Records there to be broken

Statistics should not define teams

There is no one who loves a statistic more than a red-blooded sports fan.

Ask supporters about why their team can win on the weekend and they’ll start spewing out facts and figures that would make any mathematician proud.

Us commentators are the same, prepping for a weekend of football coverage is not unlike studying for your year 12 exams.

The calculator comes out, the spread sheets are opened and every piece of information possible is committed to memory or scribbled on anything that you can find.

So what are the numbers that matter this weekend?

Tonight sees Sydney FC lock horns with the Western Sydney Wanderers.

The last time these two sides met, in round 3, it was the Wanderers who had a stirring 1-nil victory.

Since then Sydney FC have gone on a 13-game unbeaten streak that’s included 12 wins and one draw, while the Wanderers have registered just three wins and two draws.

An away trip is normally a nervous weekend for fans, but when you look at the numbers for Perth Glory, this weekend’s away trip against the Newcastle Jets shouldn’t cause them too many sleepless nights.

Glory’s record against the Jets is outstanding, Glory are unbeaten in their last 12 away games.

The same can’t be said for the Brisbane Roar, who have a horror record against Melbourne City on the road.

AAMI Park has become a hoodoo ground for the Roar, who have only managed to win one game against City there.

While in the Original Derby, Adelaide have managed to win their last four clashes against Melbourne Victory. So what do these numbers mean?

For the teams on the right side of the ledger it should give them a bit of extra confidence heading into this weekend.

For those on the wrong side it’s imperative that they don’t let the numbers define them.

But the teams on the wrong side of the numbers this weekend, know that records are meant to be broken.