Scorefoot
Live football scores & stats
Live scores
Stats
Standings
scorefoot.com
Before every match, each team announces its lineup and formation. The numbers describe how the ten outfield players are spread from defence to attack. Here are the formations you will see most often.
A formation lists the outfield players from back to front; the goalkeeper is not counted. In a 4-4-2 there are four defenders, four midfielders and two forwards. The numbers always add up to ten.
A formation is only a starting shape. Teams change it when they attack or defend, and full-backs who push forward can turn a back four into a back two in possession.
The classic formation with two banks of four and two strikers. It is easy to organise and covers the width of the pitch well, but with only two central midfielders it can be outnumbered in the middle.
Three central midfielders and three forwards, with wingers who stay wide and attack the full-backs. It suits teams that want to press high and keep the ball, and it was made famous by Barcelona and the Netherlands.
Two defensive midfielders protect the back four, while an attacking midfielder plays behind a single striker with a winger on each side. It is one of the most balanced and widely used formations in modern football.
Three central defenders allow the two wing-backs to push high up the pitch. The team has five defenders when it defends and five midfielders or attackers when it has the ball. It needs very fit wing-backs who can cover the whole flank.
In the Lineups tab of a match, Scorefoot places each player on the pitch according to the announced formation, with the shirt number and, after the match, the player rating. Substitutes and the coach are listed below, so you can see at a glance how both teams set up.
How football league tables work · The offside rule explained simply · The Champions League format explained · Understanding football match statistics · Football formations explained · Live score abbreviations: HT, FT, AET, PEN and more