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Who's your club's bogey team?
Football fans are a superstitious bunch, and there are certain games that every supporter dreads seeing on the fixture list. Nobody likes facing the Premier League’s biggest clubs, of course, but there are other sides who – for whatever reason – your own team always seem to struggle against.
Using data from http://mybonuscode.co.uk, this slideshow reveals each Premier League side’s bogey team based on every match played between the current crop of top-flight outfits in all competitions.
Arsenal's bogey team: Watford (44% loss rate)
The north Londoners have claimed many a scalp on this list, but they always seem to get stung themselves when playing the Hornets. An injury-time Tom Cleverly winner was enough for Watford to beat the Gunners 2-1 back in October, after a dubious penalty awarded for Hector Bellerin’s foul on Richarlison saw Troy Deeney level the game up from the spot.
The longest period of Arsenal misery was inflicted between 1987 and 1988, when Watford marched to four consecutive victories which included three clean sheets and an FA Cup quarter-final victory.
Bournemouth's bogey team: Arsenal (83% loss rate)
Bournemouth hold the unenviable record of having the highest loss rate to any single club, with Arsenal triumphing in 83% of the two sides’ meetings - the highest loss rate on this list. The statistic is perhaps a little harsh seeing as the pair have only locked horns six times in their history, yet the fact remains that the Cherries have never beaten the Gunners and only drawn once.
Every match bar one has been played since Bournemouth’s promotion to the top flight in 2015 – the other being a 3-0 defeat in 1987. Although the seasiders scored four times in their last three encounters, Arsenal still won two and drew the other.
Brighton's bogey teams: Arsenal/Chelsea (75% loss rate)
The Seagulls must be sick of the sight of the capital – they’ve lost their last five in a row to Arsenal and six consecutively to Chelsea.
Brighton struggle with the Blues, Albion’s first and last victory over the west Londoners coming way back in 1933. That doesn’t bode particularly well for Boxing Day, when the duo will do battle for the first time since 1989.
Recent fixtures against Arsenal are equally depressing, with October’s game at the Emirates Stadium ending in a comfortable 2-0 triumph for the hosts.
Burnley's bogey team: Manchester United (48% loss rate)
The fixture computer wasn’t particularly kind to Burnley at the start of the 2017/18 campaign, handing Sean Dyche’s men consecutive away games against Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham, Everton and Manchester City.
The Clarets defied the odds by only losing one of those matches, but they’ve continually struggled against another of the division’s biggest sides in Manchester United. Indeed, Burnley have lost almost half of their meetings with the Red Devils, including six in a row between 1974 and 2002.
Chelsea's bogey team: Liverpool (43% loss rate)
Chelsea and Liverpool have contested some memorable battles in recent times, with the regularity of their meetings sparking a derby-like rivalry between clubs who are separated by more than 200 miles. The Blues and the Reds have gone head-to-head 45 times since the start of 2004/05, and although it’s the former who have more wins to their name in that time (17 to 14), they have still lost a higher percentage of matches to Liverpool than any other team.
The Merseysiders won seven of eight clashes between 1972 and 1977, before triumphing in eight of 11 between 1985 and 1990. There’s still a way to go before Chelsea can lay claim to overall supremacy.
Crystal Palace's bogey team: Manchester United (67% loss rate)
Since their promotion to the top flight in 2013 Palace have enjoyed memorable victories over Chelsea, Manchester City, Tottenham, Arsenal and Liverpool, but wins against Manchester United remain hard to come by.
The Red Devils have swatted the Eagles aside in nine of their last 10 meetings, with Palace’s sole triumph in the last 25 years coming in a 2011 League Cup tie. Most painfully for the south Londoners, United have beaten them in both of their FA Cup final appearances.
Everton's bogey team: Arsenal (50% loss rate)
Everton’s 5-2 defeat by Arsenal back in October spelled the end for Ronald Koeman, but the outcome was hardly out of keeping with historic results between the pair. Indeed, the Gunners have emerged victorious in exactly 50% of their games against the Toffees, who have lost five of their last six competitive encounters against Arsene Wenger’s side.
The aforementioned 5-2 loss isn’t even Everton’s worst against Arsenal, who have run out 7-0 (2005) and 6-1 (2009, 1958) winners in times gone by.
Huddersfield's bogey team: Burnley (46% loss rate)
These two teams shared the spoils after a 0-0 draw in September, which has to go down as a positive result for Huddersfield given their traditional struggles against the Clarets. Their three previous games against Burnley all ended in defeat, with the Lancastrians having beaten the Yorkshiremen in 46% of their all-time encounters.
Burnley overcame Huddersfield en route to their First Division title in 1920/21 and went undefeated against the Terriers in 14 matches between 1973 and 2002.
Leicester's bogey team: Manchester United (51% loss rate)
Even when Leicester won the Premier League title in 2015/16, they were unable to get the better of United. The Red Devils have triumphed in just over half of the two club’s clashes dating back to 1894, with the Foxes only managing one victory – a memorable 5-3 success in 2014 – in their last 19 attempts, during which time United have won 15.
As well as being one-sided, this particular fixture has brought the 20-time champions some comprehensive wins, with United scoring four or more goals on no fewer than 18 occasions.
Liverpool's bogey team: Huddersfield (40% loss rate)
Perhaps the most surprising bogey team on this list, Liverpool haven’t fared particularly well against Huddersfield down the years. Eight of their last 10 games may have ended in triumph for the Reds – the other two were drawn – but Town regularly had the measure of the Merseysiders in previous seasons and have won 31 of 76 all-time meetings. So there's something for current Huddersfield boss David Wagner to rib his mate Jurgen Klopp over.
One of the Terriers’ most emphatic victories came in 1958, when Liverpool were thrashed 5-0 at Leeds Road in a Second Division encounter. Huddersfield’s manager that day? One Bill Shankly.
Manchester City's bogey team: Arsenal (50% loss rate)
Manchester City may have comfortably defeated Arsenal back in November, but their overall record against the capital club is poor. The Citizens have lost exactly half of their 'Dickov Derby' clashes with the Gunners, including 22 of the last 40 in all competitions.
City’s worst period came between 1994 and 2006, when they lost 14 of 15 tussles with Arsenal and only managed a 1-1 draw in the other. Even in the last three seasons they have struggled, losing four games – including the 2017 FA Cup semi-final – and winning only two.
Manchester United's bogey team: Arsenal (36% loss rate)
United are the only Premier League club who don’t really have a bogey team. True, their 36% loss rate to Arsenal is higher than any other opponent, but the Red Devils have also beaten the Gunners more than any other side currently in the top flight, winning 96 of their 225 meetings in all competitons.
The north Londoners have enjoyed some memorable successes against United, however, including the title-sealing 1-0 victory in May 2002 and the 3-2 triumph over Dave Sexton’s men in the FA Cup final of 1979.
Newcastle's bogey team: Bournemouth (56% loss rate)
Bournemouth left it late before scoring the winning goal against Newcastle in November, with Steve Cook landing the decisive blow in the second minute of stoppage time. That was the Cherries’ second consecutive triumph at St James’ Park, but a bigger sample size is required before we can definitively label Bournemouth Newcastle’s bogey team.
That’s because these teams have only ever met nine times, with five of those matches ending in victory for the south coast side. The first of those came in 1963, when Bournemouth and Boscombe Athletic beat the Magpies in a League Cup tie.
Southampton's bogey team: Manchester United (52% loss rate)
Southampton have registered some memorable victories over Manchester United, including the 1976 FA Cup final, a 6-3 triumph in October 1996 and a 3-1 win a few months earlier which featured a kit change from Alex Ferguson’s men at half-time.
But in terms of the bigger picture, United have the upper hand. The Red Devils have won 52% of their meetings with the south coast side, including eight in a row between 2004 and 2013.
Stoke's bogey team: Arsenal (53% loss rate)
Arsenal never seemed to relish the trip to Stoke when Tony Pulis was in charge of the Potters, with Arsene Wenger’s men winning only two of their seven visits to the erstwhile Britannia Stadium when the Welshman was at the helm.
Yet even throughout that era, Stoke struggled to give Arsenal a game away from home, and their historical record against the Gunners remains poor. The north Londoners won six of eight matches between 1928 and 1936, while they also beat Stoke on the path to FA Cup glory in both 1971 and 2005.
Swansea's bogey team: Man City (67% loss rate)
Swansea have every reason to be pessimistic ahead of Wednesday’s tussle with Manchester City – and not just because Pep Guardiola’s men are looking to win their 15th successive in the Premier League. The Welsh outfit have been beaten in eight of their last nine games against the Citizens, with their overall loss rate standing at 67%.
The head-to-head record was a lot more even before Swansea’s promotion to the Premier League in 2011, but City have been dominant since then, losing just once.
Tottenham's bogey team: Manchester United (48% loss rate)
“Lads, it’s Tottenham,” was the extent of Alex Ferguson’s pre-match team talk ahead of one particular game against Spurs, at least according to former United skipper Roy Keane. The Scot’s confidence was understandable, with the Red Devils having won nearly half of their 187 games against the north Londoners.
Their most dominant spell came between 2001 and 2012, when United won 21 and drew five of the clubs’ 26 clashes in all competitions. That run was kick-started by a remarkable comeback at White Hart Lane, when the visitors trailed 3-0 at half-time but ended up winning 5-3.
Watford's bogey team: Everton (76% loss rate)
When Watford were awarded a penalty deep into second-half stoppage time at Goodison Park in November, many Hornets fans probably expected their side to miss (which is exactly what Tom Cleverley did, ensuring the hosts hung on for a 3-2 win).
Everton have won a mammoth 19 of 25 matches against Watford, who have emerged triumphant on just three occasions. Nine consecutive victories between 1987 and 2007 established the Merseysiders’ dominance in this fixture, although they had already made Elton John cry by beating the Hornets in the 1984 FA Cup final.
West Brom's bogey team: Arsenal (51% loss rate)
West Brom may have overcome Arsenal on the latter’s two most recent trips to The Hawthorns, but those results are aberrations when you look at the bigger picture. The Gunners have won 11 of their last 14 clashes with the Baggies, while 71 of their all-time 139 meetings have ended in defeat for the West Midlanders.
West Brom actually won four of their first six matches against Arsenal, but those successes between 1901 and 1912 proved to be a false dawn.
West Ham's bogey team: Huddersfield (55% loss rate)
West Ham may have beaten Huddersfield when the duo locked horns for the first time in two decades back in September, but the Terries have historically held the upper hand.
Twenty-two of the 40 clashes between the sides have ended in a Huddersfield victory, including a 5-1 humbling at Upton Park in an FA Cup tie in 1960. The Yorkshire outfit also beat the Hammers on the way to each of their First Division titles in 1923/24, 1924/25 and 1925/26, although West Ham have now won three of the last four meetings between the pair.
