Home Advantage in the UEFA Champions League: A Statistical Analysis of Factors Influencing Ball-in-Play

UEFA Şampiyonlar Ligi’nde Ev Sahibi Avantajı: Topun Oyunda Kalma Süresini Etkileyen Faktörlerin İstatistiksel Analizi

İzzet İslamoğlu¹ Faruk Albay²*  Yıldırım Kayacan³ 

¹Assistant Professor Faculty of Yaşar Doğu Sport Sciences University of Ondokuz Mayıs 55139, Körfez Mh. Atakum, Samsun Türkiye. Email: izzetislamoglu@gmail.com
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5573-1423

²* Corresponding author: Faruk Albay: Faculty of Yaşar Doğu Sport Sciences University of Ondokuz Mayıs 55139, Körfez Mh. Atakum, Samsun Türkiye. Email: faruk.albay@omu.edu.tr Orcid: https://doi.org/0000-0001-9994-7058

³Yıldırım Kayacan: Faculty of Yaşar Doğu Sport Sciences University of Ondokuz Mayıs 55139, Körfez Mh. Atakum, Samsun Türkiye. Email: kayacan@gmail.com https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2784-2980

Doi: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17691132

https://www.ijoss.org/Archive/issue2-volume2/ijoss-Volume2-issue2-31.pdf

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Received / Gönderim: 27.02.2025 Accepted / Kabul: 20.05.2025 Published / Yayın: 30.06.2025

Abstract                                                                
Purpose: The aim of this study is to compare home and away teams in terms of technical parameters affecting ball-in-play time in UEFA Champions League matches and to analyze the impact of home advantage on goal count and match outcomes.

Method: The sample of the study consists of 138 matches played during the league phase of the 2024–2025 UEFA Champions League season. Data were obtained from the website mackolik.com, which sources its statistics from OPTA Sportsdata. Technical parameters such as total match duration, ball-in-play time, fouls, throw-ins, corners, offsides, goals, and match outcomes were analyzed. Independent samples t-tests and Chi-square tests were used for statistical analysis, with a significance level set at p<0.05.

Results: According to the findings, there were no statistically significant differences (p > 0.05) between home and away teams in terms of ball-in-play time and the technical parameters that affect it. How­ever, home teams had significantly higher goal averages and win rates (p < 0.05). This indicates that home advantage is particularly evident in scoring and match results.
Conclusion: In high-level competitions such as the UEFA Champions League, home advantage does not manifest in technical parameters but is clearly observed in score-related outcomes. These findings provide valuable strategic insights for coaches and performance analysts, especially in preparing for away matches.

Keywords: Home-away team, UEFA Champions League, ball-in-play, football statistics, match analysis

ÖZ

Amaç: Bu çalışmanın amacı, UEFA Şampiyonlar Ligi müsabakalarında topun oyunda kalma süresini etkileyen teknik parametreler açısından ev sahibi ve deplasman takımlarını karşılaştırmak ve saha avantajının gol sayısı ile maç sonuçlarına etkisini analiz etmektir. Yöntem: Araştırmanın örneklemini, 2024–2025 UEFA Şampiyonlar Ligi sezonunun lig aşamasında oynanan 138 maç oluşturmaktadır. Veriler, istatistiksel bilgilerini OPTA Sportsdata’dan alan mackolik.com üzerinden elde edilmiştir. Toplam maç süresi, topun oyunda kalma süresi, fauller, taç atışları, köşe vuruşları, ofsaytlar, goller ve maç sonuçları gibi teknik parametreler incelenmiştir. İstatistiksel analizlerde bağımsız örneklem t-testi ve Ki-kare testi kullanılmıştır. Anlamlılık düzeyi p<0,05 olarak belirlenmiştir. Bulgular: Elde edilen bulgulara göre, ev sahibi ve deplasman takımları arasında topun oyunda kalma süresi ve bunu etkileyen teknik parametreler açısından istatistiksel olarak anlamlı bir fark bulunmamıştır (p>0,05). Ancak ev sahibi takımların gol ortalamalarının ve galibiyet oranlarının anlamlı düzeyde daha yüksek olduğu belirlenmiştir (p<0,05). Bu durum, saha avantajının özellikle skor ve maç sonucu üzerinde belirgin olduğunu göstermektedir.  Sonuç: UEFA Şampiyonlar Ligi gibi üst düzey karşılaşmalarda saha avantajı, teknik parametrelerde belirgin bir farklılık yaratmamakla birlikte skorla ilişkili performans çıktılarında açık şekilde görülmektedir. Elde edilen bulgular, özellikle deplasman maçlarına hazırlanırken teknik ekipler ve performans analistleri için önemli stratejik bilgiler sunmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler Ev–deplasman takımı, UEFA Şampiyonlar Ligi, topun oyunda kalma süresi, futbol istatistikleri, maç analizi

APA 7 Citation

İslamoğlu, İ.,  Albay, F., & Kayacan, Y.(2025). Home Advantage in the UEFA Champions League: A Statistical Analysis of Factors Influencing Ball-in-Play. International Journal of Health, Exercise, and Sport Sciences (IJOSS), 2(2), 365–380. https://www.ijoss.org/Archive/issue2-volume2/ijoss-Volume2-issue2-31.pdf

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