Pre-match News

Our Pre-match news offers Match Previews written by our data scouts. They are available at a minimum of 48 hours before the match. Our professional match previews are written by our scouts that show what people can expect during the match. Our scouts ensure all previews are up to date at all times.

You can choose a variety of endpoints to retrieve the Pre-match News.

An overview of all available options:

GET Pre-Match News: returns all the Pre-Match News articles available within your subscription.
GET Pre-Match News by Season ID: returns the all the Pre-Match news articles from your requested season id.
GET Pre-Match News for Upcoming Fixtures: returns all pre-match news articles for the upcoming fixtures within your subscription.

For all the Pre-Match News endpoints the base URL is the same:

https://api.sportmonks.com/v3/football/news/pre-match

Per endpoint the rest of the URL requires additional information. We will explain this per endpoint.

Requesting Pre-Match News

GET Pre-Match News

The first option is to request all the pre-match articles available in your subscription. The URL to retrieve all these articles is the same as the base URL for pre-match news. All you have to do is authorize the request with your API token. Check our authentication section for more info.

https://api.sportmonks.com/v3/football/news/prematch?api_token=YOUR_TOKEN

Response

{
    "data": [
        {
            "id": 4110,
            "fixture_id": 18842638,
            "league_id": 8,
            "title": "Pep nominated for Manager of the Month as City resumes title race.",
            "type": "prematch"
        },
        {
            "id": 4111,
            "fixture_id": 18863583,
            "league_id": 82,
            "title": "FC Koln seeking end to three-game winless run in Freiburg clash.",
            "type": "prematch"
        },
        {
            "id": 4112,
            "fixture_id": 18860749,
            "league_id": 301,
            "title": "Monaco looking to stay ahead in race for second-place finish.",
            "type": "prematch"
        },
```

In the response, you will see the unique id of the article, the fixture its related to and the league its related to. Furthermore, you will see the title of the specific article and the type of the article, which is either "prematch" or "postmatch".

Interested in adding extra information to the response? Check our adding useful information section

GET Pre-Match News by Season ID

The GET Pre-Match News by Season ID is the most commonly used endpoint to return all the pre-match articles from the requested season id. So, how do you request all of this data yourself? We’re going to show you how!

This section will show you how to request articles for the Champions League season 2023/2024 (season id: 21638). You will need to add the season_id parameters to your request.

https://api.sportmonks.com/v3/football/news/pre-match/seasons/{season_id}

This will result in the following request:

https://api.sportmonks.com/v3/football/news/pre-match/seasons/21638?api_token=YOUR_TOKEN

Response

{
    "data": [
        {
            "id": 2839,
            "fixture_id": 18996927,
            "league_id": 2,
            "title": "Milan in first-ever UCL meeting with Newcastle after Derby defeat.",
            "type": "prematch"
        },
        {
            "id": 2840,
            "fixture_id": 18996928,
            "league_id": 2,
            "title": "PSG take on Dortmund in 12th consecutive UCL appearance after Nice defeat.",
            "type": "prematch"
        },
        {
            "id": 2841,
            "fixture_id": 18996930,
            "league_id": 2,
            "title": "Man City to begin UCL title defense against Zvezda.",
            "type": "prematch"
        },
```

As you can see, the response is an will retrieve all the articles for that specific Champions League season. But what if you’re interested in articles for all upcoming fixtures?

GET Pre-Match News for Upcoming Fixtures

The GET Pre-Match News for Upcoming Fixtures endpoints is perfect for retrieving all the articles for upcoming matches. It’s great to give a quick overview of all the important matches that are being played and the latest information surrounding these matches. You will need to add the upcoming parameter to your request.

https://api.sportmonks.com/v3/football/news/pre-match/upcoming

Now the only thing you'd have to do is add your API token to this request.

https://api.sportmonks.com/v3/football/news/pre-match/upcoming?api_token=YOUR_TOKEN

Response

{
    "data": [
        {
            "id": 4100,
            "fixture_id": 18863585,
            "league_id": 82,
            "title": "RB Leipzig eyeing five consecutive victories in trip to Hoffenheim.",
            "type": "prematch"
        },
        {
            "id": 4101,
            "fixture_id": 18870684,
            "league_id": 384,
            "title": "Inzaghi to field weaker side as Inter set sights on new target.",
            "type": "prematch"
        },
        {
            "id": 4102,
            "fixture_id": 18842637,
            "league_id": 8,
            "title": "Luton looking to exit bottom three in clash with relegation-immune Everton.",
            "type": "prematch"
        },
```
 //And more!

You can filter this request to only receive articles from a specific season. You can find that in the Selecting and Filtering section of this tutorial.

Adding useful information

Now, you might have noticed that the API returns only the necessary information. But you will still need the actual, written article. Or if you’re interested in more details? You can use certain includes for this.

Check the endpoint page for a complete overview of the available includes.

Let’s say you want the Pre-Match articles of the Champions League 2023/2024 season, but this time with the actual written article and fixture information. As you’ve learnt earlier, your request is:

https://api.sportmonks.com/v3/football/news/pre-match/seasons/21638?api_token=YOUR_TOKEN

Now, you can add the lines and fixture includes for more info:

https://api.sportmonks.com/v3/football/news/pre-match/seasons/21638?api_token=YOUR_TOKEN&include=lines;fixture

Response

{
    "data": [
        {
            "id": 2839,
            "fixture_id": 18996927,
            "league_id": 2,
            "title": "Milan in first-ever UCL meeting with Newcastle after Derby defeat.",
            "type": "prematch",
            "lines": [
                {
                    "id": 9518,
                    "newsitem_id": 2839,
                    "text": "After an embarrassing defeat to Inter, the Rossoneri take on the Magpies in their first-ever meeting, hoping to kick off their UEFA Champions League campaign on a bright note. AC Milan vs. Newcastle United begins at 17:45 (GMT+1) on Tuesday, September 19, at the San Siro.",
                    "type": "introduction"
                },
                {
                    "id": 9519,
                    "newsitem_id": 2839,
                    "text": "Milan were ripped apart in Sunday’s Derby della Madonnina as they lost 5-1 to city rivals, Inter. 
                            The defeat leaves Milan with their first loss in five games across all competitions [WWWWL].
                            "We will analyze the negative things and do better on Tuesday," Stefano Pioli said after the loss.
                            Tuesday’s Group F clash with Newcastle on UCL Match Day 1 will be the first-ever meeting between both sides.
                            It will also be Milan’s 20th UEFA Champions League campaign as the Italian side with the most appearances in the competition behind Juventus [23].
                            Milan, who reached the semi-finals last season, are in the ‘Group of Death’ along with PSG and Dortmund.
                            However, they will be looking to replicate similar success in the star-studded arena of champions, having exited the tournament at the group stage only once in the last 14 editions.
                            Although they will be in search of a win here, Milan have won only once in their last 11 matches against English sides [1W, 2D, 8L].
                            A half-fit Olivier Giroud featured in Saturday’s Milan derby against Inter and is expected to remain in attack on Tuesday when Pioli appears with the 4—3—3.
                            Rafael Leão and Christian Pulisic will join the Frenchman in attack. Tomori returns in defense after failing to feature in Saturday’s 5-1 defeat, while Kalulu could be up for a start if fit after a poor performance from Malick Thiaw.",
                    "type": "home"
                },
                {
                    "id": 9520,
                    "newsitem_id": 2839,
                    "text": "Newcastle picked up a 1-0 win over Brentford at the weekend to put an end to a run of three defeats in a row across all competitions [WLLLW]. Now 11th on the Premier League table, Tuesday's clash with Milan will be Newcastle’s first group-stage appearance in the UEFA Champions League in two decades. They last featured in the competition in 2002/03. It will also be their third appearance in the tournament, following an appearance in 1997/98. On Tuesday night, a 4—3—3 with Anthony Gordon, Isak, and Almirón may be seen from Eddie Howe against Milan. \"I don't know whether that's a good thing for us or not,\" Howe said on Milan’s 5-1 loss to Inter. \"I need to watch that game and analyze it, and we'll try to give a good performance,\" he added. Sven Botman made a return against the Bees and is expected to keep his place for Tuesday’s game, while Sandro Tonali could face his former club having remained on the bench as an unused substitute at the weekend.",
                    "type": "away"
                }
            ],
            "fixture": {
                "id": 18996927,
                "sport_id": 1,
                "league_id": 2,
                "season_id": 21638,
                "stage_id": 77463971,
                "group_id": 249159,
                "aggregate_id": null,
                "round_id": 323588,
                "state_id": 5,
                "venue_id": 1721,
                "name": "Milan vs Newcastle United",
                "starting_at": "2023-09-19 16:45:00",
                "result_info": "Game ended in draw.",
                "leg": "1/1",
                "details": null,
                "length": 90,
                "placeholder": false,
                "has_odds": true,
                "starting_at_timestamp": 1695141900
            }
        },
```
        //And more

Filtering

Let’s continue with the another example. You've used the GET Pre-Match News for Upcoming Fixtures endpoint. You now have included the lines in the response, but you’re only interested in the upcoming fixtures for the Premier League (ID: 8). You can filter for that league via the filter option:

https://api.sportmonks.com/v3/football/news/pre-match/upcoming?api_token=YOUR_TOKEN&include=lines;league&filters=newsitemLeagues:8

Response

```json
        {
            "id": 4108,
            "fixture_id": 18842630,
            "league_id": 8,
            "title": "Arsenal back in title race in early kick-off clash against Bournemouth.",
            "type": "prematch",
            "lines": [
                {
                    "id": 15316,
                    "newsitem_id": 4108,
                    "text": "After last weekend's London Derby win over Spurs, Arsenal are back in the title race, hoping to take another bite of victory off the Cherries in this early kick-off clash. Arsenal FC vs. Bournemouth kicks off at 12:30 [GMT+1] on Saturday, May 4, at Emirates Stadium.",
                    "type": "introduction"
                },
                {
                    "id": 15317,
                    "newsitem_id": 4108,
                    "text": "Table-topping Arsenal [WLWWW] are coming off the back of three wins in a row after holding on for a 3-2 win over Tottenham. The Gunners, who initially held a three-goal lead, were able to thwart a late comeback from Spurs. The win left Arsenal with consecutive top-flight away victories over Spurs for the first time since September 1988. The Gunners have 80 points [25W, 5D, & 5L] and a one-point lead at the top of the table. With second-placed City having a game in hand, Arsenal have very little room to slip up with only three games left to play. Victory against the Cherries in this early kick-off clash will help Arsenal pile pressure on the Sky Blues, who have a tricky fixture up against Wolves much later in the day. A four-game winning streak over the visitors, coupled with an eight-game unbeaten run against Bournemouth, would be enough to leave the Gunners confident of picking up all three points this weekend [7W, 1D, 0L]. A 4—3—3 with Kai Havertz, Saka, and Leandro Trossard in attack is expected against Bournemouth. In other related news, Kai Havertz has been nominated for ‘Player of the Month [April]’, while Mikel Arteta was shortlisted for the ‘Premier League Manager of the Month’ award for the fourth month in a row. Arteta joins the list along with City’s Pep Guardiola and Sean Dyche, who successfully steered Everton to Premier League safety.",
                    "type": "home"
                },
                {
                    "id": 15318,
                    "newsitem_id": 4108,
                    "text": "Bournemouth [LDLWW] are coming off back-to-back victories after last weekend’s 3-0 win over Brighton. They sit in 10th place, five spots above 15th place, where they finished last season. With 9th-placed Chelsea [48 points] and 8th-placed West Ham [49 points] having a go at each other in a mid-table clash on Sunday, the Cherries, who have 48 points [13W, 9D, & 13L], could even climb two places higher up the table. The Cherries suffered a 4-0 loss in the reverse fixture back in September 2023 but will be looking to return as happy travelers when they make the weekend trip to the Emirates. Andoni Iraola is tipped to deploy a 4—4—2 with Enes Ünal and the in-form Dominic Solanke in attack. Solanke is the club’s top scorer with 18 goals in 35 appearances for the club, bagging three assists along the way to hand himself a 40% goal participation for Bournemouth, who have 52 goals in total.",
                    "type": "away"
                }
            ],
            "league": {
                "id": 8,
                "sport_id": 1,
                "country_id": 462,
                "name": "Premier League",
                "active": true,
                "short_code": "UK PL",
                "image_path": "https://cdn.sportmonks.com/images/soccer/leagues/8/8.png",
                "type": "league",
                "sub_type": "domestic",
                "last_played_at": "2024-05-02 18:30:00",
                "category": 1,
                "has_jerseys": false
            }
        },
// And More!!

Check our selecting and filtering tutorial for more information.

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