Match 01 Aug 2010
ITL · Club Friendlies · 2010
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The models what they said before kick-off
Draw predictor · this site's own figures
Figure SL Benfica Aston Villa What it means
N — no-draw run 4 5 matches in a row without a draw
Max N 18 19 this team's longest run ever
E — draw debt 0.71 1.47 expected draws over the current run
p50 — last 50 16.0% 30.0% draw rate over its last 50 matches
p100 — last 100 19.0% 29.0% draw rate over its last 100 matches
Draw % — all time 23.4% 25.3% share of every match drawn
Σ N 9 both sides' runs added
Σ E 2.18 both sides' draw debt added

These are the figures that held before kick-off: each side's record over every match it had played before 1 Aug 2010, computed exactly as the predictor computes today's. Draw score and rank are left out: both place a team against the whole field, and the field can only be scored as it stands now.

Team strength · Elo
SL Benfica 1,941 after: 1,947
Aston Villa 1,901 after: 1,895
Rating gap +104 home advantage included
Draws at this gap 24.5% 100–149 · 86,832 matches
Goals model · Dixon-Coles
Expected goals 1.87 – 0.94 home – away
Home win 58.7%
Draw 23.3% every level score added up
Away win 18.0%
Both together · the blend
Blended draw chance 23.5% 80% goals model · 20% Elo gap
Goals model said 23.3% form only
This Elo gap said 24.5% strength only

The mix is the one that scored best over 544,576 matches — the two are averaged on the log-odds scale, not simply added.

Both figures are what the models knew before this match — neither ever reads the result it is describing, so they can be compared with what actually happened. Measured over 160,869 priced matches the goals model is slightly worse than the bookmakers (how it is scored), so a high draw chance means an even, low-scoring match rather than value. Descriptive statistics, not betting advice.