Ladbrokes 5-A-Side is a unique football betting product that combines bet builder-style wagering with the feel of fantasy football. Instead of backing match results or standard markets, you pick five players from a fixture, assign each one a role, and bet on each player achieving their target stat during the game. All five must deliver for the bet to win – making it essentially a five-fold accumulator built entirely around player performance in a single match.
It is exclusive to Ladbrokes and available on the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1 and major European competitions, including the Champions League and Europa League.
You need a Ladbrokes account to play. New customers can claim Bet £5 Get £30 in Free Bets when joining.
18+ New UK+ROI Customers only. Certain deposit methods & bet types excl. Min first £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 to get 6 x £5 free bets (selected sportsbook markets only, valid 7 days, stake not returned). Restrictions + T&Cs apply.
5-A-Side is a five-fold accumulator where each leg is a player performance stat from the same match. You pick five players, assign each one a role, set the stat target for each, and Ladbrokes generates combined odds for all five hitting their targets.
Unlike a standard bet builder where you might combine match result, BTTS and a goalscorer, 5-A-Side is built purely around individual player stats. You can select players from either team and even use the same player in more than one position.
The odds update as you add each player and adjust each stat target – you can push targets higher for better odds or bring them lower for shorter but more achievable odds.
Step-By-Step: How to Place a Ladbrokes 5-A-Side Bet
Step 1 – Find the match
Log in to your Ladbrokes account on the website or app. Find the football fixture you want to bet on. Navigate to the 5-A-Side tab which appears in the header on the match page alongside the standard betting markets.
Step 2 – Choose your formation
There are six formations to choose from, each offering a different mix of player types:
Formation
Line-up
Best for
Balanced
1-1-2-1
Standard mix of stats across all areas
All Out Attack
1-1-0-3
Goals, shots and attacking stats
Rush Goalie
0-1-2-2
No goalkeeper, focus on outfield attacking stats
Park The Bus
1-3-0-1
Defensive-heavy, tackles and defensive stats
Gung Ho!
1-1-3
One defender, two midfielders, three attackers
Shoot On Sight
1-0-2-2
No defensive midfielder, strikers and shots focus
Your formation determines which player role slots you need to fill. Choose based on what you expect to happen in the match – if you think it will be a cagey, low-scoring affair, Park The Bus suits defensive stats. If you expect goals and a dominant home performance, All Out Attack gives you the attacking slots to work with.
Step 3 – Select your players and set their stat targets
Each position slot has a specific stat category. Pick a player for each slot and set their target. Opta player statistics are available for every eligible player to help your selections – average shots per game, tackles per game, cards per game and more.
Step 4 – Review and place
Once all five slots are filled, your combined odds are displayed. Adjust any targets to fine-tune the odds. When you are happy, enter your stake and confirm the bet.
The Nine Player Role Types
Each position slot in your 5-A-Side team covers a specific type of stat. Understanding what each role is betting on is essential before building your team.
Role
What you are betting on
Keeper
Number of goals conceded, or a clean sheet
Cruncher
Number of tackles made
Hacker
Receiving a yellow or red card
Baller
Number of passes completed
Playmaker
Number of assists
Chancer
Shots from outside the box
Sniper
Total shots (including inside the box)
Finisher
Goals scored
Stopper
Clearances made
You only have access to the role slots available in your chosen formation. A Rush Goalie formation has no Keeper slot. A Park The Bus formation has three Cruncher or Stopper slots and limits your attacking options.
Setting Stat Targets – How the Odds Work
Once you select a player for a role, Ladbrokes automatically suggests a default stat target based on their average performance. You then use the + and – buttons to raise or lower the target.
Raising the target increases the odds but makes the bet harder to win. Backing a striker to score 2+ goals returns bigger odds than 1+ goal.
Lowering the target reduces the odds but increases the probability of the player hitting it. Backing a busy central midfielder to make 40+ passes is easier to hit than 70+ passes.
The odds for each player update in real time as you adjust. As you add each subsequent player, the displayed odds are the cumulative combination of all selections added so far.
Ladbrokes 5-A-Side Tips
Think about the game context before you build your team. What kind of match are you expecting? A dominant home side should produce shots, tackles in the midfield battle, and potentially a clean sheet for the keeper. An open, end-to-end game suits goalscorer and shots markets. A physical derby suits Hacker and Cruncher selections.
Use the Opta stats. Ladbrokes displays player averages for each relevant stat. A midfielder averaging 65 passes per game is a safer Baller selection than one averaging 40. Always check the numbers rather than selecting on reputation alone.
Back likely starters who will play the full game. If a player comes off at half-time, he cannot hit stat targets that require second-half contributions. Players likely to be substituted early – out-of-form players, those returning from injury, rotation candidates in a midweek game – are a risk. Always check the expected line-up and team news before building your team.
Avoid chasing big odds at the expense of probability. A 100/1 five-fold looks attractive but requires five player stat targets all to land. Reducing one or two targets to make them more achievable – even at the cost of half the odds – is a sounder approach. A 30/1 winner is far more satisfying than a near-miss 100/1 that loses on the final player.
You can mix players from both teams. Your 5-A-Side squad does not have to come from the same side. If you expect the away team’s striker to get plenty of shots against a leaky defence, and the home goalkeeper to make saves as a result, both can feature in the same team.
The Hacker position. Backing a player to receive a card via the Hacker slot is essentially the same as placing a player to be carded market. Use the same logic you would for our yellow card tips – referee tendency, the player’s cards rate per game, the match context and whether the player is close to a suspension threshold.
Ladbrokes 5-A-Side Leaderboards
In addition to the standard real-money betting version, Ladbrokes run free-to-play 5-A-Side leaderboards on selected fixtures. These allow both new and existing customers to build their 5-A-Side team and compete against other players for prizes without staking their own money.
Leaderboard prizes vary but typically include free bets for the top performers. These are worth entering alongside placing a real-money 5-A-Side bet – the leaderboard entry is free and gives you something extra to follow during the match.
Ladbrokes 5-A-Side vs Bet Builder – What is the Difference?
Both products are available on the same Ladbrokes match page, and both build accumulator-style bets from individual match markets. The key differences are:
5-A-Side
Bet Builder
Legs
Always 5
2 or more
Structure
Fixed formation/role system
Any combination of markets
Markets
Player performance stats only
All available markets including result, BTTS, goals
Same player in multiple legs
Yes
No
Fantasy football feel
Yes
No
5-A-Side is more structured and thematic – you are building a team with roles. Bet Builder is more flexible – you pick exactly the markets you want. For punters who enjoy the fantasy football angle and want a focused player stats bet, 5-A-Side is ideal. For punters who want to combine a match result with a goalscorer and an over/under goals leg, the standard bet builder is the better tool. See our bet builder tips for daily selections.
How to Get Started with Ladbrokes 5-A-Side
You need a Ladbrokes account to place a 5-A-Side bet.
18+ New UK+ROI Customers only. Certain deposit methods & bet types excl. Min first £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 to get 6 x £5 free bets (selected sportsbook markets only, valid 7 days, stake not returned). Restrictions + T&Cs apply.
Once registered, go to any eligible football match on the Ladbrokes website or app and select the 5-A-Side tab to start building your team.
FAQs
What is Ladbrokes 5-A-Side?
Ladbrokes 5-A-Side is a football betting product where you pick five players from a single match, assign each one a performance role, set a stat target for each, and bet on all five hitting their targets. It is a five-fold accumulator built around player stats, combining bet builder betting with fantasy football team-building.
Which leagues are available on Ladbrokes 5-A-Side?
5-A-Side is available on the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1 and major European competitions including the Champions League and Europa League.
Can I pick players from both teams?
Yes. Your 5-A-Side squad can include players from either team in the fixture. You can even use the same player in more than one position if you think they will hit multiple stat targets.
What happens if a player I selected does not start?
If a player does not feature in the match at all, Ladbrokes will void that leg and the bet is settled as a four-fold on the remaining selections, similar to a non-runner in a horse racing accumulator. Always check team news before placing.
Is the Ladbrokes 5-A-Side leaderboard free to enter?
Yes. Ladbrokes run free-to-play leaderboards on selected fixtures where you can build a 5-A-Side team for free and compete against other players for prizes. No stake is required for leaderboard entries.
How is 5-A-Side different from a standard bet builder?
5-A-Side always has exactly five legs and uses a fixed formation and role system based entirely on player performance stats. The bet builder is more flexible, allowing any number of legs from any available market on the same match including match result, goals and player stats. Both are available on the same match page.
Andy is the founder, owner and editor of thatsagoal.com, with over 20 years of experience in betting on sports. He has a keen eye for stats, particularly when looking at players to be carded, and these form a large part of the bet builder tips you see on the site. As well as creating daily football tips, Andy also keeps thatsagoal updated with all the best bookmaker promotions and offers for our readers.
