| Updated: Club football has paused for the international break, offering an early opportunity to assess how teams across Europe’s leading leagues have started the season. The first weeks have already revealed major differences in attacking output, with some clubs scoring freely and others struggling to find the net consistently.
Sportingpedia analysed the best and worst attacks across the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, Eredivisie and Liga Portugal, using goals scored per match to compare teams fairly despite differences in the number of fixtures played.
Barcelona lead the ranking with 4.43 goals per match, ahead of Feyenoord at 3.57, Bayern Munich at 3.50 and PSV at 3.43, while nine teams in total are averaging at least three goals per game. The Eredivisie and the Bundesliga account for 10 of the 20 strongest attacks, whereas Ligue 1 has no representative in that group. At the opposite end, 11 teams average no more than 0.60 goals per match, with Coventry City bottom on 0.20 and Tottenham next on 0.40.
Teams with the best attacks in Europe’s top 7 leagues:
Goals scored per match
Data Source: Flashscore
Eredivisie and the Bundesliga supply half of the top 20
Ten of the 20 strongest attacks come from the Eredivisie and the Bundesliga. Feyenoord, PSV, Ajax, AZ and Go Ahead Eagles represent the Netherlands, while Bayern Munich, Freiburg, Augsburg, Bayer Leverkusen and Mainz make up the German contingent.
The Eredivisie also places three clubs inside the top nine, with Feyenoord, PSV and Ajax all averaging at least three goals per game. Germany matches the Netherlands for overall representation, although only Bayern and Freiburg reach the three-goal threshold.
La Liga and Liga Portugal contribute three teams each. Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid represent Spain, while Benfica, Porto and Sporting CP feature from Portugal. Brighton and Manchester City are the Premier League’s two representatives, with Inter and Roma completing the top 20 from Serie A.
No Ligue 1 club makes the top 20
Ligue 1 is the only one of the seven competitions without a representative among the 20 strongest attacks. Go Ahead Eagles occupy the final place in the top 20 at 2.29 goals per match, and no French club in the underlying selection reaches that scoring rate.
The contrast with the Eredivisie and the Bundesliga is clear: those two leagues account for 10 of the 20 places between them, while France contributes none.
Teams with the worst attacks in Europe’s top 7 leagues:
Goals scored per match
Data Source: Flashscore
Coventry and Tottenham sit at the bottom
Coventry City have the lowest scoring rate, with one goal in five matches and an average of 0.20 per game. Tottenham are next on 0.40 after scoring twice in five league fixtures.
Málaga, Estoril and Casa Pia follow at 0.43 goals per match, each with three goals from seven games. Hamburg are on 0.50, while Valencia and Getafe average 0.57. Genoa, Bologna and Nice complete the group of teams scoring no more than 0.60 goals per match.
In total, 11 of the weakest attacks are averaging 0.60 goals per game or fewer, meaning more than half of the 22 clubs in the bottom group are scoring at a rate of three goals or fewer every five matches.
Premier League has both a top-five and the bottom two
Brighton are fifth overall among the strongest attacks with 3.20 goals per match, while Manchester City also feature in the top 20 at 2.60.
The same league also supplies the two lowest scoring rates in the entire comparison. Coventry sit last at 0.20 and Tottenham second-last at 0.40, while Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest also appear among the weakest attacks with four goals from five matches each.
That leaves the Premier League with two teams among the 20 strongest attacks and four among the 22 weakest, producing one of the broadest spreads in the seven-league comparison.
Serie A splits between Inter and Roma at the top and four clubs near the bottom
Inter are seventh overall with 15 goals in five matches, averaging 3.00 per game, while Roma rank tenth with 14 goals and an average of 2.80.
At the other end, Genoa and Bologna have scored three times in five matches, leaving both on 0.60 per game. Venezia and Parma have four goals apiece and average 0.80, giving Serie A four representatives among the weakest attacks as well as two among the strongest.
Benfica lead Portugal, but four Portuguese sides feature among the weakest
Benfica are the strongest Portuguese attack with 22 goals in seven matches, an average of 3.14. Porto follow at 2.57 and Sporting CP at 2.43, putting three Liga Portugal clubs inside the overall top 20.
The league is also heavily represented at the opposite end. Estoril and Casa Pia have scored only three goals each in seven matches, while Rio Ave and Vitória SC have five apiece. That gives Liga Portugal four clubs among the weakest attacks in the seven-league comparison.