Martin Tyler's Champions League stats: Omens for Barcelona and Juventus

In his regular stats column, Sky Sports commentator Martin Tyler looks at the Champions League losers, winners and record-breakers.

How to send your questions to Martin:

1: Email your posers to skysportsclub@bskyb.com

2. Tweet @SkyFootball using the hashtag #TylersTeasers.

Martin’s starting stats

I will answer your Champions League questions shortly, but I shall start with some reflections on Saturday’s FA Cup final at Wembley. Arsenal started the season with a 3-0 win at Wembley in the Community Shield and finished it with a 4-0 win. They completed a set of three wins over Aston Villa of 3-0, 5-0 and 4-0.

It was the biggest FA Cup win since Manchester United won 4-0 against Chelsea in 1994. The last time four different players scored for one team in an FA Cup final was when Bury had five different scorers in 1903 against Derby. Joe Leeming, George Ross, Charlie Fagar, Willie Wood and Jack Plant were the scorers.

The last time a team had exactly four scorers was when Sheffield United beat Derby 4-1 in 1899 with goals from Walter Bennett, Walter Beers, Jack Almond and Fred Priest.

Shay Given had a 17-year gap in between FA Cup final appearances, both against Arsenal, and in both games his team failed to score. Shay, of course, was involved in two FA Cup finals when he didn’t play. He was not used by Newcastle in 1999 against Manchester United and he was on the bench for the winning Manchester City team of 2011.

Arsenal broke the all-time record with a 12th FA Cup success and Arsene Wenger set a managerial record for modern times with six wins. George Ramsey was the managerial secretary for Aston Villa’s first six wins.

Peter McParland and Nigel Sims from Aston Villa’s 1957 team were at Wembley on Saturday – and despite the disappointment of defeat left Wembley knowing they are still in the last Aston Villa team to win the FA Cup – McPharland remains the last Villa player to score in an FA Cup final.

Which nation has the best record in European Cup finals? Simmo

MARTIN SAYS: If Juventus were to fail in Berlin, they would be the 15th Italian side to finish runners up since the competition started in 1955.

However, Italy’s 12 winners go far to making up for those defeats, a 46 per cent win rate in the final.

For all the talk of failings in Europe’s top competition in recent years, England sit second with 63 per cent behind Netherlands, who have won six of the eight finals they have appeared in (75 per cent).

France, with Marseille’s 1993 success over AC Milan representing their only win in six finals, are bottom, behind Germany and West Germany (41 per cent) and Portugal 44 per cent.

Netherlands - 75% (6 wins in 8)

England - 63% (12 wins in 19)

Spain - 58% (14 wins in 24)

Romania – 50% (1 win in 2)

Scotland – 50% (1 win in 2)

Yugoslavia – 50% (1 win in 2)

Italy - 46% (12 wins in 26)

Portugal - 44% (4 wins in 9)

Germany and West Germany - 41% (7 wins in 17)

France - 17% (1 win in 6)

Greece, Belgium and Sweden have had one team reach the final – but lost.

This is the 60th final, so should Barcelona beat Juventus, Spain will have won 25% of European Cup/Champions League finals. Italy and England will be on 20% if Barcelona win. In total 65% of the 60 years would have been won by those three nations.

Which side has won the fewest matches on the way to winning the European Cup? @Gooner1984

MARTIN SAYS: Juventus’ seven wins, three draws and two defeats so far in this season’s competition may not translate as blistering form, but a look back to PSV’s winning campaign of 1987/88 will tell you winning – in normal time at least – is overrated.

The Dutch side won just three of their nine games in 90 or 120 minutes on their way to beating Benfica on penalties in Stuttgart, going through on away goals in the quarter-final against Bordeaux and the last four against Real Madrid. This was before the group stages were introduced.

In 1999, Manchester United won just five of their 11 games from the group stage onwards, the fifth coming with two stoppage-time goals against Bayern Munich in the final.

But of course, the competition is more long-form now – group stage entrants must play 12 games before reaching the final.

Where would Andrea Pirlo rank amongst the oldest outfield European Cup winners? Mark

MARTIN SAYS: At 36 years and 17 days, Andrea Pirlo would become the seventh oldest outfield player to win a European Cup final and interestingly, with the exception of Bill Foulkes of Manchester United, the players above him on the list are also Italian.

Paulo Maldini tops the list at 38 years and 330 days when AC Milan beat Liverpool 2-1 in the 2007 final on 23 May 2007, so he is the oldest by some considerable distance ahead of Juventus’ centre-back Pietro Vierchowod who was 37 years and 46 days old when he faced Ajax in 1996.

AC Milan’s Alessandro Costacurta ranks second as he won a Champions League against Juventus in 2003 as part of the same line-up as a young Pirlo.

Live UEFA Champions League Final

Defensive pair Javier Zanetti and Marco Materazzi rank third and fourth respectively as Jose Mourinho kept faith in experience when Inter Milan played against Bayern Munich in the 2010 Champions League final. Only eight days separate the two who were both 36 at the time.

As one of the Busby Babes, Foulkes sits just above Pirlo as the defender was 36 years and 144 days old when Manchester United beat Benfica 4-1 after extra time in front of 92,000 fans at Wembley Stadium.

So unfortunately Pirlo could not make the top five if Juventus topple Barcelona on Saturday night as one year and 16 days separate him from former team-mate Costacurta in fifth.

Is Italy v Spain the most common final pairing in European Cup history? Anthony B

MARTIN SAYS: That is correct, if you include this year’s final then Italy v Spain is the most common pairing in European Cup history, they have met seven times since the European Cup was set up in 1955-56.

England and Germany have had the second most finals in European Cup history with six matchups followed by Italy and Netherlands on five.

Behind that you have Germany v Spain, England v Italy, England v Spain and Spain v Spain which have all resulted in four matchups.

Perhaps surprisingly, although the Italy/Spain matchup is the most common, the final between Juventus and Barcelona will be the first time an Italian club has matched up with a Spanish club in the final since the 1997-1998 season when Real Madrid beat Juventus 1-0.

The time before that (the 1993-94 European Cup final) and 2015’s other finalist – Barcelona – lost 4-0 against AC Milan in Athens.

Between 1991 and 2000, an Italian club played a Spanish club three times in total, so almost half the matchups took place over a nine-year spell. 

When you look at the powers of the big leagues, it’s a great compliment that we’ve seen such variety over the years.

Which country has hosted the most European Cup finals? Allan James

MARTIN SAYS: Including this year’s Berlin final, it would be the eighth time that Germany or West Germany has hosted the final of either a Champions League or European Cup, equalling the record of England and Italy.

However, Italy are hosting the 2015/16 Champions League final meaning they will overtake both Germany and England when the game kicks off in the San Siro for the first time since 2001.

Remarkably, it will be the first time in the eight occasions that the final has ever been played in the German capital. Previously, it has been played in Munich four times, Stuttgart twice and Gelsenkirchen once.

The last time Germany hosted the final was Chelsea’s famous win against Bayern Munich, in their home stadium, Allianz Arena in the 2011/2012 season.

All the European countries that have held a Champions League or European Cup final have hosted one. The only ones which have not are Switzerland, Turkey and Russia.