In the world of football betting, players often focus on strong, high-performing teams to find investment opportunities. However, there is an equally effective strategy that few people pay attention to: exploiting weak teams, especially those with poor records in history. These teams often bring stable indicators in a negative direction such as high loss rate, low scoring efficiency, high conceding ability, helping players easily analyze odds, predict results and choose the right type of bet. In this article, Bestsoccertips takes a look back at the top 7 worst football team in the Premier League, not only to clearly see the level of their decline, but more importantly, to find a way to take advantage of past data to increase the odds of winning bets in the future.
What is the worst football team in the Premier League?
Throughout the history of the Premier League, there has been no shortage of teams that have left their mark, but instead of glory, they have stood out for their incredibly poor performances; and below are the top 7 worst football team Premier League of the most exciting tournament on the planet.
7. Sheffield United – 2020/21 Season
After a surprise 9th-place finish in 2019/20, Sheffield United crashed hard in 2020/21, finishing bottom with just 23 points. Though they initially retained some of their organized defensive shape, chronic scoring failures sank them: only 20 goals across the season. The result was a glut of narrow defeats 0-1, 0-2 scorelines occurred frequently offering value in correct-score markets and in backing opponents to win while keeping a clean sheet. Their matches were typically low scoring yet decisive (someone usually grabbed the result), which suited selective side-and-total combinations.
From a betting perspective, Sheffield were well suited to short opponent handicaps opponent -0.5 or -1 lines often cleared because Sheffield rarely produced multiple goals needed to punish those bets. Because they seldom scored early, first-half Unders or 0-0 halftime props performed respectably. And given how rarely their games broke open into high-scoring shootouts, Under 2.5 held recurring value especially versus possession-oriented but defense-minded teams such as Wolves, Brighton, or Burnley, where tempo control and limited attacking risk played straight into low-total expectations.
6. Watford – 2021/22 Season
Watford in 2021/22 were among the league’s poorest teams both technically and strategically. They changed managers three times in a single season, never found stability, and seldom generated coherent attacking play. They conceded 77 goals, won just 6 matches, and lost 27. For bettors, this profile screamed value in opponent team-total Overs, match goal Overs driven by Watford’s goals allowed, and laying heavy spreads with stronger opposition (Asian handicap lines with significant head starts). In meetings with top-10 sides, multi-goal defeats (2+ goal margins) were common outcomes.
Watford also displayed an “early collapse” pattern in many games, conceding inside the opening 20 minutes. This created profitable windows for props like “opponent to score before 30:00,” first-half opponent win markets, or race-to-1-goal bets. Their disorganization extended into defensive discipline: repeated errors in and around the box led to penalties, making “penalty awarded,” “VAR penalty,” or “anytime penalty scored” worthwhile speculative plays at appropriate prices. Matches involving Watford rarely ended 0-0, so steering clear of ultra-low Unders (sub-2.25 totals) was generally prudent.
5. Sunderland – 2002/03 Season
Sunderland reappear on this list thanks to a grim 2002/03 season that ended with 19 points. The side lacked motivation, identity, and standout individual talent. They scored only 21 goals in 38 matches hardly enough threat to stay competitive. Their away form was especially disastrous: 16 losses in 19 road fixtures. From a betting standpoint, Sunderland were a team to avoid backing in most Asian handicap scenarios and a frequent candidate to oppose particularly by taking the home side when Sunderland traveled.
Their limited attacking punch became even clearer against opponents with well-structured defenses. That made “Sunderland to fail to score,” “opponent clean sheet,” or related team-total unders against Sunderland attractive propositions. Matches where the opposition controlled possession often produced lopsided shot counts and territorial pressure, opening side markets: opponent corner Overs, shots-on-target props, or skewed on-goal metrics all offered angles. Tracking these situational mismatches helped bettors capture incremental value throughout the season.
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4. Aston Villa – 2015/16 Season
The 2015/16 Aston Villa campaign was a major disappointment: a proud, historically significant club delivered a dismal output and finished on just 17 points. Villa won only 3 matches and lost 27. Boardroom instability, managerial turnover, and incoherent on-field structure left them priced as underdogs in most fixtures. For bettors, fading Villa was routinely attractive: opponent winning margins, second-half goal markets, and 2-goal-spread scenarios (e.g., opponent -1.5/-2.0) were all commonly in play. When Villa entered matches in “checked-out” mode, second halves in particular became fertile ground for Overs as organization and resistance eroded.
Adding to the opportunity: Villa were prone to blowing leads jumping ahead only to lose outright. This behavior made comeback or “opponent to win from behind” props unusually appealing, as well as Villa to lose second half result markets. Because the Villa brand still carried name recognition, betting markets at times posted numbers that flattered them relative to actual form, producing mispriced lines. Savvy bettors watching lineup news, body language, and in-match metrics could fade the public premium, loading into opponent positions or flipping live once early signs of Villa regression appeared.
3. Huddersfield Town – 2018/19 Season
Huddersfield Town exemplified an underpowered squad entering the Premier League. In 2018/19 they finished on just 16 points and scored only 22 goals across 38 matches one of the lowest season goal totals in league history. They were regularly pinned back, defended deep in numbers yet without cohesion, and offered almost no meaningful counterattacking threat. The result was a slow tempo in many of their matches and relatively few total goals. In betting terms, Huddersfield were prime candidates for Unders (total match goals), “team total under / fail to score,” and low-scoring first-half props such as 0–1 total goals in the opening period.
Because their attack misfired badly and the squad showed fragile psychology, Huddersfield also lost at home with uncomfortable frequency a weakness some relegation-level teams manage to avoid. Bettors could exploit inflated home-field bias by backing visiting sides (moneyline or handicap) at prices that occasionally overstated Huddersfield’s resistance. Given how often Huddersfield conceded first and rarely mounted comebacks, live or pre-match markets like “opponent to win from leading at 30+ minutes,” “over 1 second-half goal,” or “opponent to score after taking the lead” presented logical angles. Tactical limitations combined with low morale a critical live-betting factor made fading Huddersfield a recurring theme all season.
2. Sunderland – 2005/06 Season
Sunderland’s 2005/06 season ended with just 15 points, ranking as one of the two worst totals in Premier League history. They managed only 3 wins across the entire season, lost 29, and finished with a very poor goal differential (-43). Their attack rarely generated sustained pressure, while the defense repeatedly left exploitable gaps. Importantly, Sunderland never produced a meaningful “revival stretch” that might have shaken betting markets; from start to finish they lived in the high-loss, fade-them zone. For bettors, Sunderland were an ideal candidate for backing the opposition on Asian handicap lines especially when Sunderland were away from home, where the performance drop was often even starker.
For totals players, Sunderland that year leaned toward lower aggregate goal counts: they struggled to score, yet many defeats came by moderate rather than extreme margins. That profile made Under 2.5 attractive in plenty of matchups, and correct-score angles like 0-2 or 1-2 to the opponent were sensible stabs. Another tendency: lapses in concentration after the 60th minute. Accordingly, props such as “opponent to score in the second half,” or “opponent corner supremacy in 2H,” frequently carried value. In sharper markets where books priced aggressively, historically informed bettors could still carve out an edge by leaning into Sunderland’s sustained inefficiency across the season.
1. Derby County – 2007/08 Season
Derby County hold a “sad record” in Premier League history, taking just 11 points across the entire 2007/08 campaign. They won only 1 match, drew 8, and lost 29. With a goal difference of -69, Derby were effectively non-competitive against almost anyone, including mid-table sides. In many fixtures they lost by 3 goals or more. Their back line collapsed under most attacking systems, while their attack was completely toothless. From a betting perspective, this was a team you could confidently oppose with big-margin lines backing the opponent on heavy spreads (Asian handicap -1.5 or worse for Derby) or taking markets tied to Derby conceding multiple goals was often profitable, as were “over” bets on Derby’s goals allowed totals.
From a wagering angle, Derby were a “gold mine” for bettors who correctly read the context. They showed virtually no sustained recovery signs all season and were often priced as underdogs even at home. A common pattern: they tended to unravel early, making first-half opponent bets, early-goal props (opponent to score before a given minute), or first-half result against Derby high-probability plays. Late in the campaign, once the side had effectively “checked out,” the heavy defeats became even more pronounced, supporting deep handicap positions, opponent clean-sheet bets, and alternative team-based overs such as opponent corners or even penalty-related props in matches where pressure tilted heavily against them.
Summary
Following and analyzing the worst football team in the Premier League is not only a story for fans, but also an extremely useful tool for professional bettors. Every weak team reveals repeated failure patterns from tactics, fighting spirit to the habit of conceding goals or being stuck in attack. When you identify those trends, you can take advantage of them to place bets at the right time, choose the right type of bet (over/under, score, handicap, clean sheet…) and thereby optimize the investment efficiency. Remember, sometimes you don’t need to choose a strong team to win, but just need to know which team… always loses. And that is the key to smart football betting.
See more: 10 top form football teams in the world you should know
