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Opta Analyst

@optaanalyst.optajoe.com

Data-driven storytelling for sport. ๐Ÿ“ˆ U.S. sports @optaanalystus.optajoe.com https://www.theanalyst.com Sign up for our Stat, Viz, Quiz football newsletter: http://theanalyst.com/sign-up

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Latest posts by Opta Analyst @optaanalyst.optajoe.com

Preview
Atlรฉtico Madrid 5-2 Tottenham Stats: Spurs and Kinsky Suffer Meltdown in 22-Minute Nightmare | Opta Analyst Check out the best facts, stats and Opta data from this Champions League match with our Atlรฉtico Madrid vs Tottenham stats page

Check out the best facts, stats and Opta data from this crazy game here ๐Ÿ‘‡

theanalyst.com/articles/atl...

10.03.2026 22:13 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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A record-breaking, damaging, and absolutely bonkers night in Madrid.

Tottenham have now lost SIX consecutive matches in all competitions for the first time in their history.

10.03.2026 22:12 ๐Ÿ‘ 39 ๐Ÿ” 5 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2 ๐Ÿ“Œ 1
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An utterly, utterly mad first half...

10.03.2026 20:51 ๐Ÿ‘ 20 ๐Ÿ” 3 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 2
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Newcastle 0-0 Barcelona HT

An even first half at St James' Park, where clear-cut chances have proved hard to come by.

10.03.2026 20:48 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 1 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Antonin Kinsky's #UCL career:

16 minutes played
5 touches
2 errors leading to an opposition goal
0 saves
3 goals conceded

10.03.2026 20:24 ๐Ÿ‘ 21 ๐Ÿ” 5 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 6
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Galatasaray 1-0 Liverpool Stats: Reds Suffer Repeat of League-Phase Defeat | Opta Analyst Check out the best facts, stats and Opta data from this Champions League last-16 clash with our Galatasaray vs Liverpool stats page

Read our stats-based match report from an eventful first leg in Istanbul here theanalyst.com/articles/gal...

10.03.2026 19:57 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Galatasaray 1-0 Liverpool FT

For the second time this season, Liverpool lose 1-0 away to Galatasaray.

They'll need to produce a far more clinical performance back at Anfield next week if they are to progress from this tie.

10.03.2026 19:56 ๐Ÿ‘ 3 ๐Ÿ” 1 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Galatasaray 1-0 Liverpool HT

Liverpool have only played more away #UCL games at Chelsea (5) without victory than they have at Galatasaray (3).

They looking like they might well make it four tonight...

10.03.2026 18:36 ๐Ÿ‘ 3 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Stat, Viz, Quiz 138: The Champions League Last 16 and the Opta Supercomputer This week's Opta Analyst newsletter looks at UEFA Champions League predictions, Tottenham's troubles, and the Premier League title race run-in.

๐’๐ญ๐š๐ญ, ๐•๐ข๐ณ, ๐๐ฎ๐ข๐ณ

In this week's Opta Analyst newsletter, we looked at:

- Who will win the Champions League?
- Tottenham turmoil, and
- The Premier League title run in

Click/tap below to read and subscribe (for free) ๐Ÿ‘‡

newsletter.theanalyst.com/p/stat-viz-q...

10.03.2026 16:08 ๐Ÿ‘ 2 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Tired Tackles and Missed Chances: Why England's 2026 Six Nations Has Fallen Flat | Opta Analyst England lost their 100% winning record against Italy in the Menโ€™s Six Nations this weekend, as they were once again left ruing missed opportunities.

England have conceded the fewest entries into their 22 of any side in the #SixNations, but when opponents do get in, they score at a competition-high rate of 3.2 points per visit.

Getting there is hard - converting is not. Why?

theanalyst.com/articles/eng...

10.03.2026 09:18 ๐Ÿ‘ 2 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Eight Storylines for the Last 16: What To Look Out for as Champions League Knockouts Enter Full Swing | Opta Analyst With the play-off round done, the UEFA Champions League's knockout stages officially begin this week. Here, we've identified one aspect to keep an eye on in each tie.

๐‚๐ก๐š๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐‹๐ž๐š๐ ๐ฎ๐ž ๐‹๐š๐ฌ๐ญ-๐Ÿ๐Ÿ” ๐’๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ž๐ฌ

๐ŸฅณSalah's milestones
โ˜ฏ๏ธMadrid, City and a clash of styles
๐Ÿ˜ตโ€๐Ÿ’ซSpurs' unwanted distraction
๐Ÿ™Bodo/Glimt's dream

We picked one thing to look out for in each UCL last-16 tie...

theanalyst.com/articles/cha...

09.03.2026 16:28 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Premier League Fixture Difficulty: Who Has the Toughest Run-In? | Opta Analyst With nine games remaining for the majority of sides, weโ€™ve looked at which teams have the hardest and easiest Premier League run-ins.

๐๐ซ๐ž๐ฆ๐ข๐ž๐ซ ๐‹๐ž๐š๐ ๐ฎ๐ž ๐…๐ข๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ž ๐ƒ๐ข๐Ÿ๐Ÿ๐ข๐œ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ฒ

Which teams have the toughest/easiest fixtures between now and the end of the season?

Find out below... ๐Ÿ‘‡

theanalyst.com/articles/pre...

06.03.2026 12:10 ๐Ÿ‘ 10 ๐Ÿ” 1 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Which Premier League Teams Will Qualify for the Champions League? The Opta Supercomputerโ€™s Predictions | Opta Analyst Which Premier League clubs will do enough to qualify for next seasonโ€™s Champions League? We look at the latest Opta supercomputer predictions.

๐‘๐š๐œ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐‚๐ก๐š๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐‹๐ž๐š๐ ๐ฎ๐ž

After three of the top six in the Premier League lost this midweek, what does the Opta supercomputer make of their chances of qualifying for next season's Champions League?

Find out below... ๐Ÿ‘‡

theanalyst.com/articles/cha...

05.03.2026 17:51 ๐Ÿ‘ 3 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 1
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What to Expect From Mansfield Town When They Face Arsenal in the FA Cup | Opta Analyst Mansfield Town host Arsenal in the FA Cup on Saturday, but do Nigel Cloughโ€™s side stand a chance of causing a shock against the Premier League leaders?

Want to know more about Mansfield Town ahead of their FA Cup clash with Arsenal? We've got you.

Nigel Clough's side have already knocked out Sheffield United and Burnley in their cup run. Can they add the Gunners to the list? ๐Ÿ‘‡

theanalyst.com/articles/man...

05.03.2026 16:38 ๐Ÿ‘ 42 ๐Ÿ” 3 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Was Aston Villaโ€™s Dip in Form Inevitable According to xG? | Opta Analyst Aston Villa's form has dipped in recent weeks, which perhaps isn't all that surprising when you look at their xG numbers across the season.

Aston Villa were scoring lots of goals from distance earlier in the season, and that ability to outperform their xG regularly was winning them games.

Their form has dipped recently, though. We look at how much their xG can tell us about why that might be.

#AVFC

theanalyst.com/articles/ast...

05.03.2026 15:30 ๐Ÿ‘ 8 ๐Ÿ” 1 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 1
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Fabian Hรผrzeler Called Out Arsenal Over Time-Wasting, But Were They Really That Bad? | Opta Analyst Brighton boss Fabian Hรผrzeler was scathing of Arsenal's perceived timewasting at the Amex Stadium on Wednesday. Opta data can tell us how bad it really was.

๐€๐ซ๐ฌ๐ž๐ง๐š๐ฅ: ๐“๐ข๐ฆ๐ž-๐–๐š๐ฌ๐ญ๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ?

Fabian Hรผrzeler was scathing of Arsenal after Wednesday's clash at the Amex Stadium.

But was his reaction justified, an overreaction or simply deflecting from his own team's issues?

theanalyst.com/articles/ars...

05.03.2026 12:46 ๐Ÿ‘ 76 ๐Ÿ” 10 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 23 ๐Ÿ“Œ 5
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Milan vs Inter: Five Key Milan Derby Subplots as Rossoneri Title Hopes Enter Last-Chance Saloon | Opta Analyst Ahead of Sundayโ€™s Derby della Madonnina, we look at five Milan vs Inter subplots and the Opta supercomputer's prediction. Can Milan revive the Serie A title race?

Sundayโ€™s Derby della Madonnina perhaps gives Milan their last opportunity to threaten Interโ€™s Serie A title charge.

Ahead of the game at San Siro, we look at five key Milan vs Inter subplots.

theanalyst.com/articles/mil...

05.03.2026 10:09 ๐Ÿ‘ 2 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Promoted and Dismissed, Now Practically Safe: Sunderland Flip the Narrative by Reaching 40-Point Mark | Opta Analyst Few gave Sunderland much hope of avoiding relegation from the Premier League this season. And yet, they've reached the 'magical' 40-point mark by Matchday 29.

๐ˆ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ž๐๐ข๐š๐ญ๐ž๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐–๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐ž๐ง ๐Ž๐Ÿ๐Ÿ, ๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐๐ซ๐š๐œ๐ญ๐ข๐œ๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐’๐š๐Ÿ๐ž

Since the 2001-02 season, only 6 promoted teams have taken more points by MD29 than Sunderland's 40 this term.

Few backed Sunderland to survive; they're virtually there already.

theanalyst.com/articles/sun...

04.03.2026 14:20 ๐Ÿ‘ 92 ๐Ÿ” 7 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 8 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Wolves 2-1 Liverpool Stats: Reds Stunned By Yet Another Stoppage-Time Winner | Opta Analyst A late goal was the scourge of Liverpool yet again. Look back on a thrilling end to the game with the best facts and Opta data in our Wolves vs Liverpool stats page.

Get all the key stats, our recap and use the Opta chalkboard for your own analysis below ๐Ÿ‘‡

theanalyst.com/articles/wol...

03.03.2026 22:41 ๐Ÿ‘ 4 ๐Ÿ” 1 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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๐–๐จ๐ฅ๐ฏ๐ž๐ฌ ๐Ÿ-๐Ÿ ๐‹๐ข๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐ฉ๐จ๐จ๐ฅ

Liverpool have lost five Premier League games thanks to 90th minute goals this season, the most ever by a team in a single campaign.

A miserable night for the Reds but a brilliant one for Wolves.

03.03.2026 22:41 ๐Ÿ‘ 16 ๐Ÿ” 3 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2 ๐Ÿ“Œ 3
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Wolves' first shot of the day, in the 78th minute.

Wolves 1-0 Liverpool

03.03.2026 21:52 ๐Ÿ‘ 77 ๐Ÿ” 5 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 6 ๐Ÿ“Œ 3
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๐‹๐ž๐ž๐๐ฌ ๐ŸŽ-๐Ÿ ๐’๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ž๐ซ๐ฅ๐š๐ง๐

Aside from their decisive penalty, Sunderland managed just two shots at Elland Road.

The Black Cats reach the 'magical' 40-point mark; only three teams have ever been relegated at the end of a 38-game Premier League season with 40+ pts.

03.03.2026 21:40 ๐Ÿ‘ 2 ๐Ÿ” 1 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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๐„๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐ญ๐จ๐ง ๐Ÿ-๐ŸŽ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐ฅ๐ž๐ฒ

Everton get their first Premier League home win since 6 December.

This was also their first win of the season against promoted opposition at the fifth attempt.

03.03.2026 21:35 ๐Ÿ‘ 40 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐ž๐ฆ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก ๐ŸŽ-๐ŸŽ ๐๐ซ๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ๐

Bournemouth's 1.99 xG is their fourth most in a Premier League match without scoring (all seasons).

A missed opportunity for the Cherries.

03.03.2026 21:30 ๐Ÿ‘ 2 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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๐‡๐“: ๐–๐จ๐ฅ๐ฏ๐ž๐ฌ ๐ŸŽ-๐ŸŽ ๐‹๐ข๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐ฉ๐จ๐จ๐ฅ

Wolves failed to register a single shot in the first half of a home Premier League game for only the second time.

03.03.2026 21:07 ๐Ÿ‘ 5 ๐Ÿ” 2 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 3
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Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has scored six goals in all competitions this season.

He's only managed more in a single campaign during 2023-24 when playing for Leicester City in the Championship (17).

03.03.2026 20:57 ๐Ÿ‘ 2 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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๐‡๐“: ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐ž๐ฆ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก ๐ŸŽ-๐ŸŽ ๐๐ซ๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ๐

Brentford generated just 0.05 expected goals (xG) in the first half, their lowest first-half total in a Premier League match this season.

03.03.2026 20:32 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 1
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๐‡๐“: ๐„๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐ญ๐จ๐ง ๐Ÿ-๐ŸŽ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐ฅ๐ž๐ฒ

Burnley are winless in their previous 38 Premier League matches when trailing at half-time (D4 L34) since a 2-1 win at Watford in April 2022.

03.03.2026 20:30 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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๐‡๐“: ๐‹๐ž๐ž๐๐ฌ ๐ŸŽ-๐ŸŽ ๐’๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ž๐ซ๐ฅ๐š๐ง๐

Leeds had 71% possession in the first half.

They've only managed 70+% possession twice on record (since 2003-04) over a full Premier League match.

03.03.2026 20:28 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Stat, Viz, Quiz 137: Lamine Yamal Keeps Being Amazing This week's Opta Analyst newsletter looks at Lamine Yamal's first Barcelona hat-trick, Everton's excellent away form, and an awful lot of 2-1 wins.

If you didn't subscribe in time, you can still read this week's newsletter here: ๐Ÿ‘‡

newsletter.theanalyst.com/p/stat-viz-q...

03.03.2026 16:37 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0