CL Special: Arsenal Past The Group Stages For 10th Season In A Row; CR9 Is Leading Scorer

After the conclusion of matchday five, Goal.com's Amoy Ghoshal brings to your notice a few facts and figures from this season's Champions League group stages....

26-Nov-2009 6:46:04 PM

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Blues Are Still Unbeaten

Arsenal, Chelsea and Bordeaux are the only three remaining unbeaten teams and have scored the maximum points (13) in the group stages. Hungary’s Debrecen and Israel’s Maccabi Haifa are the only two teams who haven’t picked up a single point.

French Clubs Have Done Well

Bordeaux, Porto and Man United are the only three defending domestic champions to have already booked their place in the knockout stages. Of the eight clubs that have ensured their qualification, three are from England and two are French sides.

Viola Score For Fun

Three clubs are the joint leading scorers with 12 goals each. They are Fiorentina, Real Madrid and Arsenal. Defending champions Barcelona, last year’s semi finalists Chelsea and French champions Bordeaux have let in the least number (2) of goals. Maccabi Haifa is the only club which has failed to score in the group stages while Debrecen are the worst side defensively having conceded 15 with 13 of them coming over three games.

CR9 Is The Leading Scorer

Cristiano Ronaldo has only played three games but still finds himself at the top of the individual scoring charts with four goals. Sevilla’s Luiz Fabiano and Bordeaux’s Wendel have the most number (4) of assists. Marseille forward Brandao has committed the maximum (18) fouls while Juve’s Diego has suffered the most (24).

Three Assists Against AZ

192 goals have been scored so far in 80 matches with 43 of them coming in the last fifteen minutes of matches. As many as 15 goals have been scored in first and second half stoppage times combined. No player has scored a hat-trick so far but Cristiano Ronaldo has bagged two braces while Andrei Arshavin has made three assists in one game against AZ.

Turks End Old Trafford Run

Besiktas’s 1-0 win at Old Trafford was Man United’s first home defeat in the Champions League in 23 matches. Their last defeat came at the hands of AC Milan in 2005. Arch-rivals Liverpool have been eliminated from the group stages for the first time during Rafa Benitez’s reign and overall first time since 2002.

10th Season In A Row

Arsenal have gone past the group stages for the tenth consecutive season. Real Madrid will become the only other side to do the same once they confirm their qualification on Matchday six. The Spanish giants are one of seven former champions who have to wait until the last match to ensure their progression.

Four On The Trot For Bordeaux

Glasgow Rangers have lost all of their three home matches while Man United have conceded the first goal in each of their games at Old Trafford. After their victories on matchday five, both Bordeaux and Fiorentina have now won four games on the trot.

Dream Debut For Rubin

Eight teams made their debut in the Champions League group stages this season. They are AZ, Wolfsburg, Standard Liege, Zurich, APOEL, Rubin Kazan, Unirea Urziceni and Debrecen. Going into the last matchday only four teams – Wolfsburg, Standard Liege, Rubin Kazan and Unirea Urziceni – stand a chance of qualifying for the last 16.

Barca In Group Of Death

Group F is the only group where all four teams can still qualify while Group D is the one group in which the top two spots have already been decided. Two teams have already qualified from Group E also but the group winner is yet to be confirmed.

Amoy Ghoshal

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