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Expected goal difference

xGD · release 2026-09-02
Stats explained · Modeled

In plain language

Team xG for minus xG against — the run of play in one number.

Definition

A team's expected goals created minus expected goals conceded, summed over the scope. Tracks the balance of chances rather than the balance of finishing.

Modeled

An estimate from a model we built. Useful, but not a fact — every modeled stat's page says where it's weak.

What it refuses to measure

xGD does not know the score state — teams protecting leads concede chances deliberately, and it reads that as decline.

What would prove this wrong

If final-third-entries difference predicts end-of-season points as well as xGD does, the model adds nothing over territory.