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# How to read an expected goals table in five minutes
- URL: https://xgsimple.com/blog/how-to-read-an-expected-goals-table-in-five-minutes/
- Published: 2026-10-01T09:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-07T19:08:31.000Z
- Description: A short guide to what the numbers on this site mean and how to read them.
- Author: Casper Andersson
- Tags: Guides

Expected goals tell you how good the chances in a match were, not just how many goals were scored. This short guide explains what the numbers on this site mean and how to read them in five minutes.

## What is a good chance?

A tap-in from two metres is worth far more than a shot from thirty. Every chance gets a value between 0 and 1, and the sum over a match is the team's xG.

- Close to goal and central: high value
- Wide or far out: low value
- Headers are harder than shots with the foot

> One number cannot describe a match, but it is a good place to start.

![Half a football pitch with a heat map: the closer to goal, the warmer the colour.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/fc/0d/fc0dd881-35bf-431f-bec9-ab9bb4dd6682/content/images/2026/10/pitch-test.png)

Chances close to goal are worth the most.

## Reading the table

Every match has three numbers: Home xG, Away xG and Match xG, the two added together. The matches with the highest Match xG are the ones where we expect the most goals.

```
Match xG = Home xG + Away xG
```

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That is all you need to get started.