What statistics and facts are saying ahead of the final round of this season’s UCL group stage games
FC Porto v Atletico Madrid
FC Porto and Atlético Madrid have met on 11 previous occasions in European competition, with the Portuguese side only winning two of those meetings (D4 L5).
Atlético Madrid are unbeaten in their last five games against FC Porto in the Uefa Champions League, winning four of those five meetings (D1); all of which have been during Diego Simeone’s reign. The last time they lost to the Portuguese side in the competition was in December 2009, under Quique Sánchez Flores.
FC Porto were unbeaten on the first three occasions when hosting Atlético Madrid in European competition between 1963 and 2009 (W1 D2), but have lost both matches while the Spanish side have been coached by Diego Simeone – 1-2 in October 2013 and 1-3 in December last year.
Atlético Madrid have won their last two away games at FC Porto in the Uefa Champions League, while they have never previously won three away games against a single opponent in the competition.
FC Porto have won each of their last three Uefa Champions League games without conceding a single goal, while they have never previously won four in a row in the competition while keeping a clean sheet in each victory.
Atlético Madrid are winless in their last four Uefa Champions League games (D2 L2) – they last had a longer run without a victory in the competition between December 2008-December 2009, when they went nine games without one prior to Diego Simeone’s arrival.
FC Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa has saved three of the four penalties he has faced in the Uefa Champions League this season – this is already the most ever by a goalkeeper in a single season on record in the competition (since 2003-04).
Atlético Madrid striker Álvaro Morata hasn’t scored in any of his last nine appearances in the Uefa Champions League, his joint-longest streak without a goal in the competition (also nine games between October 2017 and October 2019).
Mehdi Taremi has been directly involved in six goals in the Uefa Champions League this season (four goals and two assists); the most of any FC Porto player. This is also the most by an Iranian player in a single season in the competition on record (since 2003-04).
Since the start of last season, Atlético Madrid defender Reinildo has initiated more open play sequences than any other player in the Uefa Champions League (183); highlighting his capacity to recover the ball for his team.
Bayer Leverkusen v Club Brugge
Bayer Leverkusen and Club Brugge have only met on two previous occasions in European competition, with the Belgian side unbeaten across those meetings – 1-1 in the Uefa Cup in October 2006 and 1-0 in the reverse fixture in this season’s Uefa Champions League.
Club Brugge have only won one of their previous 15 away games against German sides in European competition (D4 L10), although that lone victory did come in the most recent trip – a 2-1 victory at RB Leipzig in the Uefa Champions League group stage last season.
Bayer Leverkusen have won both previous occasions when they’ve hosted Belgian opposition in European competition, beating K. Lierse SK in 1997 (1-0) and KRC Genk in 2011 (2-0) – both in the Uefa Champions League.
Club Brugge have already qualified for the knockout stage in this season’s Uefa Champions League, and could finish top of their group for the very first time in a single edition of the tournament.
Bayer Leverkusen have only won one of their five matches in the Uefa Champions League (D1 L3), going winless in their last three. If they fail to win this game, it will be their joint-fewest victories in a single campaign in the competition, along with 1999-2000 and 2015-16 (one win in each).
Club Brugge are yet to concede away from home in the Uefa Champions League this season, beating FC Porto 4-0 and drawing 0-0 at Atlético Madrid. The Belgian side could keep three consecutive clean sheets away from home in the competition for the first time.
Club Brugge have only made three changes to their starting XI in the Uefa Champions League this season, with only Benfica (1) making fewer overall. Their opponents Bayer Leverkusen, meanwhile, have made 14 changes to their starting XI across their five matches.
Bayer Leverkusen forward Patrik Schick has played 18 times in the Uefa Champions League without scoring a goal. Indeed, his three goals in major European competition have all been scored in the Uefa Europa League, where he averages a goal every 138 minutes.
Club Brugge goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has only conceded four goals in the Uefa Champions League this season, despite having faced an expected goals on target total of 9.1. Indeed, based on the quality of shots he has faced, Mignolet has prevented more goals than any other goalkeeper in this season’s competition (5).
Callum Hudson-Odoi – who scored against Atlético Madrid last time out – has created more chances (7) and made more successful take-ons (7) than any other Bayer Leverkusen player in the Uefa Champions League this season.
Liverpool – Napoli
This will be the eighth meeting between Liverpool and Napoli in European competition, with the Italian side (3) edging the Reds (2) in terms of victories so far (two draws). After their 4-1 win in this season’s reverse fixture, Napoli could beat Liverpool in consecutive games for the first time.
Napoli have travelled to face Liverpool on three previous occasions in European competition, but have gone winless across all three (D1 L2) – 1-3 in the Uefa Europa League in November 2010, and 0-1 in December 2018 and 1-1 in November 2019 in the Uefa Champions League.
Liverpool have lost their last two games against Italian sides in the Uefa Champions League, both of which have occurred this year (0-1 v Internazionale in March and 1-4 v Napoli in September). They have never previously lost three games in a row against Italian opposition in the European Cup/Uefa Champions League.
Napoli have never won away from home against an English team in European competition, with the Italian side failing on 11 occasions to date (D3 L8). They are unbeaten in the last two trips, however, drawing 1-1 against Liverpool in this competition in November 2019 and 2-2 v Leicester in the Uefa Europa League in September 2021.
This will be Jürgen Klopp’s 100th match as a manager in the Uefa Champions League, across spells with Borussia Dortmund and current club Liverpool. He will become the first German coach to take charge of a century of games in the competition.
Napoli have scored more goals than any other team through the first five matchdays in this season’s Uefa Champions League (20). Indeed, the only team to score more during a single group stage in the previous four campaigns has been Bayern Munich (24 in 2019-20 and 22 in 2021-22).
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has scored 42 goals in the Uefa Champions League, the second-most by an African player in the history of the competition. He would need to score twice in this match in order to draw level with Didier Drogba (44) as the joint-top African scorer.
Giacomo Raspadori has been directly involved in six goals for Napoli in the Uefa Champions League this season, scoring four goals and providing two assists. The last Italian player to be directly involved in more goals in a single campaign in the competition was Alberto Gilardino for Fiorentina in 2009-10 (three goals, five assists).
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson could both make their 50th Uefa Champions League appearances for Liverpool in this game (both currently on 49). Indeed, should Alexander-Arnold do so, he would become the youngest player to reach a half-century of appearances in the competition for the Reds (24 years and 25 days).
Napoli’s Giovanni Di Lorenzo has created more chances from open play (10) and more following a carry (6 – along with Dinamo Zagreb's Sadegh Moharrami) than any other full back in the Uefa Champions League this season.
Rangers v Ajax
Rangers have lost all five of their matches against Ajax in European competition, by an aggregate scoreline of 15-4. Indeed, Ajax have scored nine goals in their three meetings against Rangers that have taken place in the Uefa Champions League.
Only against Besiktas (6/6) do Ajax have a better 100 per cent record in European competition than they do against Rangers (5/5).
Rangers have lost more matches against Ajax (5) than against any other opponent in European competition, with two of those coming in home games for the Scottish side. No team have ever won away to Rangers in European competition on more than two occasions.
Ajax have lost each of their previous four games in the Uefa Champions League; they haven’t lost five in a row in the competition since September 2004 under Ronald Koeman.
Rangers have lost all five of their games in the Uefa Champions League this season. No Scottish side have ever been beaten six times within a single campaign in the European Cup/Uefa Champions League.
Ajax and Rangers are the two teams who have conceded the most goals from crosses and headed goals in the Uefa Champions League this season – Ajax have conceded the most headers (5 – Rangers with four) and the Scottish side have shipped the most goals from crosses (5 – Ajax with four).
No team have conceded more goals following a high turnover – an opposition sequence starting within 40 metres of a team’s own goal – than Rangers in the Uefa Champions League this season (4).
Since the start of last season, Steven Berghuis has been directly involved in seven goals in 13 appearances for Ajax in the Uefa Champions League (four goals and three assists); the most of any current player for the club.
14 different players have attempted at least one shot for Rangers in the Uefa Champions League this season, however Scott Arfield is the only player to have scored for them in the competition in 2022-23 (four shots, one goal).
Among players to have attempted at least 10 take-ons in the Uefa Champions League this season, Ajax’s Mohammed Kudus has the highest take-on success rate in the competition (69 per cent - 11/16).
Bayern Munich – Inter Milan
Bayern Munich and Internazionale have met on eight previous occasions in European competition, with the German side winning half of those meetings (W4 D1 L3). Indeed, they are unbeaten in the three matches in the Uefa Champions League that have taken place in the group stage (W2 D1).
Internazionale are unbeaten in their previous three away games at Bayern Munich (W2 D1). Indeed, they are the team who have faced the German side away from home on the most occasions without ever losing in European competition.
Bayern Munich have won each of the last five games when hosting Italian sides in the Uefa Champions League, scoring at least twice in every match (13 in total). Indeed, the last time they failed to win against such opposition was against Internazionale in March 2011 (2-3).
Bayern Munich have won each of their last 12 group stage matches in the Uefa Champions League, and are looking to become the first side in Uefa Champions League history to win all six group games in consecutive campaigns. They would also become the first side to do so on three separate occasions, having also done so in 2019-20.
Internazionale are unbeaten in three away games in the Uefa Champions League, and could go four games without defeat away from home in the competition for the first time since December 2003 to February 2005 (five games).
Bayern Munich have scored in 42 of their last 43 home matches in the Uefa Champions League, netting 136 goals across this spell at an average of 3.2 per game. They have scored in each of their last 21 in a row since being held by Sevilla in April 2018.
Internazionale have won four of their last five games held in Germany (L1), with three of those coming in the Uefa Europa League knockouts in 2019-20.
Bayern Munich’s Sadio Mané has scored 27 goals in the Uefa Champions League, the fourth-most of any African player after Didier Drogba (44), Mohamed Salah (42) and Samuel Eto’o (30).
Since the start of last season, Bayern Munich defender Noussair Mazraoui has initiated more open play sequences that have ended in a goal than any other player in the Uefa Champions League (7). His team have scored seven times after the Moroccan has regained possession, highlighting his ability to recover the ball and generate advantageous attacks.
Eric Choupo-Moting has scored in his of his last four starts in the Uefa Champions League, including last time out against Barcelona. Choupo-Moting averages a goal every 83 minutes for Bayern Munich in the competition, the best rate of any player with at least two goals for the club.
Viktoria Plzen v Barcelona
Viktoria Plzen have lost all three of their previous games against Barcelona in the Uefa Champions League, scoring just one goal and conceding 11 times in return.
This will be the second time Barcelona have faced Viktoria Plzen away from home in the Uefa Champions League, with the previous trip being a 4-0 win in November 2011, featuring a Lionel Messi hat-trick.
Barcelona are unbeaten against Czech opposition in the Uefa Champions League, winning six times and drawing once, while scoring 20 times and conceding only three goals. Barcelona have won all three of their away games.
Viktoria Plzen have won one of their nine matches in Europe against Spanish clubs (D1 L7), only avoiding defeat against Atlético de Madrid (1-0 win in December 2012) and Villarreal (3-3 draw in December 2015); both of those games were played at home.
Barcelona have failed to reach the knockout stages of the Uefa Champions League in consecutive campaigns, this after reaching the knockout rounds in 19 consecutive participations between 2001-02 and 2020-21.
Viktoria Plzen are the team with the highest long pass per centage in the Uefa Champions League this term, with 19 per cent of their total being long passes. They also have the lowest possession average in the competition this term (30 per cent).
Barcelona have lost each of their last three away matches in the Uefa Champions League, and could lose four such matches in a row for the first time since November 1994 to October 1997 (4).
Viktoria Plzen have conceded 20 goals in the Uefa Champions League this season – the record for goals conceded in a single group stage in the competition is 24 by Legia Warsaw in 2016-17 and BATE Borisov in 2014-15.
Barcelona forward Robert Lewandowski has scored 37 goals in 53 away games in the Uefa Champions League – if he scores in this game, he will overtake Karim Benzema (37) as the outright third top scorer away from home in the competition, behind Cristiano Ronaldo (63) and Lionel Messi (49).
Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembélé has made more progressive carries of 10+ metres than any other player in the Uefa Champions League this season (39), while no player has created more chances after a carry than the Frenchman (6).
Sporting CP v Eintracht Frankfurt
The only previous meeting between Sporting CP and Eintracht Frankfurt in European competition came in this season’s reverse fixture in the Uefa Champions League, in a 3-0 away win for Rúben Amorim’s side.
All three of Eintracht Frankfurt’s previous three away games against Portuguese opposition have been in the Uefa Europa League (W1 D1 L1), with the most recent one being a 1-0 victory over Vitória Guimarães in October 2019.
Sporting CP have won on the last two occasions when playing a German opponent in European competition, with both coming in the Uefa Champions League – 3-1 v Borussia Dortmund in November 2021 and 3-0 v Eintracht Frankfurt this term. This is as many wins as they had managed in the first 27 times they faced German opponents in European competition (D6 L19).
In what is their first ever Uefa Champions League campaign, Eintracht Frankfurt can still win their group if results go their way. The only German club to win their first group participation in the competition is Kaiserslautern in 1998-99, while the last German club to progress to the knockout rounds in their first participation was VfB Stuttgart in 2003-04.
Sporting CP are looking to progress to the knockout rounds in consecutive Uefa Champions League campaigns, having been eliminated during the group stage in seven of their previous eight participations (progressing in 2008-09).
Eintracht Frankfurt won on MD5 against Marseille, and could win consecutive European Cup/Champions League matches for only the second time in their history, also doing so in 1959-60 when beating Rangers home and away at the semifinal stage.
Sporting CP are currently winless in three Uefa Champions League matches (D1 L2), last going four games without victory in this competition back in 2016-17 (four defeats).
Eintracht Frankfurt’s Mario Götze has registered an assist in each of his last two appearances in the Uefa Champions League; only once previously has he set up a goal in three consecutive games in the competition – between November 2012 and March 2013 for Borussia Dortmund when he was 20 years old.
Sporting CP are one of two sides yet to attempt a shot following a high turnover in the Uefa Champions League this season, the other team being Dinamo Zagreb. Meanwhile, only four teams have attempted more shots from such situations than Eintracht Frankfurt (9) – Barcelona (13), Napoli (13), Liverpool (11) and Benfica (10).
Sporting CP have been shown three red cards so far this season in the Uefa Champions League – the last team to have more players sent off in a single group stage was Anderlecht in 2013-14 (4).
Marseille v Tottenham Hotspur
Marseille and Tottenham’s only previous meeting in European competition came earlier in this season’s Uefa Champions League, with Spurs winning 2-0 on home soil.
Marseille are winless in their last nine games against English sides in the Uefa Champions League (D2 L7), with their last such victory coming in December 2010 in a 1-0 win over Chelsea.
Spurs have played away from home against French sides on six previous occasions in European competition, but have failed to win all six (D4 L2). The only one of these games that came in the Uefa Champions League was in November 2016, in a 2-1 defeat to Monaco.
Having lost six home matches in a row in the Uefa Champions League between March 2012 and November 2020, Marseille have since won two of their last three such matches (L1), including last time out against Sporting CP. They haven’t won consecutive home matches in this competition since October-December 2010 against MSK Zilina and Chelsea.
Spurs have won only two of their last eight Uefa Champions League matches (D2 L4) – they preceded these games with a run of three consecutive victories during the 2019-20 group stages.
Despite currently sitting bottom of Group D, Marseille can still top the group if results go their way. Only once in 10 previous campaigns have Marseille finished top of their Uefa Champions League group – in 1992-93 when they lifted the trophy.
Spurs have failed to win any of their last four away matches in the Uefa Champions League – should they fail to win here, it will be their longest run of games without a win away from home in the competition.
Marseille have allowed their opponents 9.5 passes on average for each defensive intervention (PPDA), the third-lowest rate of any side after Chelsea (8.3) and Barcelona (9.3).
Spurs have failed to score in any of their last three away matches in the Uefa Champions League; the last English side to go on a longer run without a goal away from home in the competition was Manchester United between October 2004 and November 2005 (five games – a record for an English club).
Marseille’s Nuno Tavares has attempted 48 dribbles in the Uefa Champions League this season, the most of any player. Nonetheless, the wing-back has completed only 27 per cent of those take-on attempts (13), which ranks 67th of the 76 players with 10+ attempts.