Champions League group stage's most under-performing teams by xG

The Champions League group stage provided some excellent football - looking at you Atletico vs Liverpool - as well as an unprecedented three teams who went unbeaten through their six games. Surely with a great start to this year's competition, the knockout stages are going to be remarkable. Well, not for these teams. Because most of them are out of the competition, and for the ones who are still in, the odds of them doing very well aren't really in their favour.

The Champions League resumes this week, with PSG vs Real Madrid and Sporting CP vs Manchester City kicking off the Round of 16.

So, in honour of the best competition in club football returning as well as getting us all ready for it, we have compiled the list of all the teams who under-performed according to their expected goals statistic.

Only teams who were at least a full goal down on their xG made the list.

Barcelona

Goals: 2

xG: 6.1

Barcelona have severely dropped off over the last couple of years, and now this season without Lionel Messi, they find themselves in the worst position they’ve been in as a club for years.

They were dumped out of the Champions League in the group stage, coming third in their group having scored just two goals and conceding nine.

Besiktas

Goals: 3

xG: 5.4

Besiktas had a horrid group stage, losing all six games, scoring only three goals and conceding 19.

Their group wasn’t exactly easy for them. They had Ajax, who went perfect; Sporting Lisbon, who are second in the Portuguese League; and Borussia Dortmund, who are second in the Bundesliga.

Club Brugge

Goals: 5

xG: 6.5

Club Brugge were drawn into one of the toughest groups this year. The Belgium team had to compete against Manchester City, PSG and RB Leipzig.

They started their campaign very well by drawing with PSG in their first game, then beating RB Leipzig in their second. Unfortunately, what followed was four losses and bottom of the group.

Dynamo Kyiv

Goals: 1

xG: 4.2

Dynamo Kyiv were drawn into the group with one of the deadliest teams in Europe right now, Bayern Munich.

The Ukrainian team finished bottom of their group, having won zero games, drawing one and losing the other five. 

Inter

Goals: 8

xG: 12.4

The reigning champions of Italy weren’t in top form during the group stage but still managed to get through to the knockout stages.

They had three wins, one draw and two losses which saw them through. Both losses came at the hands of Real Madrid, but they do get one over on them for the fact that they didn’t lose to a team from a country that doesn’t technically exist.

Malmo

Goals: 1

xG: 2.0

Malmo finished bottom of Group H without a win, one draw and five losses. With one goal scored and 14 conceded, it was always an uphill battle for the Swedish side as they had Chelsea and Juventus to compete with.

Porto

Goals: 4

xG: 7.2

Another team in a tough group, Porto missed out on making it through to the Round of 16 by two points. It was always going to be a tough ask when they had Liverpool, who went perfect, like Bayern Munich and Ajax, as well as AC Milan, who disappointingly finished bottom, and Atletico Madrid.

RB Salzburg

Goals: 8

xG: 9.3

Another team who underperformed yet still made it through to the knockout stage, Red Bull Salzburg found themselves in a fairly underwhelming group. The others in their group, one being the team directly following this entry, either under-performed according to their xG or were dead on. So, nothing too special out of group G.

Sevilla

Goals: 5

xG: 7.3

Sevilla, like RB Salzburg, were part of the unremarkable group G. But unlike RB Salzburg, Sevilla didn’t make it through to the knockout stage.

But Sevilla won’t mind. The Europa League is where they shine. They won four between 2010-2020, and have a record six altogether. 

Shakhtar Donetsk

Goals: 2

xG: 6.9

The award for the biggest difference between expected goals and actual goals scored goes to Shakhtar Donetsk. Not really one any team wants to win.

Shakhtar finished bottom of Group D having not won a single game, scoring just two goals and conceding 12.

BSC Young Boys

Goals: 7

xG: 8.1

BSC Young Boys’ big boast is that they went unbeaten against Manchester United in the group stage. They even beat them in the first game.

Unfortunately for them, though, one more point from a 3-3 draw with Atalanta was not enough to see them through, as they finished bottom of their group.