| Updated: Arsenal’s 3–2 home defeat to Manchester United on Sunday was the kind of match neutrals live for – swings of the score, momentum shifts, and the feeling that something could happen every time the ball crossed halfway. It also underlined a simple truth: from a neutral’s perspective, the most entertaining teams are not necessarily the best or the most dominant, but the ones whose games are the most eventful, regardless of who is doing the damage.
That spectacle at the Emirates prompted Sportingpedia to look across Europe’s top seven leagues – the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, Eredivisie and Liga Portugal – to see which clubs are most consistently involved in such high-energy contests and which tend to serve up far more restrained affairs. To do that, we simply added each team’s goals scored and goals conceded in league play and divided the sum by the number of matches, giving us the average number of goals in that team’s games.
One of the report’s most curious findings is the size of the gap between the extremes. Bayern Munich sit top of Europe’s event table with their Bundesliga matches averaging 4.63 goals, followed by an Eredivisie-heavy chasing pack of NEC, PSV, Feyenoord and Heracles all at or above the four-per-game mark, while Bournemouth and Manchester United lead the way in England. At the opposite end, Santa Clara (1.84), Roma, Lazio and Parma (all 1.82) are involved in some of the least eventful fixtures in the sample, with Le Havre, Alaves, Gil Vicente, Getafe and Famalicao also anchoring the low side of the ranking.
Teams Involved in Matches with the Most and the Fewest Goals in Europe’s Top 7 Leagues
Across Europe’s top seven leagues, the first cut of numbers shows a clear divide between the chaos merchants and the defensive purists. At the “most entertaining” end of the scale, Bayern Munich sit at the very top with an average of 4.63 goals per Bundesliga match involving them – more than any other side in the dataset. They are joined by a strong Dutch–German bloc: NEC (4.32), PSV (4.30), Eintracht Frankfurt (4.26), Feyenoord (4.00), Heracles (4.00) and Wolfsburg (3.63) all turn league games into four-goal spectacles on a regular basis. Barcelona are the only Spanish giant in this tier on 3.76 goals per match, while Estoril (3.58) and Bournemouth (3.52) ensure Liga Portugal and the Premier League also have representatives among Europe’s goal-heavy fixtures.
At the opposite extreme, Italy and Portugal dominate the “most boring” bracket when measured purely by goals. Lecce (1.91), Roma (1.82), Lazio (1.82) and Parma (1.82) give Serie A four entries among the lowest-scoring matches, while Gil Vicente (2.06), Famalicao (2.00) and Santa Clara (1.84) do the same for Liga Portugal. La Liga contributes Alaves (2.10) and Getafe (2.05) to the low-scoring group, and Ligue 1’s Le Havre (2.11) is also firmly on the cautious side. The contrast is stark: while some clubs consistently deliver four-goal games or better, a different cluster is involved in matches that rarely reach two, setting up a clear split between Europe’s most and least eventful league campaigns from a neutral’s goal-watching perspective.
Premier League Teams with the Most and the Fewest Goals in Their Matches
In the Premier League, Bournemouth sit at the very top of the entertainment table, with their league games averaging 3.52 goals – more than any other English side. Manchester United follow on 3.26, with West Ham third on 3.13, meaning all three are involved in matches that routinely clear the three-goal mark. At the other end of the spectrum, Sunderland’s fixtures average just 2.17 goals, with Everton (2.23) and Crystal Palace (2.26) completing the division’s “least eventful” trio from a goals point of view.
What stands out is that the title contenders and heavyweights live in a more balanced band. Reigning champions Liverpool come in at 2.91 goals per match, almost identical to Brentford and not far from Manchester City’s 2.96. Aston Villa, currently third in the standings, see 2.61 goals per game in their league fixtures, while leaders Arsenal are slightly lower still on 2.57. Their matches are rarely dull, but they do not produce the same wild swings as Bournemouth or Manchester United. Instead, the race at the top is being played out in games that deliver between two-and-a-half and three goals on average – lively enough for neutrals, but far from the chaos of the league’s true goal-fests.
La Liga Teams with the Most and the Fewest Goals in Their Matches
In La Liga, Barcelona are in a league of their own from a neutral’s perspective, with their matches averaging 3.76 goals – comfortably the highest figure in Spain and one of the biggest across Europe’s top leagues. Behind them, Real Madrid games come in at 2.95 goals per match, just ahead of a busy chasing pack of Betis, Sevilla, Villarreal and Levante, all sitting on 2.90. Girona (2.70) and Mallorca (2.71) also help keep the overall goal average healthy, while Atletico Madrid, Valencia and Real Sociedad live in the mid-table band between 2.62 and 2.76 goals per game – rarely chaotic, but far from dull.
At the other end of the spectrum, the league’s most cagey fixtures involve Getafe, whose matches average just 2.05 goals, and Alaves on 2.10. Rayo Vallecano and Oviedo are only fractionally more open at 2.14, leaving all four firmly in the “low-event” category when measured purely by goals. The contrast is stark: while Barcelona’s outings are close to four-goal spectacles on average, a separate group of La Liga clubs are consistently involved in games that hover barely above the two-goal mark.
Serie A Teams with the Most and Least Goals in Their Matches
In Serie A, Inter are clear at the top of the entertainment ranking, with their matches averaging 3.14 goals – the only Italian side above the 3-goal mark. A broad mid-tier of attack-minded teams follows: Torino (2.77), Bologna (2.68), Fiorentina (2.64), Udinese (2.62), Genoa (2.55), Cagliari and Pisa (both 2.50) all sit in the 2.4-2.8 band, producing games that are generally open without descending into chaos. Even the traditional heavyweights Milan, Juventus and Napoli cluster together between 2.32 and 2.36 goals per match, suggesting a relatively controlled balance between attack and defence in most of their league fixtures.
The real outliers come at the bottom. Lecce’s matches average just 1.91 goals, while Roma, Lazio and Parma sit even lower on 1.82, making them some of the most low-scoring sides not just in Serie A but across the entire European sample. From a neutral’s point of view, this creates a clear split: Inter and a group of upper-mid-table teams regularly take part in fixtures that approach or exceed three goals, whereas the matches involving Lecce, Roma, Lazio and Parma are far more likely to be tight, tactical affairs where a single goal often decides the outcome.
Bundesliga Teams with the Most and the Fewest Goals in Their Matches
The Bundesliga more than lives up to its reputation as a goals league. Bayern Munich sit not only at the top of Germany’s entertainment table but also lead the entire European sample, with their matches averaging an extraordinary 4.63 goals. Eintracht Frankfurt are not far behind on 4.26, while Wolfsburg (3.63), Hoffenheim, RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen (all 3.33) ensure that high-scoring games are the rule rather than the exception. Freiburg (3.32), Stuttgart (3.26), Köln (3.16), Werder Bremen and Heidenheim (both 3.11) and Augsburg (3.05) all stay above the three-goal mark as well, turning a typical Bundesliga round into a festival of chances and scoreline swings.
Even the more “controlled” sides are hardly dull. Borussia Dortmund and Borussia Monchengladbach sit on 2.89 goals per match, with Union Berlin at 2.84 and Mainz at 2.79 – still well above the averages seen at the lower end in Italy or Portugal. St Pauli’s fixtures (2.61) and Hamburger’s (2.44) are the least explosive in this particular dataset, yet from a neutral’s perspective they would still be considered relatively open. In short, while other leagues have clear pockets of low-event football, the Bundesliga’s baseline is set high enough that even its calmest sides produce more goals than many of their European counterparts.
Ligue 1 Teams with the Most and Least Goals in Their Matches
In Ligue 1, the numbers show a surprisingly broad spread of goal-heavy fixtures. Metz top the league from a neutral’s perspective, with their matches averaging 3.47 goals, just ahead of Marseille on 3.37. Lille follow closely on 3.32, while Monaco and Nice both sit on 3.21, meaning five French sides are involved in games that regularly clear the three-goal mark. Just behind them, Rennes (3.00) and then PSG and Paris FC (both 2.95) help keep the overall scoring tempo high, with Strasbourg, Lorient and Brest all clustered at 2.89 goals per match. For a league often stereotyped as cagey or tactical, the current campaign offers plenty of evidence to the contrary.
At the quieter end of the scale, the matches involving Angers (2.37), Auxerre (2.26) and especially Le Havre (2.11) are far more restrained, from a purely goals-based point of view. Lyon and Nantes, both on 2.74, sit in a mid-range zone where games are usually competitive but rarely wild. The overall picture is of a Ligue 1 season where the top half of the table – and particularly clubs like Metz, Marseille and Lille – provide regular entertainment for neutrals, while a smaller group of teams consistently take part in low-scoring, tightly contested encounters.
Liga Portugal Teams with the Most and the Fewest Goals in Their Matches
In Liga Portugal, Estoril are the surprise entertainers, with their matches averaging 3.58 goals – the highest figure in the division. Arouca follow on 3.37, while Sporting sit third on 3.26, ensuring plenty of drama around the title race from a neutral’s point of view. AVS (3.21), Estrela Amadora (3.11), Casa Pia (3.05) and Rio Ave (3.00) also sit above the three-goal line, while Benfica’s games come in just below that threshold at 2.79, alongside Braga on 2.89 and Nacional on 2.84. Together, they create a top half of the table where Liga Portugal fixtures are far more open than the league’s reputation might suggest.
At the other end, the picture changes sharply. Porto’s league matches average 2.28 goals, putting them much closer to the cautious bracket than to Sporting and Benfica’s more expansive profiles. Vitoria SC (2.47) and Tondela (2.37) sit in the same low-to-mid band, while Gil Vicente (2.06), Famalicao (2.00) and especially Santa Clara (1.84) anchor the bottom of the ranking. From a purely goals-based perspective, that leaves Liga Portugal split between a group of sides regularly involved in three-goal or higher encounters, and another cluster whose games are far more likely to be tight, tense and decided by fine margins.
Eredivisie Teams with the Most and the Fewest Goals in Their Matches
In the Eredivisie, goals are almost guaranteed, and the numbers back up the league’s reputation. NEC top the charts with an average of 4.32 goals per match, narrowly ahead of PSV on 4.30, while Feyenoord and Heracles both sit on 4.00 – meaning four of the division’s sides are involved in games that routinely hit or exceed the four-goal mark. Just behind them, PEC Zwolle (3.40), AZ Alkmaar (3.35) and Go Ahead Eagles (3.32) keep the pace high, and even Ajax, in a transitional period, remain firmly in the “entertainers” group with 3.25 goals per game. Heerenveen (3.21) and Fortuna Sittard (3.20) round out a striking top half in which almost every fixture feels like a scoreline waiting to explode.
Lower down the ranking, the tempo eases but rarely drops into genuinely low-scoring territory. Sparta Rotterdam (2.95), Utrecht (2.89), Telstar (2.85) and Volendam (2.80) are only just below the three-goal line, while Excelsior (2.75), NAC (2.65), Groningen (2.60) and Twente (2.55) form the more restrained end of the spectrum. Even there, matches still average well above two and a half goals, leaving the Eredivisie as one of Europe’s most consistently high-scoring environments from a neutral’s standpoint.