Round of 32, Leg 1, By the Numbers

By: Ian Rose | February 14th, 2008

Here’s a little statistical breakdown of the sixteen matches played in the first leg of the round of 32 in this year’s UEFA Cup, with comparisons from this leg in the past few years for context. Enjoy the statistical geekery, and remind yourself that if your side’s match wasn’t the most exciting ever in this past round, at least you don’t have to sit through the 2005 round again. Now that was a snorer, unless your favored side happened to be Greek.

Goals
32 total goals scored in 16 matches, for an even 2 goals per match, but still more than 2005.
In 2007: 38 in 15 matches (one walkoff), for 2.53 per match
In 2006: 35 in 16 matches, for 2.19 per match
In 2005: 24 in 16 matches, for 1.5 per match

Best Results by League
Premier League: 3 matches, 3 wins
In 2007: Bundesliga: 2 matches, 2 wins
In 2006: Ligue 1: 5 matches, 3 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss
In 2005: Super League Greece: 2 matches, 2 wins

Worst Results by League
La Liga: 3 matches, 2 losses and a draw
In 2007: Serie A and Romanian Liga I: 2 matches, 2 losses
In 2006: Eredivisie: 2 matches, 2 losses
In 2005: Ligue 1: 3 matches, 2 losses and a draw

Draws
4 draws out of 16, for 25%, a fairly average round in terms of number of draws
In 2007: 5 out of 15 matches, for 33%
In 2006: 1 out of 16 matches, for 6.25%
In 2005: 8 out of 16 matches, for 50%, including a dreadful 5 scoreless draws

Winning Margins
Of those matches with a winner, the average margin was 1.67 goals, continuing an increasing trend over the past four years.
In 2007: 1.6 goals
In 2006: 1.4 goals
In 2005: 1.25 goals

Biggest win
3-0 victories for Werder Bremen and Marseille
In 2007: 3-0 for Werder Bremen over Ajax
In 2006: 3-0 Udinese over Lens
In 2005: 2-0 wins for Valencia and CSKA Moscow (Valencia went on to lose on penalties)

Home Pitch Advantage
Measured in terms of UEFA points (2 for a win, 1 for a draw) for home side per match
This round: 1.25 points per match for home sides, the same as in draw-heavy 2005
In 2007: 1.07
In 2006: 0.94, with 8 of 16 matches ending in away wins
In 2005: 1.25