Castrol EDGE Performance data shows that Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robin van Persie will be crucial in determining the outcome of the UEFA Champions League tie between AC Milan and Arsenal.
With 22 goals, van Persie is the Premier League’s top scorer this season, and his record compares favourably to Ibrahimovic’s 15 goals in Serie A. Moreover, excluding penalties, the Dutchman has also been more prolific than Cristiano Ronaldo this season, scoring the same number of league goals as Lionel Messi (21).
However, Ibrahimovic is the only player who has managed to score in four consecutive Champions League appearances this season, and his average of a goal per 90 mins is superior to van Persie’s average of a goal per 104 mins. In spite of this, van Persie’s impressive shooting accuracy (80%) in the Champions League is far superior to Ibrahimovic’s (59%), resulting in the Dutchman having a better chance conversion rate as well (30%).
Ibrahimovic and van Persie in the Champions League 2011/12
| Player | Zlatan Ibrahimovic | Robin van Persie |
| Team | Milan | Arsenal |
| Appearances | 4 | 5 |
| Minutes On Pitch | 360 | 313 |
| Goal Attempts | ||
| Goals | 4 | 3 |
| Mins per goal | 90 | 104 |
| Shots On Target | 10 | 8 |
| Shots Off Target | 7 | 2 |
| Shooting Accuracy | 59% | 80% |
| Chance Conversion | 24% | 30% |
| Passing | ||
| Goal Assists | 1 | 0 |
| Total Passes | 160 | 91 |
| Pass Completion % | 77% | 68% |
| Crossing | ||
| Total Crosses | 7 | 12 |
| Cross Completion % | 71% | 8% |
| Dribbling | ||
| Dribbles & Runs | 9 | 7 |
| Dribble Completion % | 33% | 29% |
Top goal scorers excluding penalties – Top 5 European Leagues 2011/12
| Player | Goals Excluding Penalties | Conversion excl. pens |
| Messi, Lionel | 21 | 24.7% |
| Van Persie, Robin | 21 | 23.6% |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | 17 | 17.3% |
| Gomez, Mario | 15 | 26.8% |
| Giroud, Olivier | 15 | 20.8% |
Champions League – best goal scoring runs in 2011/12
| Player | Club | Consecutive apps. finding the net | Dates |
| Ibrahimovic, Zlatan | Milan | 4 | 28/09/11–current |
| Hulk | Porto | 3 | 19/10/11–23/11/11 |
| Jonas | Valencia | 3 | 19/10/11–23/11/11 |
| Villa, David | Barcelona | 3 | 13/09/11–19/10/11 |
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