Team Focus: Europe's Best & Worst Entertainment Value

Football is an entertainment business, and while goals cannot solely represent the quality of a game, most would agree that high-scoring affairs are the most appealing to the fans. While a 1-0 home win can bring elation to the hardened supporter, goals generally bring in the crowds, and here we look to ascertain where they are most assured across Europe's top 5 leagues.

A look at the goal tallies from each of the top 5 leagues indicates that you get more bang for your buck in the Bundesliga, with 2.86 goals scored per game in Germany's elite league compared to Serie A's 2.60. However, we're looking at more detail into the specific grounds that provide the best and worst value for the goal-hungry neutral.

We start with the stadiums to have seen the most goals scored per game, and if you are ever on a European tour of your own, you may not want to miss out on a trip to the following football arenas.

Our journey begins in Manchester, where five Premier League matches at Old Trafford have seen 23 goals scored thus far (4.6 per game). United haven't had it all their own way, however, with only 5 teams in England conceding more goals as hosts (8), though no fewer than 11 of Ferguson's side have netted in a home league game. A certain Robin van Persie leads the way, with 3, and surprisingly the league leaders' highest scoring fixture came against Stoke, who will feature later in this article.

The Red Devils just pip a Falcao inspired Atletico Madrid here, whose La Liga games at the Vicente Calderon have seen 21 goals scored (4.2) per game. Diego Simeone's side have scored 15 of said strikes themselves, winning all 5 of their home league matches thus far, with their Colombian marksman netting 7 times in that run. Interestingly Atleti are the only Spanish outfit among the leaders here, with Barca and Real both seeing an average of 3.4 goals per game scored in their home games, as they sit just behind Valencia in La Liga (3.6).

A surprise package in third, newly promoted Reading have only played 4 home games this season, but those fixtures have brought 16 goals between the sides (4 per game). Despite scoring in each of their home matches at the Madjeski Stadium, The Royals are yet to win in front of their home fans, but are at least providing real value for money, though points would be preferable to the Reading faithful. Elsewhere in the Premier League a new-look Chelsea side, along with struggling Southampton, have also hosted memorable matches to see them make our leaderboard here.

Three sides, however, occupy equal fourth, with two from the Bundesliga. Although Bayern Munich also make the top 10, having romped to a 7-point lead at the summit by scoring 15 goals in 5 home games, it is promoted Frankfurt and Hannover who lead the way in Germany for total home game goals. The former sit 3rd in the league having gone unbeaten at the Commerzbank-Arena, with 6 games bringing 23 goals, while Hannover, in 6th, have seen an identical number scored at the AWD-Arena between the opposing sides (3.83 per game).

Joining them on that tally of goals between the two sides (23) in the same number of home games (6) is Roma, and it's no surprise to see Zdenek Zeman's outfit here. Criticised for not knowing when to deploy a more defensive tactic on numerous occasions already this season, no-one can question the entertainment that is all but guaranteed when Roma are involved this season. They have scored 13 goals and conceded 10 at home thus far, so if you're looking for action at both ends, there really is no better place to start in Europe right now.

At the other end of the scale there have been some really drab matches for certain sets of home fans to sit through, with the following sides keeping it tight at the back to all extents and purposes, but posing little threat to their visiting opponents in the process.

Ligue 1 outfit Ajaccio have played 5 home games this season, but just 5 goals have been scored in said matches (1 per game) and though a goals conceded tally of two will please the home support, they have struck just 3 at the other end. Although Alex Dupont’s side have picked up 2 wins and an impressive draw against PSG in their matches at the Stade Francois Coty, they have drawn a blank on three occasions.

Tony Pulis’ Stoke have only played 4 league matches at The Britannia thus far and the notion that it is one of the toughest grounds to visit is certainly no myth. The Potters have conceded just once in front of their own fans, in a well-earned draw against Manchester City, and with two stalemates and a win over Swansea they are unbeaten as hosts. However, having scored just 3 times the overall goal tally at The Britannia is just 4 thus far (1 per game), and Stoke’s famously vociferous support will hope for more goals as the season draws on.

The second of four French sides in our bottom 11 here, Nancy fans have witnessed just 8 goals in 6 home games this season (1.33) with only two coming from the hosts. They, therefore, can perhaps consider themselves to be least happy home support in all of Europe, with Ligue 1’s bottom club on a 5 game winless streak at the Stade Marcel Picot and manager Jean Fernandez’s job must be under real scrutiny.

Undoubtedly the two most surprising teams among the bottom of the pile here are PSG and AC Milan. While the Parisian big spenders sit top of their league, the board will surely question a tally of just 8 goals scored in 6 home league games, with their form at the back the saving grace, conceding just 4 times at the Parc des Princes (2 goals in total per home game). Meanwhile AC are floating in mid-table in Serie A, though their goals for (8) and against (4) record at San Siro is identical to that of PSG (2 goals in total per game).