, and that was when I started editing content for the Legalbet Betting Centre.

I placed my first bet on the 2005 UEFA Cup final between CSKA Moscow and Sporting CP. For a long time, I backed accumulators while also reading betting blogs. Step by step, I began to dive deeper into niche markets, above all player markets and the impact that missing key players can have on a team’s performance.

The key part of my approach is finding the less obvious connections. I analyse team form, statistics, what is going on behind the scenes, dressing room atmosphere and the wider news flow around a match. And, of course, I trust what I see with my own eyes when I follow a game live.

One example is the Real Madrid vs Getafe match in March 2026. Most punters would have stopped at analysing form and looking at the 1x2 market. I checked the card statistics from the previous 10 matches, which were averaging above 4, looked at the head-to-head meetings, where there had been two games with 8 cards, and concluded that this would be a physical and scrappy contest. In the end, instead of taking an apparently safe over 4.5, I backed over 12 cards at odds of 101.00. The bet landed in the 97th minute. Overall, around 90% of my bets are on yellow cards. Occasionally, I also play offsides and big markets.

Among the top leagues, I follow the major European championships, with the Bundesliga first and foremost. Among niche interests, I follow the leagues of Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia — I consider them a good testing ground for spotting patterns. I work with a limited pool of competitions and immerse myself in them in real depth.

At the Legalbet Betting Centre, I share my view of the game and show how a love of football can be combined with cold mathematics, what to watch for, when it is worth taking a risk and when it is better simply to enjoy the match.