Seven expected goals a game. Twenty-eight goals in four matches. Those are the numbers Benevento have posted in a run of Club Friendlies fixtures, and they sit alone at the top of the list of teams generating the most expected goals per game right now.
The Numbers
An average of 7.00 xG per game is an extraordinary figure by any measure, competitive or otherwise. Over the last four matches Benevento have found the net 28 times, an average of exactly seven goals per game, meaning their actual output has matched their underlying chance quality almost goal for goal.
That kind of alignment between xG and goals scored is rare. Usually finishing either lags behind the chances created or runs hot above them for a spell. Benevento's four-game sample shows neither: the shots have been good enough, and they have been put away.
Context Matters
These figures come from Club Friendlies fixtures rather than league or cup competition, so the level and intent of the opposition can vary widely from one match to the next. Friendly matches are often used for fitness building, squad rotation and tactical experimentation, all of which can inflate scorelines against opponents who are not fielding first-choice sides or are similarly using the game for conditioning rather than results.
Still, a 7.00 xG average and 28 goals in four matches is a notable run of output by any measure, and it is the kind of number that tends to draw attention to the players and patterns behind it. Whether that chance-creation rate would hold up against sterner, more consistent opposition in a competitive league setting is the natural next question, but on the numbers alone, nobody else on the current list of leading chance creators is close to matching it.