Over the years football has given us some remarkable unbeaten streaks, teams that went dozens of matches without losing. It’s a clear sign of dominance, and the longest match streaks are usually built by the clubs that rule their leagues at the time. Below I look at a few famous cases, and what match streaks stats actually mean when you’re betting. Not always as much as you’d think.
A match streak is a series of games in a row with the same result or the same event. The classic one is the unbeaten run: wins and draws, no defeats. But there are many others, such as winning streaks, winless streaks, losing streaks, series of clean sheets, or matches in which a team scored. Our match streaks page shows current streaks for the leagues we cover, updated after every matchday.
Here are the types you’ll meet most often:
The table above shows the longest active unbeaten runs in the leagues we cover, and it changes after every round. Early in the season those runs are short and move quickly from week to week, so it makes sense to come back as the campaign goes on.
Historically the top of this list is filled by the same names, the sides that dominate their leagues. Only the most consistent teams can string together dozens of matches without losing, and that usually takes a deep squad, a stable coach and a fair amount of luck. I’d say luck matters more than clubs like to admit.
The longest unbeaten streak in English top-flight history belongs to Arsenal. Between May 2003 and October 2004, Arsène Wenger’s side went 49 Premier League matches without a defeat.
36 of those games came in one season. The “Invincibles” were the only Premier League team ever to go through a whole campaign unbeaten, with 24 wins and 12 draws. Want to compare it with the current season? Check the Premier League table and the active streaks above.
The longest runs in Europe’s top leagues are even more impressive. AC Milan’s 58-match unbeaten run between 1991 and 1993 is probably the most famous. That team dominated Italy and Europe, with the Dutch trio of Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard up front and a solid defence led by Franco Baresi. You can still follow Serie A today, but nobody has come close since.
Liverpool’s unbeaten run in 2019/20 is also worth mentioning. It isn’t the Premier League record, that one stays with Arsenal, who fell just one game short of reaching 50.
Another famous run was Bayern Munich’s in 2012 to 2014: 53 matches unbeaten, five short of Milan’s record. Many people still call that Bayern team one of the most enjoyable to watch. Today you can track the Bundesliga streaks on our page.
For bettors, tracking winning and unbeaten streaks can be useful. Series of defeats tell you a lot as well, sometimes more. Of course, it’s well known that teams tend to “break” a losing streak right after you put them on your slip. It happens often enough to make you laugh, and often enough to make you doubt yourself. Still, streak betting is worth considering as one factor, not the only one.
When a team is winning, the odds on its victory drop. That might push you towards other markets, such as handicaps or total goals. A strong side on a run may be better in over/under or 1X2 than at a price of 1.20. A clean sheet streak can lead you to BTTS No, and a team that keeps starting well may be worth checking in HT/FT or in the first half and second half stats. For goal-heavy streaks, corner kick stats sometimes tell the same story.
One more thing, and it’s easy to forget. A streak doesn’t mean a team “owes” a defeat, or a win. Every match starts at 0-0, and a long run doesn’t change the odds on its own. It only changes how the bookmaker prices the team, and the price is what you’re really betting on.
Some bookmakers show streaks directly in their apps, which makes it quick to see which teams have an active run. It’s a good starting point, but I wouldn’t stop there. For more, go back to all football stats or the live results on the home page.
A number on its own tells you less than it seems. A team with 15 matches unbeaten sounds scary. But who did it play? If most of those games were at home against weaker sides, the streak says something about the fixture list as much as about the team.
A few things I check before I trust a streak:
