Lewandowski vs Benzema: statistical comparison of the biggest El Clasico players.
The first El Clasico of the new season will take place today at Santiago Bernabeu between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.
It might also mark the beginning of an exciting competition between Robert Lewandowski and Karim Benzema, two legendary goal scorers who keep getting better with age.
The statistical disparities between these two strikers thus far this season and what makes them stand out as two of the finest strikers in La Liga at the moment will be examined by Barça Universal before of this match.
Lewandowski, who has scored nine goals in eight games, is clearly in first place right now. But an injury earlier in the season can be blamed for Benzema’s lack of progress in this area. In his first five games, the forward has only registered three goals.
Lewandowski has an unusually higher goal-per-90-minute average (1.28), compared to Benzema’s 0.60. However, it may be appropriate to compare other measures like shooting and in-game participation given the sample size’s short size.
The figures begin to converge at that point, with Lewandowski standing out for recording 1.1 xG per game compared to Benzema’s 1.06 xG, which is somewhat lower than the Pole.
Even in terms of xA, which is the total number of passes that resulted in a shooting, Lewandowski receives great marks. Compared to Benzema’s 0.16, the Barcelona attacker boasts a higher average xA of 0.24 per 90. These numbers, which are both acceptable, speak to the abilities of these two attackers.
In terms of shooting, Benzema has a greater average of 5.2 shots per 90 than Lewandowski, who averages 4.43. However, the Barcelona attacker has an accuracy percentage of 61%, which is nearly twice as high as Benzema’s (34%). In fact, Lewandowski currently leads the league with 19 shots that are on target and a 61% accuracy percentage.
When it comes to passing percentages, Benzema truly shines. When it comes to passing the ball in and around the final third, the Frenchman has a much better statistic. He has completed 42 passes on average per 90 attempts, which is a lot for a striker.
Additionally, Benzema has completed 4.80 progressive passes per 90 and averaged 2.2 passes into the 18-yard box. Lewandowski, in contrast, has only averaged 21 successful completions, 1.43 successful completions within the 18-yard box, and 2.29 successful progressive passes. It suggests that, in the grand scheme of things, Benzema has a considerably bigger involvement.
Benzema’s greater involvement, though, can ultimately be linked to Barcelona’s style of play, which frequently centers on Lewandowski acting as the target man and Ousmane Dembele and Raphinha providing crosses into the box.
In comparison, Benzema plays a far larger role in Real Madrid’s overall attacking strategy. But given that the two strikers have comparable goal-scoring prowess, it will be interesting to watch who prevails when they square off later this evening.
