Champions League Statistics

The UEFA Champions League group stages start tonight, and with it comes 9 months of matches before we reach the Final in Berlin on June 6th.

It’s very difficult to predict who will get their hands on the trophy, no team has successfully defended the title since the Champions League started in 1992.  The last two finals have seen unlikely Finalists in Borussia Dortmund and Athletico Madrid, and Chelsea’s victory in 2012 defied the odds given their poor domestic showing that year.

Here’s a few stats from the Champions League since 1992:

Average Points Per Game

1. Barcelona – 1.938
2. Real Madrid – 1.935
3. Manchester Utd – 1.865
4. Bayern Munich – 1.813
5. Paris Saint-Germain – 1.796

Average Net Goal Difference Per Game

1. Real Madrid – 0.965
2. Barcelona – 0.964
3. Manchester Utd – 0.78
4. Chelsea – 0.735
5. Bayern Munich – 0.695

Hardest to Beat – Games Lost Percetage

1. Barcelona – 18.13%
2. Manchester Utd – 20.50%
3. Chelsea – 21.97%
4. Real Madrid – 22.50%
5. Liverpool – 23.17%

Top Goalscorers (Playing in the 2014-15 Competition)

1. Cristiano Ronaldo – 68 goals
2. Lionel Messi – 67 goals
3. Didier Drogba & Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 42 goals
4. Karim Benzema – 36 goals
5. Steven Gerrard – 28 goals

Most Appearances (Playing in the 2014-15 Competition)

1. Xavi – 147 matches
2. Iker Casillas – 142 matches
3. Zlatan Ibrahimovic & Cristiano Ronaldo – 107 matches
4. Ashley Cole & Andrea Pirlo – 105 matches
5. Petr Cech – 103 matches