UEFA Champions Research Articles

It is not (all) about running faster, opponent also plays; the effect of opposition team formation on running performance in professional soccer match-play

ABSTRACT This study investigated the effect of opponent team formation on physical performance during professional soccer matches. Physical performance was measured from all teams (n = 32) in all UEFA Champions League matches (n = 125) during the 2022/23 season. Metrics included total distance (TD) and running at low- (LIR), moderate (MIR), and high-intensities (HIR). Data were obtained using an optical tracking system and were compared in relation to opponent team formation: 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3, 3-4-3, and 3-5-2. Results indicated that (i) central defenders (CDs) in teams organised in 3-5-2 performed more HIR (d = 0.52) against 4-2-3-1 compared to 3-4-3 system; also, in teams organised in 4-2-3-1, CDs covered more TD (d = 0.57) and HIR (d = 0.58) against 4-2-3-1 compared to 4-3-3; (ii) central midfielders (CMs) in teams organised in 3-4-3 performed more HIR against 3-4-3 compared to 4-2-3-1 (d = 0.82) and 4-3-3 (d = 0.81); also, in teams organised in 4-2-3-1, CMs performed more HIR (d = 0.56) against 3-5-2 compared to 3-4-3; (iii) fullbacks involved in teams organised in 4-2-3-1 covered more HIR (d = 0.84) against 3-5-2 compared to 3-4-3. Physical performance in defensive and midfield players was notably affected by opponent team formation. As such, team selection policy and physical preparation strategies for matches against specific formations should arguably be tailored accordingly.

Environmental Heat Stress Detrimentally Affects Match Running Performance of Elite Soccer Teams Competing in the UEFA Champions League.

Modric, T, Clemente, FM, Versic, S, Chmura, P, Andrzejewski, M, Kryściak, J, and Sekulic, D. Environmental heat stress detrimentally affects match running performance of elite soccer teams competing in the UEFA Champions League. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2024-This study aimed to examine the effect of environmental heat stress (EHS), defined by wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT), on match running performance (MRP) while controlling for match-related contextual factors. For this purpose, 2 approaches were implemented: (a) the MRP in heat stress nonrisking environment (NoEHS) (WBGT <22° C) and heat stress risking environment (EHSrisk) (WBGT ≥22° C) were compared and (b) changes in MRP according to the 1° C increase in WBGT were evaluated. Data on MRP were collected using an optical tracking system from all teams ( n = 32) in all UEFA Champions League matches ( n = 125) during the 2022-23 season. Metrics included total distance (TD), low-intensity (LIR), moderate-intensity (MIR), and high-intensity running (HIR) distances. Results indicated that less TD (108.84 vs. 110.71 km; Cohen's d [ d ] = 0.53), MIR (15.91 vs. 17.09 km; d = 0.85), and HIR (8.75 vs. 9.23 km; d = 0.46) were covered in matches played in EHSrisk compared with the NoEHS. Further investigation indicated that for every 1° C increase in WBGT, TD averagely decreased by 0.16 km ( d = -0.48), MIR by 0.13 km ( d = -1.09), and HIR by 0.06 km ( d = -0.69). These findings demonstrated decreased overall and intensive workload during the matches in EHSrisk, suggesting the detrimental effect of EHS on match volume and intensity in elite soccer. When EHS risk is anticipated, consideration of playing and recovery strategies should be implemented by coaches to achieve tactical goals while minimizing physical strain during a match.

Home-Field Advantage in Soccer: UEFA Champions League and Europa League Evaluation on the 2021-2022 Season

Competition analysis in football is an important method to evaluate the success and failure of teams. Home advantage is considered as an important factor in achieving success in competitions. The aim of this study is to examine the effect of home advantage on technical criteria in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, which are organised at club level, played in the 2021-2022 season. In the data collection phase, descriptive survey method was used. Within the scope of the research, a total of 262 football matches, excluding the final matches played at neutral grounds and total of 744 goals scored in these matches were analysed in terms of home and away teams in the UEFA Champions League and Europa League. The goals scored were categorised as the goal minutes intervals, the goal scoring areas (Inside the Penalty Area: IPA; Outside the Penalty Area: OPA), the ways goals were scored (Head Kick; Foot Kick), the number of touches on the ball before the goal (1 Touch: 1T; 2 Touches: 2T; 3 Touches: 3T; 4 Touches + &gt;4T), the direction of attack before the goal and the goals scored from set-pieces (Corner Kick; Penalty Kick and Free Kick) for the home and away teams. The images of the analysed goals were accessed on the UEFA official website with open access permission. Frequency (f) and percentage (%) were calculated for the evaluation of the data obtained, and since the data did not show normal distribution according to the Shapiro-Wilk test results, Kruskal-Wallis test was applied to look at the difference between the groups and the significance level was accepted as p

Identifying Key Factors for Securing a Champions League Position in French Ligue 1 Using Explainable Machine Learning Techniques

Introduction: Performance analysis is essential for coaches and a topic of extensive research. The advancement of technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques has revolutionized sports analytics. Aim: The primary aim of this article is to present a robust, explainable machine learning (ML) model that identifies the key factors that contribute to securing one of the top three positions in the standings of the French Ligue 1, ensuring participation in the UEFA Champions League for the following season. Materials and Methods: This retrospective observational study analyzed data from all 380 matches of the 2022–23 French Ligue 1 season. The data were obtained from the publicly-accessed website “whoscored” and included 34 performance indicators. This study employed Sequential Forward Feature Selection (SFFS) and various ML algorithms, including XGBoost, Support Vector Machine (SVM), and Logistic Regression (LR), to create a robust, explainable model. The SHAP (SHapley Additive Explanations) model was used to enhance model interpretability. Results: The K-means Cluster Analysis categorized teams into groups (TOP TEAMS, 3 teams/REST TEAMS, 17 teams), and the ML models provided significant insights into the factors influencing league standings. The LR classifier was the best-performing classifier, achieving an accuracy of 75.13%, a recall of 76.32%, an F1-score of 48.03%, and a precision of 35.17%. “SHORT PASSES” and “THROUGH BALLS” were features found to positively influence the model’s predictions, while “TACKLES ATTEMPTED” and “LONG BALLS” had a negative impact. Conclusions: Our model provided satisfactory predictive accuracy and clear interpretability of results, which gave useful information to stakeholders. Specifically, our model suggests adopting a strategy during the ball possession phase that relies on short passes (avoiding long ones) and aiming to enter the attacking third and the opponent’s penalty area with through balls.

Did the UEFA Champions League winners start in an easy group?

&lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;"&gt;Competitive balance indicates the degree of control participating teams have over a sports competition. Supporters look for excuses to justify their team&amp;rsquo;s defeat and the triumph of their rivals. If the competition has required a preliminary qualifying group stage, they will argue that the winning team was in an "easy group" from the start, and their team was unlucky to be in a "difficult group". It is therefore of interest to determine what is an "easy group" and what is a "difficult group". This is directly related to the concept of competitive balance. We have a wide range of indices to measure competitive balance. We will use the Distance to Competitive Balance, a standardized index that complies cardinality property. The perfectly unbalanced distribution is the truncated cascade, which allows the maximum value of concentration to be obtained. We focus our attention on the UEFA Champions League, before and after competition, and we measure the competitive balance of the qualifying stage groups between the 1999/2000 and 2022/2023 seasons. The composition of the UEFA Champions League groups seems to be balanced and has no influence on which team will be the champion. A highly competitive group will be more "difficult" in terms of qualifying than a highly concentrated one. Supporters say that their team was unlucky to be in a &amp;ldquo;difficult&amp;rdquo; group, but the data does not prove them right.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Analysis of the Playing Technique Skills of the English Manchester City Football Club in Winning the UEFA Champions League Title For the 2022-2023 Season

Football is a popular sport that appeals to the public. The purpose of the study was to determine the most dominant playing technique skills and quality of playing techniques from the Manchester City Team. The type of research used is quantitative descriptive research with a descriptive method approach. The subjects used in the study were all players who played in the match between Manchester City against Sevilla in the group, RB Leipzig in the last 16, Bayern München in the last 8, Real Madrid in the last 4, and Inter Milan in the final. While the object of this research concerns playing technique skills such as: passing, shooting, dribbling, ball control, and heading.It can be concluded from the results of the analysis of the Manchester City team in five matches in the UEFA Champions League season 2022-2023, namely: The average percentage of the most dominant and best techniques used by the Manchester City team is passing 564 times (88%%), shooting 17 times (54%), dribbling 26 times (62%), ball control 427 times (96%) and heading 21 times (53%), The most dominant technique used by the Manchester City team in the five matches was the passing technique 2,818 times and the ball control technique was the technique that had the highest quality (96%) compared to other techniques, The average percentage of Manchester City team techniques against all opponents, seen from the percentage of playing technique skills, the Manchester City Team excels in all playing techniques such as passing (by 6%), shooting (by 20%), dribbling (by 16%), ball control (by 2%) and heading (by 6%). Based on statistical data on all playing technique skills of the Manchester City team and their opponents, overall (first half, second half and full time) the percentage of Manchester City team playing techniques only lost in one aspect of the technique, namely heading techniques (by 1% in the second half) the rest were able to excel, both in the first half, second half, and in full time, this proves that the percentage of successful passing, shooting, dribbling, ball possession and heading techniques can have an influence on the final result of the match. But in addition to the techniques possessed by players, there are other factors that affect the outcome of the match, such as: game tactics, understanding of game strategy, formation and mental factors.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Penalty Kicks in the UEFA Champions League: Optimal Techniques and Directions for Scoring Success

This study examined the strategic execution of penalty kicks in professional soccer, focusing on the high-stakes environment of the UEFA Champions League. Utilizing a dataset of 243 penalty kicks from five seasons (2018/2019–2022/2023), sourced from YouTube and cross-referenced with Transfermarkt, we employed a detailed nine-zone goal classification system to analyze shot distribution and success rates. We investigated various factors influencing penalty outcomes, including match stage, home-field advantage, minute of the match, current score, player status, previous score, footedness, and rebound goals. Findings indicated that shots aimed at the center and upper areas of the goal have the highest success rates. It was also found that home advantage considerably enhances scoring chances in both group and knockout stages. This research fills a gap in the literature by providing insights into penalty kick strategies in the UEFA Champions League, offering valuable implications for coaching practices, player training, and analytical frameworks in high-pressure scenarios.

The impact of home advantage on performance in UEFA Champions League matches

Home field advantage is a common sports phenomenon, and more scholars focus their research on the home field advantage in football. This article takes 160 sets of technical and tactical data from 80 games in the three seasons of the UEFA Champions League from 2021 to 2024 as the research object and uses data statistical methods to conduct a comparative analysis of 18 technical and tactical indicators of the home and away teams in the event and discusses the impact of home advantage on performance in UEFA Champions League matches. The results show: (1) The winning probability of the home team in the UEFA Champions League in the 2021-2024 season is 61% and more than 50%, indicating home field advantage; (2) The performance of the home team in goal-related variables, offensive organization-related variables and defense-related variables is generally better than that of the away team; (3) Four indicators including two goal-related variables, goals and shot on target percentage, and two offensive organization-related variables, possession percentage and crosses, are significant variables that distinguish the performance of the home and away teams.

The Comparison of Position-Specific Match Performance between the Group and Knockout Stage of the UEFA Champions League

This study aimed to compare match performance in the group and knockout stage of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) for players in different playing positions. The information on physical and technical performances was collected during all UCL matches (n=125) in the 2022/23 season. Players’ observations (n=1387) were classified according to their playing positions as central defender (CD; n=471), fullback (FB; n=283), central midfielder (CM; n=376), winger (WM; n=137) and forward (FW; n=104). No differences in technical performance between the group and knockout stage were found for CDs, FBs, CMs, and WMs, while only FWs achieved significantly less shots on target (Cohen’s d (d=0.46), total passes (d=0.54), successful passes (d=0.49), and more duels (d=0.39) in the knockout compared to the group stage. The CDs, CMs, and WMs covered greater distance at moderate (d=0.46–0.63) and high (d=0.29–0.38) speeds in the knockout compared to the group stage, while no differences in physical performance between the group and knockout stage were found for FBs and FWs. This study demonstrated that (i) the technical performance of UCL players was in general stable irrespective of the competition stage, (ii) matches played in the knockout stage were characterized by greater match intensity compared to the matches played in the group stage of UCL for CDs, CMs, and WMs. These findings may help football coaches in the decision-making process when selecting the players for specific matches and designing training programs.

Technical–tactical differences between female and male elite football: A data mining approach through neural network analysis, binary logistic regression, and decision tree techniques

The technical−tactical performance of women’s football has improved markedly in recent years. Despite this improvement, there are still differences between men’s football and women’s football. The objectives of this study were to know the technical and tactical key performance indicators (KPIs) that differentiate elite men’s and women’s football teams as well as to determine which statistical techniques demonstrate superior classification ability and interpretability in football terms. For this purpose, 768 matches corresponding to the latest editions of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Euro and FIFA World Cup for men and women were analyzed. First, the differences at the bivariate level were analyzed using student’s t-test for independent sample ( p &lt; 0.05) for the male and female teams. Secondly, three data mining classification algorithms were applied: (i) Artificial Neural Network (ANN), (ii) Binary Logistic Regression, and (iii) Decision Tree. Significant differences were found between men’s football and women’s football in variables related to technical elements such as lost balls (ES = 1.19), ball recoveries (ES = 1.00), and accurate passes (ES = 0.97), as well as regulatory aspects like fouls (ES = 0.59), successful tackles (ES = 0.46), and yellow cards (0.45). On the other hand, the classification models presented excellent or good predictive capability [Range AUC 0.774−0.982], with very small differences between the ANN’s and logistic regression models. This result justifies the use of simpler models as the linear regression model to understand the differences between men’s and women’s football. Moreover, the observed differences may offer insights for future efforts aimed at enhancing the performance of women’s football.

Effect of the away goal rule on the technical performance of football teams in the UEFA Champions League

ABSTRACT Despite significant debate surrounding UEFA’s removal of the away goal rule in 2021, its impact on technical performance has not been studied. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate how selected technical performance indicators were impacted by the change in the away goal rule during the UEFA Champions League. Data were sourced via the Wyscout platform. The sample consisted of 112 UEFA Champions League games played during the knock-out stages of the competition, in which 56 games were played during seasons with an away goal rule (2017–2018 and 2018–2019) and 56 were played in seasons without an away goal rule (2021–2022 and 2022–2023). The findings showed that the removal of the away goal rule was accompanied by significant (p < 0.05) decreases in average pass length, long passes, progressive passes, passes to the final third, offsides, duels, duels won, and counterattacks. Furthermore, a significant (p < 0.05) interaction was found between the away goal rule and the leg of competition, affecting the number of counterattacks with shots. Therefore, UEFA should take cognisant of the present findings when considering the use of the away goal rule in future competitions.

Determination of Important Game-Related Statistics in the UEFA Champions League: A 5-year follow-up

The research aimed to examine the effect of important game-related statistics on the success of the teams that made it to the knockout stages of the Champions League for 5 years (between 2015-2016 and 2019-2020 seasons). In the research, 139 matches of 35 teams that took part in the top 16 rounds, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final tours of UEFA Champions League competitions were examined. The teams were divided into two groups the teams that qualified and the teams that were eliminated. Independent samples t-test was used to compare the in-game variables of the teams that passed the round and were eliminated. Linear discriminant analysis was used to determine important in-game variables between teams. The results of this research show that the number of statistical data related to the game between the teams that passed the round and the eliminated teams differed or decreased as they progressed from the round of 16 to the final. (Last of 16: goals scored, ball possession (%), duels won (%), passes, shots, number of shots on target, shots outside the penalty area, shots inside the penalty area, tackle, and red cards; Quarter-final round: shots on target; Semi-finals: aerial won (%), duels won (%), attacking sides rates (%)). In the study, it was found that only the goals scored and conceded in the last 16 and quarter-finals in the knockout stages had distinctive power, but no distinguishing variable was found in the semi-final and final stages. Therefore, the Champions League is one of the most followed organizations by football coaches and professionals. The tactical approaches of the teams that are successful in this tournament should be followed by football coaches at all levels and it is recommended to include variables that ensure success in training and matches.

Competitive Balance in the Post-2024 Champions League and the European Super League: A Simulation Study

The proposal of the European Super League and the 2024/25 reform of the UEFA Champions League are both major events in European club football. This study compares the competitive balance (CB) of these new tournament formats with the previous Champions League format. Short-, mid- and long-term CB are quantified by measuring the average uncertainty of match outcomes, the ratio of stakeless matches, and the recurrence ratio of teams in knockout rounds. A simulation method is applied using the teams, their seeding, and Elo ratings in the 2020/21 and 2021/22 Champions League seasons. Results suggest that the 2024/25 reform improves CB, especially in match uncertainty and the occurrence of stakeless matches. In comparison, the Star League of the European Super League concept of December 2023 is superior concerning average match uncertainty. However, it has a worse CB regarding stakeless matches and dynamic CB. Reasons and suggestions for improvement are also discussed.

A UEFA Champions League knockout draw and odds update algorithm based on Pagerank and Hidden Markov Chain

A UEFA Champions League knockout draw and odds update algorithm based on Pagerank and Hidden Markov Chain

Sports failures and stock returns between rationality and emotionality: Evidence from the UEFA Champions League

The paper explores the relationships between sports performance and financial performance in football, with a focus on the UEFA Champions League competition games. Conducting an Event Study Analysis on games of eighteen listed football companies taking part in the UEFA Champions League from 2006, the paper finds that the exit from the competition produced a negative statistically significant impact on the stock returns of listed football companies. A double, mixed and contrasting effect co-exists: the rational and the emotional (sentiment). On the one hand, investors rationally evaluate the sports failures by considering the teams' realistic chances of success. On the other hand, certain emotional aspects are important in investors' decisions. The emotional part is also present in variables originally expected to be rational.

No evidence that visual exploratory activity distinguishes the super elite from elite football players

ABSTRACT Visual exploratory activities (VEA) refer to head and body movements that football players make prior to receiving the ball to search possibilities for action. VEA is considered a key performance indicator that differentiates the skill level of players. This study revisited whether VEA also distinguishes super elite, award winning players from their elite teammates without awards. To this end, video footage from the men’s UEFA Champions League season 2018–2019 featuring the super elite players (n = 18) and the elite players (n = 18) was analyzed. To reduce the potential differences in match dynamics as much as possible, the selected players in the two groups were of the same team, playing the same match, in the same positioning line. VEA (i.e. frequency per unit time) during the penultimate and final pass prior to ball reception and performance (i.e. percentages of adequate ball contacts and subsequent actions) were compared between the two groups of players using ANOVA and Mann-Whitney tests, respectively. In addition, hierarchical stepwise regression analyses were conducted to explore the degree to which VEA was predicted by group and subsequent performance. The results showed that the players had higher VEA during the final pass (M = 0.45) than the penultimate pass (M = 0.41). There were no significant differences in VEA or performance between the two groups. Also, the regression analyses did not deliver significant models. We conclude that with partial control for match dynamics, no evidence emerged to support that VEA distinguishes super elite players from elite football players.

Bibliometric indices as a measure of performance and competitive balance in the knockout stage of the UEFA Champions League

We argue for the application of bibliometric indices to quantify the long-term uncertainty of outcome in sports. The Euclidean index is proposed to reward quality over quantity, while the rectangle index can be an appropriate measure of core performance. Their differences are highlighted through an axiomatic analysis and several examples. Our approach also requires a weighting scheme to compare different achievements. The methodology is illustrated by studying the knockout stage of the UEFA Champions League in the 20 seasons played between 2003 and 2023: club and country performances as well as three types of competitive balance are considered. Measuring competition at the level of national associations is a novelty. All results are remarkably robust concerning the bibliometric index and the assigned weights. Since the performances of national associations are more stable than the results of individual clubs, it would be better to build the seeding in the UEFA Champions League group stage upon association coefficients adjusted for league finishing positions rather than club coefficients.

An Analysis of the Metaphors in Football Commentary: A Case Study of the 2022 UEFA Champions League Final

Football is one of the most popular sports all over the world; however, there are limited seats inside the stadiums, making TV broadcasting an important tool for its popularity. Football commentators, therefore, need to transmit the active information of the game accurately and vividly. To add color to commentary, it is assumed that metaphor is widely used in their speech. As a result, this paper aims at analyzing metaphorical images in the commentary script of the 2022 UEFA Champions League Final. The procedure adopted is to survey the metaphoric images in the speech theoretically and to analyze certain sports texts pragmatically. After that, on the basis of sociolinguistics, analyze the functions of metaphor and their potential drawbacks. The results are as follows: Metaphor is heavily used by football commentators and helps make the game more exciting; it also has rhetorical and social functions. However, the use of metaphors in football commentary may cause language violence.

Team-bounded DEA efficiency scores: The case of UEFA Champions League Players

Measuring the efficiency of a football player is an interesting task. Every player invests time and energy to produce an outcome during the game that can lead to a better score for the team. However, football is a team sport, thus the synergy of the entire team is an invisible factor that influences the outcomes a player produces. In this paper, we introduce a novel efficiency estimation model based on the data envelopment analysis that incorporates the team effect in the efficiency score. To achieve this effect, we presented data envelopment analysis models using a single mathematical model. This allows us to define lower and upper bounds on the team efficiency score. More specifically, we introduce a novel type of assurance region constraint around the team performance such that the efficiency score cannot exceed ? times the average team efficiency score. The results of the proposed mathematical model on the UEFA Champions League 2021/22 season show that efficiency scores can be heavily affected by inefficient teammates. However, if the entire team performed well, the drop in efficiency scores is insignificant.

Doğal çim yüzeyli futbol sahalarının hibrit halı tabanlı yöntem ile yenilenmesi: Atatürk Olimpiyat Stadı örneği

Since the playability and performance of hybrid turf pitches reflect natural grass pitch standards, they have been used in Europe for more than 20 years and have been frequently preferred in Turkey recently. Although hybrid turf systems are installed on football fields by various methods, the most popular one is the carpet-based hybrid method. These types of fields can be built from scratch or by renewing natural grass fields. When renovating natural grass fields, it should be considered that the processes and applications have a complex structure and the works should be carried out within a certain system. In this study, the renovation of the playing surface of the Atatürk Olympic Stadium, which is expected to host the UEFA Champions League Final in 2020, from natural grass to carpet-based hybrid grass has been examined. All renovation works were meticulously observed on site and the experiences gained were tried to be conveyed. In this way, it is aimed that the study will serve as a guide for future renovation work. Due to the complex nature of the renovation process, it is important to have the necessary knowledge when carrying out these operations. Since the renovation of these areas is expensive, it is important to ensure the necessary conditions are provided. The correct materials, essential technical equipment, and skilled personnel must be provided for the operations to be carried out, and measures must be taken to prevent any potential problems that may arise during the renovation phase.