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Opta Analyst
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Data-driven storytelling for sport. 📈
U.S. sports @optaanalystus.optajoe.com

https://www.theanalyst.com

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Football is all about winning, losing, or drawing. But which Premier League teams are spending most time in those game states in 2025-26?

@davidsegar.bsky.social has had a big dive into the numbers. 👇

theanalyst.com/articles/pre...
Which Teams Have Been Winning and Losing Longest in the Premier League This Season? | Opta Analyst
Which teams are spending the most time winning, losing, or drawing in the Premier League in 2025-26? We look at the numbers.
theanalyst.com
November 11, 2025 at 5:40 PM
𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭, 𝐕𝐢𝐳, 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐳

This week's Opta Analyst newsletter is packed with lovely football data, including on:

🎂 Pep Guardiola's 1,000th game
⚽️ Ageless Robert Lewandowski
💪 Game-state experts

Click/tap below to read and subscribe for free. 👇

theanalyst.com/articles/foo...
Pep Guardiola’s 1,000 Games as a Manager
Stat, Viz, Quiz is the Opta Analyst football newsletter. This week's edition looks at Pep Guardiola, Robert Lewandowski, and game states.
theanalyst.com
November 11, 2025 at 5:10 PM
You’ll probably know which players have scored the most goals, made the most passes or tallied the most assists this season in the Premier League, but how about those leading in some of the more unusual metrics across 2025-26?

Find out here: theanalyst.com/articles/pre...
Which Players Top the More Unusual Premier League Stat Rankings in 2025-26? | Opta Analyst
Which Premier League players are leading in some of the more unusual metrics across 2025-26? We take a dive into those stars top of rankings.
theanalyst.com
November 11, 2025 at 12:58 PM
𝐅𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐞-𝐣𝐞𝐫𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐋 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐝

🆘 Curtains for Liverpool
🏆 Igor Thiago at the World Cup
👁️ Déjà vu for Newcastle

We're back with our latest dose of hasty reactions to the weekend's action... theanalyst.com/articles/pre...
Five Knee-Jerk Reactions to Premier League Matchday 11 | Opta Analyst
For our weekly column of knee-jerk reactions, here are five conclusions we’ve come to based on the latest weekend of action in the Premier League.
theanalyst.com
November 10, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Harry Kane has now scored 75 goals in 73 Bundesliga appearances for Bayern Munich.

Since his Bundesliga debut for Bayern Munich, he's scored 21 goals more than any other player in the German top flight.
November 8, 2025 at 5:10 PM
A HUGE win for West Ham who have won back-to-back Premier League games for the first time since February.
November 8, 2025 at 5:03 PM
Matthijs de Ligt’s stoppage-time header rescues Manchester United in a wild 2–2 draw at Spurs.

United extend their unbeaten Premier League run to 5 under Ruben Amorim. 🔴📈

Our data-packed post-match report: theanalyst.com/articles/tot...
Tottenham 2–2 Man Utd Stats: Matthijs de Ligt Rescues Point for United in Wild Finish | Opta Analyst
Check out the best facts, stats and Opta data from this Premier League match with our Tottenham vs Man Utd stats page.
theanalyst.com
November 8, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Tottenham 2-2 Man Utd

Three goals in 12 frenzied minutes and the game ends 2-2.

How on earth did we see four goals in that game!
November 8, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Alessia Russo rescues a point for Arsenal.

Chelsea are now unbeaten in 33 WSL games (W28 D5) - matching their own record for the longest unbeaten run in league history (set between Feb 2019 & Jan 2021).

#BarclaysWSL
November 8, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Thank goodness for Bryan Mbeumo giving us something to talk about ...
November 8, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Tottenham have failed to register a first-half shot on target for the second home game this season, something that only happened once in the entirety of last season...
November 8, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Bryan Mbeumo Premier League goals by opponent:

Brighton - 5
Southampton - 5
Tottenham - 5 🆕
West Ham - 4
November 8, 2025 at 1:11 PM
David Raya is officially the fastest Arsenal goalkeeper to keep 50 clean sheets in the club's history:
November 8, 2025 at 12:07 PM
😥Spurs PL home form:
W1, D1, L3
4 points
17th in the table

😄Spurs PL away form:
W4 D1
13 points
1st in the table

Which Tottenham will we see today?
November 8, 2025 at 11:56 AM
“Lads, it’s Tottenham.”

That famous line no longer applies, as United are winless in their last seven matches against Spurs.

Can they change their fortunes today?

Our preview contains:
- Head-to-head stats
- Opta facts
- Opta supercomputer prediction

theanalyst.com/articles/tot...
Tottenham vs Manchester United Prediction: Can Utd Avenge Europa League Defeat? | Opta Analyst
We look ahead to Saturday's Premier League game in north London with our Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United prediction and preview.
theanalyst.com
November 8, 2025 at 11:39 AM
𝐌𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐯𝐬 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐨𝐥: 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐬

Sunday's big Premier League encounter will be Pep Guardiola's 1,000th game as a manager, and we've looked at five things that could decide it, including:

⚽️ Haaland vs Salah
💨 Doku vs Bradley
🪄 Foden vs Wirtz

#MCILIV

theanalyst.com/articles/man...
Man City vs Liverpool: Five Battles That Could Decide Pep Guardiola’s 1,000th Game | Opta Analyst
We pick five key factors that could decide Man City vs Liverpool in Sunday's Premier League tussle at the Etihad Stadium.
theanalyst.com
November 7, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Reposted by Opta Analyst
THE YAYS AND NAYS FOR WEEK 10

✅ TreVeyon Henderson
✅ Alec Pierce
🚫 Baker Mayfield
🚫 Nico Collins

Find out who else our projections value differently than the expert consensus rankings to get an edge in your matchup this week.

theanalyst.com/articles/nfl-...
Fantasy Football Week 10 Start/Sit vs. Expert Consensus | Opta Analyst
In our 2025 NFL Week 10 fantasy football start and sit, we let the data give another perspective that likely varies from the expert picks.
theanalyst.com
November 6, 2025 at 9:36 PM
𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐚'𝐬 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐞: A Problem or Are They Victims of Circumstance?

Hansi Flick's tactics came under scrutiny again last night after Club Brugge terrorised Barcelona's high line.

But is it fair to call it a problem?

theanalyst.com/articles/bar...
Is Barcelona’s High Line a Problem or Are They Victims of Circumstance? | Opta Analyst
Barcelona's famously high line was a key topic of discussion after their Champions League draw with Club Brugge, but are things as bad as they appear?
theanalyst.com
November 6, 2025 at 4:22 PM
𝐌𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞

In the summer, it looked as though Leandro Trossard was fourth choice on Arsenal's left.

A departure was on the cards.

Now, he has started Arsenal's last six PL games and has become a key man for Mikel Arteta.

theanalyst.com/articles/lea...
Arsenal’s Mr Reliable: How Leandro Trossard Became a Key Man for Mikel Arteta | Opta Analyst
Only a couple of months ago, Leandro Trossard appeared to be fourth in the pecking order on Arsenal’s left, but his importance has grown as the season has gone on.
theanalyst.com
November 6, 2025 at 9:12 AM
𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝟎-𝟏 𝐁 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐤𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐧

José Mourinho has lost his last six matches in the Champions League, going back to December 2019 during his time at Spurs.

That is as many defeats as he suffered in his previous 32 matches in the competition combined (W18 D8 L6).

#UCL
November 5, 2025 at 10:53 PM
𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝟎-𝟏 𝐀𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚

A late winner from Lazar Samardzic decides it in the Stade Vélodrome.

Since the start of last season, only Inter (11), Arsenal (10) and PSG (8) have more clean sheets in the Champions League than Atalanta (7).

#UCL
November 5, 2025 at 10:41 PM
𝐀𝐣𝐚𝐱 𝟎-𝟑 𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐲

Ajax still have zero points after a Victor Osimhen hat-trick.

Osimhen is the third player to score a treble at Ajax in the Champions League after Cristiano Ronaldo in 2012 (for Real Madrid) and Lucas Moura in 2019 (for Tottenham).

#UCL
November 5, 2025 at 10:37 PM
𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐-𝟏 𝐊𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭

Last year's Champions League runners-up were made to work for their win by their Kazakh opponents, but they got it in the end.

#UCL
November 5, 2025 at 10:32 PM
𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛 𝐁𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐞 𝟑-𝟑 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐚

An enthralling game in Belgium ends all square.

Former Wolves loanee Carlos Forbs was involved in all three Brugge goals, and is the youngest player (21y 231d) to both score and assist in a Champions League match against Barcelona.

#UCL
November 5, 2025 at 10:27 PM
𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝟐-𝟎 𝐀𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛

A third win in four Champions League games for Newcastle thanks to goals from Dan Burn and Joelinton.

Their three-game winning streak equals their longest ever in the competition (also in October/November 2002).

#UCL
November 5, 2025 at 10:24 PM