Champions League football is back with Matchday 4 taking place on Tuesday 4 and Wednesday 5 November. We have the latest stats and predictions for the upcoming matches this week – but before we get started, let’s see if you can guess the answers to the following questions (without peeking ahead for the answers)?
- Top Scorer – 08 / 09 Champions League
- Spanish Club – Most European Games?
- Premier League Player – Fastest to get to 10 goals in Champions League?
Answers: Dimitar Berbatov (4 from 2 games), Barcelona (235), Didier Drogba (10 in 13 games).
Champions League Stats
Top scorers 2008/2009 Champions League
| Player | Nation | Club | Goals | Apps | All-time Goals | All-time Apps |
| Dimitar Berbatov | BUL | Manchester United | 4 | 2 | 11 | 28 |
| Ruud van Nistelrooy | NED | Real Madrid | 3 | 3 | 56 | 71 |
| Steven Gerrard | ENG | Liverpool | 3 | 3 | 15 | 57 |
| Lionel Messi | ARG | FC Barcelona | 3 | 3 | 11 | 24 |
| Karim Benzema | FRA | Olympique Lyon | 3 | 3 | 10 | 14 |
| Emmanuel Adebayor | TOG | Arsenal | 3 | 3 | 7 | 34 |
| Sergio Agüero | ARG | Atlético Madrid | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Joseba Llorente | ESP | Villarreal FC | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Danny Koevermans | NED | PSV | 3 | 3 | 3 | 8 |
Head-to-heads in major European Cup competitions
Group A CFR 1907 Cluj – Girondins Bordeaux
| UEFA Champions League | 22 Oct 2008 | Girondins Bordeaux | CFR 1907 Cluj | 1 – 0 (0 – 0) |
Group A AS Roma — Chelsea
| Fairs Cup | 22 Sep 1965 | Chelsea | AS Roma | 4 – 1 |
| Fairs Cup | 06 Oct 1965 | AS Roma | Chelsea | 0 – 0 |
| UEFA Champions League | 22 Oct 2008 | Chelsea | AS Roma | 1 – 0 (0 – 0) |
Group B Anorthosis Famagusta — Internazionale
| UEFA Champions League | 22 Oct 2008 | Internazionale | Anorthosis Famagusta | 1 – 0 (1 – 0) |
Group B Werder Bremen — Panathinaikos
| UEFA Champions League | 27 Sep 2005 | Panathinaikos | Werder Bremen | 2 – 1 (2 – 1) |
| UEFA Champions League | 07 Dec 2005 | Werder Bremen | Panathinaikos | 5 – 1 (3 – 0) |
| UEFA Champions League | 22 Oct 2008 | Panathinaikos | Werder Bremen | 2 – 2 (1 – 1) |
Group C FC Barcelona – FC Basel
| UEFA Champions League | 22 Oct 2008 | FC Basel | FC Barcelona | 0 – 5 (0 – 3) |
Group C Sporting CP – Shakhtar Donetsk
| UEFA Champions League | 22 Oct 2008 | Shakhtar Donetsk | Sporting CP | 0 – 1 (0 – 0) |
Group D Liverpool – Atlético Madrid
| UEFA Champions League | 22 Oct 2008 | Atlético Madrid | Liverpool | 1 – 1 (0 – 1) |
Group D Olympique Marseille — PSV
| UEFA Champions League | 22 Oct 2008 | PSV | Olympique Marseille | 2 – 0 (0 – 0) |
Group E AaB – Villarreal CF
| UEFA Champions League | 21 Oct 2008 | Villarreal CF | AaB | 6 – 3 (2 – 2) |
Group E Celtic – Manchester United
| UEFA Champions League | 13 Sep 2006 | Manchester United | Celtic | 3 – 2 (2 – 2) |
| UEFA Champions League | 21 Nov 2006 | Celtic | Manchester United | 1 – 0 (0 – 0) |
| UEFA Champions League | 21 Oct 2008 | Manchester United | Celtic | 3 – 0 (1 – 0) |
Group F Fiorentina – Bayern München
| UEFA Champions League | 21 Oct 2008 | Bayern München | Fiorentina | 3 – 0 (2 – 0) |
Group F Olympique Lyon – Steaua Bucuresti
| UEFA Champions League | 26 Sep 2006 | Steaua Bucuresti | Olympique Lyon | 0 – 3 (0 – 1) |
| UEFA Champions League | 06 Dec 2006 | Olympique Lyon | Steaua Bucuresti | 1 – 1 (1 – 1) |
| UEFA Champions League | 21 Oct 2008 | Steaua Bucuresti | Olympique Lyon | 3 – 5 (3 – 2) |
Group G Arsenal — Fenerbahçe
| Cup Winners Cup | 19 Sep 1979 | Arsenal | Fenerbahçe | 2 – 0 (1 – 0) |
| Cup Winners Cup | 03 Oct 1979 | Fenerbahçe | Arsenal | 0 – 0 (0 – 0) |
| UEFA Champions League | 21 Oct 2008 | Fenerbahçe | Arsenal | 2 – 5 (1 – 3) |
Group G Dynamo Kyiv – FC Porto
| Champions Cup | 08 Apr 1987 | FC Porto | Dynamo Kyiv | 2 – 1 (0 – 0) |
| Champions Cup | 22 Apr 1987 | Dynamo Kyiv | FC Porto | 1 – 2 (1 – 2) |
| UEFA Champions League | 21 Oct 2008 | FC Porto | Dynamo Kyiv | 0 – 1 (0 – 1) |
Group H BATE Borisov – Zenit St. Petersburg
| UEFA Champions League | 21 Oct 2008 | Zenit St. Petersburg | BATE Borisov | 1 – 1 (0 – 0) |
Group H Real Madrid — Juventus
| Champions Cup | 14 Feb 1962 | Juventus | Real Madrid | 0 – 1 (0 – 0) |
| Champions Cup | 21 Feb 1962 | Real Madrid | Juventus | 0 – 1 (0 – 1) |
| Champions Cup | 28 Feb 1962 | Real Madrid | Juventus | 3 – 1 (1 – 1) |
| Champions Cup | 22 Oct 1986 | Real Madrid | Juventus | 1 – 0 (1 – 0) |
| Champions Cup | 05 Nov 1986 | Juventus | Real Madrid | 1 – 0 (1 – 0) a.e.t |
| UEFA Champions League | 06 Mar 1996 | Real Madrid | Juventus | 1 – 0 (1 – 0) |
| UEFA Champions League | 20 Mar 1996 | Juventus | Real Madrid | 2 – 0 (1 – 0) |
| UEFA Champions League | 20 May 1998 | Real Madrid | Juventus | 1 – 0 (0 – 0) |
| UEFA Champions League | 06 May 2003 | Real Madrid | Juventus | 2 – 1 (1 – 1) |
| UEFA Champions League | 14 May 2003 | Juventus | Real Madrid | 3 – 1 (2 – 0) |
| UEFA Champions League | 22 Feb 2005 | Real Madrid | Juventus | 1 – 0 (1 – 0) |
| UEFA Champions League | 09 Mar 2005 | Juventus | Real Madrid | 2 – 0 (0 – 0) a.e.t |
| UEFA Champions League | 21 Oct 2008 | Juventus | Real Madrid | 2 – 1 (1 – 0) |
More Champions League Stats
Statistic of the week — Benzema is a goalscoring machine for Lyon
On 21 October, Karim Benzema sparked an Olympique Lyon comeback victory in the Champions League by scoring twice against Steaua Bucuresti. The young Frenchman raised his career CL goal tally to double digits in only his 14th match in the competition. Only four players, Adriano, Simone Inzaghi, George Weah and Didier Drogba were faster to score 10 goals than Benzema.
Fewest Champions League matches needed to score 10th goal in competition
| # | Name | Nation | Club(s) | From | Until |
| 11 | Adriano | BRA | Internazionale | 14 Sep 2004 | 23 Nov 2005 |
| 12 | Simone Inzaghi | ITA | Lazio | 29 Sep 1999 | 12 Sep 2000 |
| 13 | George Weah | LBR | Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan | 14 Sep 1994 | 16 Oct 1996 |
| 13 | Didier Drogba | CIV | Olympique Marseille, Chelsea | 16 Sep 2003 | 12 Apr 2005 |
| 14 | Ronaldinho | BRA | FC Barcelona | 29 Sep 2004 | 07 Mar 2006 |
| 14 | Karim Benzema | FRA | Olympique Lyon | 06 Dec 2005 | 21 Oct 2008 |
| 15 | Ruud van Nistelrooy | NED | PSV, Manchester United | 04 Nov 1998 | 17 Oct 2001 |
| 16 | Jari Litmanen | FIN | Ajax | 14 Sep 1994 | 22 Nov 1995 |
| 17 | Alessandro Del Piero | ITA | Juventus | 13 Sep 1995 | 28 May 1997 |
| 17 | Sergi Rebrov | UKR | Dynamo Kyiv | 14 Sep 1994 | 04 Nov 1998 |
| 17 | Filippo Inzaghi | ITA | Juventus | 17 Sep 1997 | 03 Mar 1999 |
| 17 | Andri Shevchenko | UKR | Dynamo Kyiv | 07 Dec 1994 | 03 Mar 1999 |
| 17 | Giovanni | BRA | FC Barcelona, Olympiakos Piraeus | 26 Nov 1997 | 27 Sep 2000 |
Streak of the week — Longest losing streaks in the Champions League
| # | Club | Start date | Match that ended streak |
| 12 | Anderlecht | 10 Dec 2003 | Real Betis – Anderlecht (06 Dec 2005) 0-1 |
| 9 | Rapid Wien | 30 Oct 1996 | Still running |
| 8 | Spartak Moskva | 31 Oct 2001 | Spartak Moskva – Sporting CP (27 Sep 2006) 1-1 |
| 7 | Fenerbahçe | 04 Dec 1996 | Fenerbahçe – Sparta Praha (15 Sep 2004) 1-0 |
| 7 | Bayer Leverkusen | 13 Nov 2002 | Bayer Leverkusen – Real Madrid (15 Sep 2004) 3-0 |
| 6 | 1. FC Kosice | 17 Sep 1997 | Still running |
| 6 | Levski Sofia | 12 Sep 2006 | Still running |
| 6 | Olympique Marseille | 06 Nov 2007 | Still running |
| 6 | PSV | 09 Dec 1992 | FC Barcelona – PSV (01 Oct 1997) 2-2 |
| 6 | IFK Göteborg | 30 Oct 1996 | IFK Göteborg – Besiktas (05 Nov 1997) 2-1 |
| 6 | Dynamo Kyiv | 19 Sep 2007 | Dynamo Kyiv – Arsenal (17 Sep 2008) 1-1 |
Top ten of the week — Most European matches played by Spanish clubs
| # | Club | Won | Drawn | Lost | GF | GA |
| 430 | FC Barcelona | 235 | 97 | 98 | 829 | 446 |
| 408 | Real Madrid | 228 | 73 | 107 | 846 | 453 |
| 237 | Valencia CF | 119 | 59 | 59 | 395 | 250 |
| 199 | Atlético Madrid | 111 | 33 | 55 | 349 | 210 |
| 112 | Athletic Bilbao | 51 | 21 | 40 | 158 | 140 |
| 111 | Real Zaragoza | 60 | 17 | 34 | 199 | 140 |
| 97 | Deportivo La Coruña | 41 | 23 | 33 | 129 | 111 |
| 85 | Sevilla FC | 46 | 18 | 21 | 140 | 89 |
| 67 | RCD Espanyol | 36 | 12 | 19 | 102 | 70 |
| 60 | Celta de Vigo | 26 | 14 | 20 | 91 | 57 |
This week’s milestones
> Christian Panucci (AS Roma), Robert Pires (Villarreal CF) and Xavi (FC Barcelona) can all play their 100th match in European competition (ECI/CL, ECII, ECIII and Super Cup).
> Atlético Madrid will play their 200th match in any European Cup competition.
> Bayern München’s Lúcio and Internazionale’s Iván Córdoba can play their 50th Champions League match.
> Fenerbahce will play their 150 Champions League match.
> Arsenal are one goal shy of their 150 Champions League goal.
> Arsenal have lost 49 matches in all European competitions.
> Anorthosis are one goal shy of conceding their 150th goal in all European competitions.
> Internazionale are one goal away from scoring their 100th in the Champions League.
> Juventus have lost 49 matches in European Champions Cup/Champions League.
> Villarreal will play their 50th European match. They have won 24 matches and lost seven.
> FC Basel will play their 50th match in the Champions Cup/Champions League.
Matchday 4 Predictions
See all Champions League fixtures.
Tuesday, 04 November 2008
CFR 1907 Cluj v FC Girondins de Bordeaux – I fancy Cluj to win this one, or at the very least get a draw.
AS Roma v Chelsea FC – Should be interesting. I fancy Chelsea to up their game from last time around and beat Roma.
Anorthosis Famagusta FC v FC Internazionale Milano – 2nd meets 1st, and I would not be surprised if Inter drop points here. Draw.
SV Werder Bremen v Panathinaikos Athens – Werder Bremen for the win.
Sporting CP Lisbon v FC Shakhtar Donetsk – Sporting got a vital away win last time, look for them to repeat their success over Shakhtar Donetsk.
FC Barcelona v FC Basel – Home game should be a massacre – Barcelona to score 4+ goals.
Liverpool FC v Atletico Madrid – Liverpool for the win, but this should be a much more open game than last time around.
Olympique de Marseille v PSV Eindhoven – Marseille for the win.
Wednesday, 05 November 2008
Aalborg BK v Villarreal CF – Aalborg got 3 goals in the previous game between these 2 teams, so it’s not a ‘dead-cert’ Villareal win that it looks on paper. I’m going for a score draw.
Celtic FC v Manchester United FC – You’re kidding, right? Manchester United should take this one, tough home crowd or not.
ACF Fiorentina v FC Bayern München – Fiorentina have improved (somewhat) from 2 weeks ago, Bayern would have to play well to get a point here. Fiorentina for the win and to breathe some life into this group.
Olympique Lyonnais v FC Steaua Bucuresti – Lyon, no questions about it.
Arsenal FC v Fenerbahce SK – Arsenal dominated Fenerbahce last time around, but since then they seem to have lost their way somewhat. Fener will have to play at a high tempo and have a real go at the Gunners, but Arsenal should still win this one.
FC Dynamo Kyiv v FC Porto – Don’t see how Porto can get a point here, much less a win. Dynamo Kyiv to win and all but secure progress to the second round.
BATE Borisov v Zenit St Petersburg – Zenit have been poor in the Champions League and BATE, based on their impressive (for their standards) performances so far, should get their first home win.
Real Madrid v Juventus FC – Juicy and thoroughly unpredictable. I don’t trust Ranieiri one bit though, so Madrid to win at home and take the lead in the group.
Make your Champions League predictions here.
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