Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Championship Opta Facts – April 13-14


Southampton v Reading
The Royals have failed to win in their last five visits to the south coast, losing twice.
Southampton have conceded a total of five goals in their last three league games, as many as in the previous 12 games combined.
Nigel Adkins' side have won more home games than any other championship side, 15.
Nine out of Southampton's 11 opening home fixtures yielded over 2.5 goals. Only two of the following 10 at St Mary's have followed suit.
Reading have netted in each of their last 11 away games, setting a new Championship record for 2011/12.
Ian Harte is a defender in form, having scored three goals in four games.


Barnsley v Cardiff
The last three meetings between the sides have produced a total of 15 goals, including a 5-3 triumph for Cardiff in this season's reverse fixture.
Cardiff have claimed a victory in four of their last six visits to South Yorkshire.
The Tykes have managed just three goals in their last 10 matches.
Cardiff have drawn five of their last six matches
The Bluebirds have found the net in 18 of their 21 away matches, a joint-league-high.

Birmingham v Bristol City
Birmingham have beaten Bristol City in each of their last five meetings, scoring 11 and conceding four.
Chris Burke has netted three times in his last four appearances and his double set up a 2-0 win for the Blues in the reverse fixture.
The Blues have lost one home game this season, less than any Championship side.
Chris Hughton's charges have kept 11 clean sheets at St. Andrews, a joint-league-high.
Birmingham have netted exactly three goals in their last four Championship outings.
If Bristol City triumph they will equal a season-best three consecutive victories.

Burnley v Coventry
On their last six visits to Turf Moor, Andy Thorn's side have returned with three points on one occasion.
Charlie Austin has struck five goals in his last four appearances and it was his 90th minute winner that secured a 2-1 success for Burnley in the reverse fixture.
The Clarets have won one of their last five home games.
The Sky Blues have triumphed just once away from home this term, a league-low.
Coventry have incurred just one loss in eight, winning two.

Crystal Palace v Ipswich
Paul Jewell's side have triumphed on three of their last four visits to south London to face Palace.
There have been four red cards in as many meetings between the sides.
Palace have suffered defeat in four of their last five games and won only one of their last nine.
Crystal Palace have drawn a league-high 10 home games this season.
The Tractor Boys have not won away from home in their last five attempts.

Derby v Middlesbrough
Boro have overcome Derby in eight of their last eleven meetings, keeping six clean sheets along the way.
Since the 1999/2000 season the sides have met 13 times with an average of 3.3 goals per game.
The Rams have lost one of their last seven games, winning four.
Tony Mowbray's side have embarked on an eight-match winless streak, their worst run this season.
Boro have managed no more than one goal in their previous eight fixtures.

Doncaster v Portsmouth
The sides have met 13 times in all competitions, with Portsmouth coming out on top in nine.
Doncaster have failed to win in nine games, the poorest current run in the division, losing six of their last seven.
Rovers have also not kept a clean sheet in their last 14 in the Championship, the worst current run.
Pompey have not won in their last seven away fixtures.
Michael Appleton's side have failed to find the net in four of their last five matches on the road.

Leeds v Peterborough
The sides have only met in three previous league meetings, with a total of 11 goals being scored, and nine of those coming after the break.
Peterborough have scored in each of the seven matches they have played against Leeds (in all competitions).
Neil Warnock's side have failed to win in five home games and host Peterborough on the back of three consecutive 2-0 defeats (overall).
The Whites have kept just two clean sheets at Elland Road this term, a league-low.
Posh are winless in their last nine games away from home.

Millwall v Leicester
None of the last six league meetings between these two clubs have ended in a draw.
The Lions have suffered defeat in seven of their latest nine home fixtures.
Milwall have kept four clean sheets in their last five league matches.
18-year-old striker Harry Kane has scored in each of Milwall's last three victories, while Leicester winger Ben Marshall can boast the same feat for his side.
Nigel Pearson's side have lost just once in their last seven fixtures, winning four.

Nottingham Forest v Blackpool
Blackpool are unbeaten on their last five visits to the County Ground in all competitions, winning two.
The teams' four most recent meetings have each produced more than 2.5 goals.
Forest have failed to find the net in a joint-league-high nine home games this season.
Steve Cotterill's side boast three clean sheets in their last four league encounters.
Blackpool have scored in each of their last 18 league games, and are the first Championship side to do so in 2011/12.
Ian Holloway's charges have lost three of their last four away fixtures.

Watford v Hull
Hull are unbeaten on their last six matches against Watford, recording five victories, two of which have come at Vicarage Road.
Former West Brom midfielder Robert Koren has scored in the 90th minute in consecutive matches against Watford.
The Hornets have suffered defeat once in their last nine Championship games.
Watford have conceded in 18 of their 21 home fixtures this season.
Monday's home win over Middlesbrough ended a run of five consecutive defeats for the Tigers and was only their second success in 13.

West Ham v Brighton
Brighton have triumphed once in 10 visits (in all competitions) to Upton Park, losing seven.
The Hammers have failed to win at Upton Park in their last seven attempts, drawing six
Ricardo Vaz Te has netted five times in his last four appearances.
Brighton have not won away from home in their last five attempts.
In 9 of their 21 away matches this term, Brighton have failed to get on the scoresheet.

Bundesliga Opta Facts Match Day 31 - April 13th - 15th


VfB Stuttgart v Werder Bremen
Stuttgart have only won one of their last six league encounters with Werder (D2, L3).
The Swabians have enjoyed four wins in their last five BL home games against Werder, though, scoring an average of four goals per game in the process.
Stuttgart have amassed 46 points and are currently in fifth place, four points above Werder. Since the winter break the Swabians have picked up 11 more points than Bremen whom they trailed by seven points shortly before Christmas.
After only taking four points from their first five games in 2012 Stuttgart have now gone eight games without defeat (W6, D2), only league-leaders Dortmund are on a longer unbeaten run (24 games).
Werder Bremen have lost two and won none of their last five league fixtures.
VfB have already chalked up more points in their 13 games since the turn of the year (24) than in the entire first half of the season (22).
Stuttgart and Bremen have conceded the joint-most goals from corners so far this term (10, same as Freiburg), in Stuttgart's case seven of these 10 goals came in their last 13 games.
Bruno Labbadia's men have won four of their last five league games at MercedesBenz Arena (D1), scoring four or more in three of these games.
VfB striker Vedad Ibisevic has scored in each of his last four BL appearances and has registered a total of six goals in these four games.
Werder forward Markus Rosenberg has netted three and assisted three of Bremen's last 11 league goals.

Bayer 04 Leverkusen v Hertha BSC
Hertha have won three and lost none of their last six league meetings with Leverkusen.
Bayer have only enjoyed one win in their last six home games against the Old Lady (D2, L3), when they beat Hertha 2-1 at BayArena in December 2006.
The corresponding fixture on the penultimate day two seasons ago saw the two sides draw one-all. Hertha's failure to capture all three points in Leverkusen in that game sealed relegation for the Berlin-based side.
Otto Rehhagel's men have only won two of their last 19 league games (D5, L12).
Bayer striker Stefan Kießling has scored against 17 of the current 18 BL teams with Hertha being the only side still missing in his collection.
Kießling has netted six goals in his last nine BL appearances. The German international has scored seven of his so far 10 goals this term since the turn of the year.
Gonzalo Castro is set to make his 200th BL appearance (12 goals).
Hertha have netted at least once in 19 of their last 20 league encounters wih B04.
Only one of the last eight league meetings between these two sides has seen the home side prevail.
Hertha gaffer Otto Rehhagel has won none of his last six BL games against Leverkusen (D2, L4). His last win over Bayer came over 16 years ago when he was in charge of Bayern (2-1 A).

VfL Wolfsburg v FC Augsburg
These two sides have only ever met once in a competitive match when they faced each other in this season's reverse fixture with Augsburg beating the Wolves 3-0. It was FCA's first-ever home win in the German top flight.
Both sides have lost their last two league games on the trot. Previously, Wolfsburg had gone five games without defeat, while Augsburg had been on a run of six unbeaten games before these back-to-back defeats.
The Wolves have only lost two of their last 10 BL matches at VW Arena (W6, D2), but lost their last home game when they were defeated 3-1 by reigning champions Dortmund.
VfL have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last five games on home soil, conceding a total of 10 goals in the process.
No team has picked up fewer points away from home than Augsburg this term (nine, same as Lautern).
Jos Luhukay's side has failed to win any of their last 10 away games (D4, L6), currently the longest run of its kind in the Bundesliga.
Augsburg won two and lost only one of their reverse fixtures against their remaining four opponents.
FCA have found the back of the net in eight of their last from set-piece situations.
South Korean midfielder Koo is Augsburg's top scorer in 2012 (four goals). The Wolfsburg loanee has been directly involved in five goals in his last 11 BL appearances (four goals, one assist).

1. FC Kaiserslautern v 1. FC Nürnberg
These two sides have met 53 times in the Bundesliga with Lautern winning nearly half of these encounters (26).
Nürnberg have won four of their last five BL encounters with Lautern, though (L1).
The Red Devils have won seven of their last 10 BL fixtures against FCN at Betzenberg (L3).
FCN have won their last three BL outings at Kaiserslautern by a margin of two goals.
Nürnberg could take a big step towards regaining their top-flight status with a win over Lautern which would bring their point tally to 38 - since the introduction of the three-point rule no team that has won 38 points after 31 games has suffered relegation.
FCK have now gone 20 games without a full three-point haul (D9, L11), the club's longest-ever drought in the German top flight. Only three teams in BL history have endured longer winless streaks.
The Red Devils have only netted 19 goals so far this campaign, a low in their BL history. Only two teams have ever netted fewer goals 30 games into a BL season (Tasmania Berlin 1965/66 (12) and Köln 2001/02 (18)).
This game will see the least prolific team (Lautern, 19 goals) take on the side with the third-worst goal haul (Nürnberg, 31 goals).
With only three goals to his name, Itay Shechter is Lautern's top scorer this term. There has never been a team in BL history with a top scorer with less than four goals to his name at the end of a campaign.
Daniel Didavi scored two and assisted one goal in Nürnberg's 4-1 win over Schalke on Wednesday. It was the first time the 22-year-old had managed three goal involvements in a single BL match in his career. Didavi has been directly involved in six of Nürnberg's last eight league goals (five goals, one assist).

Hamburger SV v Hannover 96
Hannover are unbeaten in five BL games against Hamburg with four of these five encounters ending in draws.
Seven of the last 11 league meetings between Hamburg and Hannover have seen the two sides share the spoils.
HSV have won more than half (12) of their 23 BL home games against Hannover and have lost none of their last six on home soil against the Reds (W1, D5).
With a points tally of only 31 points and a goal difference of (-22) Hamburg have registered their worst-ever record after 30 games of a BL season and are consequently in danger of being relegated from the German top flight for the first time in the club's history.
Thorsten Fink's men have won none of their last seven BL home games (D3, L4) and have failed to score more than one goal in any of these seven matches.
Hannover have lost four away games on the spin for the first time under the tutelage of Mirko Slomka and have only enjoyed one win in their last 14 league matches on the road (D5, L8).
HSV have shipped a league-high 13 headed goals, while only two teams have netted more goals from headers than Hannover (10).
Hannover are one of only three teams that still haven't lost a game in which they held the lead this term. The Reds have only been ahead in four of their 15 away games this term - a divisional low.
H96 winter signing Mame Diouf, who has netted six goals in 10 BL appearances for Hannover, will miss the remainder of the campaign due to injury.
Only HSV shot-stopper Jaroslav Drobny (120) has made more saves this term than Reds goal-keeper Ron-Robert Zieler (113).

FC Schalke 04 v Borussia Dortmund
Dortmund have lost none of the last three Ruhr derbies (W2, D1), but have only won four of their last 26 league encounters with Schalke.
With a win Schalke could balance the head-to-head record between them and Dortmund in the Bundesliga. So far Dortmund have won 28 of the 79 league encounters with their arch-rivals, while Schalke have been triumphant on 27 occasions (D24).
Borussia have gone 24 league games without defeat and have equalled the BL record for the longest unbeaten run inside a single season set by Leverkusen in 2009/10.
Schalke have won nine and lost none of their last 10 BL fixtures at Veltins Arena, scoring 31 goals in the process.
With a win over Dortmund, Schalke could secure a top-four finish.
30 games into the season Dortmund have already registered 69 points, exactly as many as they had at same point last campaign. Only Bayern have ever amassed more points after 30 games of a BL season (1972/73 and 1998/99).
With four games to go Schalke striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar has already netted 43 goals in all competitions - more than any other S04 player has ever managed in a single season. Additionally, the Dutchman leads the Bundesliga in terms of goal involvements (24 goals, six assists).
Robert Lewandowski is the first BVB player to score 20 goals or more in a single BL season since Stephane Chapuisat achieved that feat in 1991/92.
Jefferson Farfan has scored one and assisted five of Schalke's last nine league goals.
Dortmund full-back Macel Schmelzer is set to make his 100th BL appearance, while Chinedu Obasi (Schalke) could feature in his 75th game in the German top flight.

FC Bayern München v 1. FSV Mainz 05
With four games to go Bayern are six points behind league-leaders Dortmund. No team in BL history that topped the league after 30 games has ever squandered such a big lead.
Mainz won their last BL encounter with Bayern when they beat the record champions 3-2 at home in this season's reverse fixture and were also victorious in their last BL outing at Munich (2-1).
Thomas Tuchel's men have enjoyed three wins in their last five BL games against Bayern, but have never won two games in a row against FCB.
Bayern have won their last eight league home games on the bounce and have netted at least twice in each of these eight matches.
FSV have only won one of their last 14 BL games away from Coface Arena (D7, L6).
Bayern currently have the best attack (69 goals scored) and the best defence in the league (20 goals conceded). Only once has a team that lead the league in these two categories not won the BL title (Schalke 2000/01).
Mainz are the only side to score in each of their 13 league games since the turn of the year and have set a new club record for the longest scoring run in the German top flight.
Bayern haven't dropped a single point from winning positions this term, while Mainz have dropped a league-high 28 points from games in which they have held the lead.
FSV have lost all their three late kick-offs this term (1-3 away at Lautern, 1-3 at home against Bremen and 1-2 away at Dortmund).
Of the current 18 BL managers only FSV gaffer Thomas Tuchel (W3, L2) and Hertha manager Otto Rehhagel (W18, D14, L14) have a positive record against Bayern.

Borussia Mönchengladbach v 1. FC Köln
Köln are winless in six league games against Gladbach (D2, L4).
The Billygoats have lost the last three Rhenian derbies against Gladbach on the trot, conceding a total of 12 goals in the process.
Gladbach have won more games (43) and scored more goals (163) against Köln than against any other team in the German top flight.
Gladbach have only enjoyed one win in their last eight league games and have now gone four games without a full three-point haul for the first time in the Lucien Favre era.
The Foals have won none of their last four BL games on home soil.
Köln have gone five games without a win, something that last happened to them in autumn 2010.
The Billygoats have lost nine of their last 12 BL outings away from home (W1, D2) and have only picked up one point from their last five on the road.
Köln have the worst defensive record in the league having already shipped 63 goals this term - never before have the Billygoats conceded that many goals after 30 games of a BL season.
Only once in their BL history have the Foals conceded fewer goals after 30 games of a BL season than they have this term (22); in 1969/70 they had only allowed 21 goals at the same point of the season.
BMG manager Lucien Favre has won each of his four BL encounters with Köln.

SC Freiburg v 1899 Hoffenheim
Hoffenheim have only won one of their previous five BL games against Freiburg (D2, L2), when they beat SCF 1-0 on the road in 2009/10.
This season's reverse fixture saw the two sides draw 1-1. Roberto Firmino opened the scoring for Hoffenheim, Garra Dembele levelled the scores with his first-ever goal in the Bundesliga.
Freiburg have gone seven games without defeat, only table-toppers Dortmund (24 games) and Stuttgart (eight games) are on longer unbeaten runs.
No team has taken more points from the last seven games than SCF (17, same as Dortmund and Stuttgart).
Christian Streich's men haven't lost any of their last six home games (W3, D3). The only time they have ever gone longer without a home defeat inside a single BL season was back in 1994/95 (nine games).
Hoffenheim have picked up 10 points from their last four games and are only four points behind seventh place, a position that would enable them to play in the Europa League next season.
TSG have only lost one of their last five BL matches on the road (W3, D1).
Hoffenheim have found the back of the net in each of their last 12 BL games, only Mainz are currently on a longer scoring run than 1899 (13 games).
Freiburg have netted at least twice in each of their last five league games, only once have SCF managed to net more than once in six consecutive BL matches (winter 1994/95).
Only Köln (63) have conceded more goals than SCF (56) this season. Christian Streich's men have allowed their opponents only five goals in their last seven league games, though, fewer than any other team in the German top flight during that period.