Tackle stats tell you in an instant how often a player is breaking up the opponent’s attack. When it comes to understanding the ebb and flow of a match, there are few better ways to sharpen your predictions quickly, whether you’re looking at specific tackle markets or broader game odds. Well, look no further. We have all the player and team tackles stats from the top leagues, along with plenty of extra insights. It's all the tools you need for more accurate bets.
What Are Tackle Stats & Why Are They Relevant?
Bottom line, defensive tackle stats show how often a player wins back possession from an opponent by putting in a clean challenge. That might be a sliding tackle, a well-timed standing challenge or simply outmuscling someone off the ball without giving away a free kick.
They are especially useful for spotting value in individual player tackles markets, like over or under selections, and can also give you a better read on team shape, pressure, and momentum during in-play betting.
How Do Tackle Stats Influence Betting Markets?
First and foremost, some bookies offer specific Player Tackles markets (team tackles markets are much rarer), where you predict whether the number of tackles committed by a certain player will be over or under a set amount. Naturally, the player tackles stats will impact both the odds and your understanding of those markets.
Beyond that, average tackles per game can give you real insight into a team's defensive strength. This can affect everything from Total Goals and Match Winner to Booking Points markets, as just a few examples. A solid defence often means fewer goals conceded and more chances of fouls being spotted by the ref. Put simply, there are very few markets where knowing your tackle stats won’t give you a better shot at making smarter predictions.
Understanding Tackle Stats in Football Analytics
Good news! Understanding tackle stats is easy. First, have a look at the table above, where you'll find a list of the top players by the number of tackles they've made this season. From there, you can narrow your search by selecting the league, season, player, or team you're interested in. Let’s say you just wanted just Premier League tackle stats; it’s literally just a click away.
For a more focused approach, you can filter for players who’ve featured in at least 40% of appearances this season, along with their stats per game. This helps you target those likely to play and gives a clearer view of their performance over the season.
Applying them to football analytics is a doddle too. For example, let’s say you check Declan Rice's tackle stats and find he's averaging 1.53 tackles per game. Now, if you head over to bet365 and see his odds are 9/2 (18.2% probability), you could quickly conclude that those odds offer excellent value based on his performance this season.
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Do Tackle Stats Relate to Other Football Statistics?
Yes. In fact, basically every metric in football is better understood together. For instance, our defensive tackles stats table doesn’t just tell you the number of tackles completed, but also the number of fouls and cards committed too. This provides a much more complete view of that players defensive success and can help inform not just Players Tackles markets but also markets like Player Cards.
And beyond that, our Football Stats Hub can further help fill in the rest of the gaps. For instance, we might say higher tackle stats suggest a tighter defence. But is that actually the case this season, or could it point to a back line under constant pressure? Goals conceded stats can tell you. You can also dig deeper by looking at corners conceded or saves made to get a clearer picture of what’s really going on in the danger zone. Put simply, everything’s connected.
Key Players & Positions for Tackle Stats
It’s crucial to consider a player’s position when looking at tackle stats. For example, five tackles might be brilliant for a goalkeeper, but would be pretty poor for a defender. With that in mind, here’s a quick guide to the key positions and how to make sense of tackle stats in each.
Tactical Roles Contributing to Tackle Stats
Defensive Midfielders: The Shield
Often the first line of defence, defensive midfielders like Idrissa Gueye or Tom Bischof are experts at breaking up play. They’re constantly making tackles, pressing high, and reading the game to make timely interceptions. If there’s one role that consistently racks up stats, it’s this one.
Centre-Backs: The Wall
Centre-backs are your bread-and-butter defenders. They’re on the front line for clearances, aerial duels, and last-ditch tackles. Players like Noussair Mazraoui are regularly top of the charts for tackles stats. The tougher the opposition, the busier these guys get.
Full-Backs & Wing-Backs: The Workhorses
Modern full-backs and wing-backs do it all. They push high up the pitch and are often involved in the attack, but they’re also crucial in tracking back and stopping counterattacks. The likes of Omar El-Hilali and Antonee Robinson combine pace and stamina to put in huge numbers on tackles and recoveries.
How to Identify Tackle Stats Trends?
On a basic level, understanding tackle stats trends is as simple as picking out the league, team, or player you're interested in and then using that info to assess whether the odds offer good value. The key is being able to spot when a pattern emerges so you can make the most of it. To help you get started, here are some broader trends for tackle stats in football to look out for.
The Premier League has an exceptionally high number of tackles
The majority of the top 20 players with the highest number of tackles typically come from the Premier League. Considering we cover dozens of leagues, that's quite impressive. What this means is that you can expect a higher number of tackles in the Premier League compared to nearly any other football competition, which is crucial to remember when looking at odds from different events.
Certain top tackles are shining with limited game time
When you select “Per Game,” you’ll often notice a significant shift in the top players list. In some cases, players who were previously ranked far down the list can jump straight into the top five. This suggests that there are often players making a massive impact on tackle stats despite not getting many starts. Pay close attention to these players, because if they’re in the starting lineup, it could have a major impact on several markets that bookies might not have factored in.Midfielders are tackling powerhouses too
You might initially think of defenders when looking for big tackles stats, but that’s not always the case. Across every league we've analysed, midfielders have been just as impressive, if not more so, than the backline. In other words, you should be paying attention to the interception abilities of players like Andrey Santon, just as much as you would to Lisandro Martinez tackle stats.
Home vs Away Trends in Tackle Stats
When looking at the average tackles per game for a particular team, you might notice a slight increase when playing away compared to at home. The reasoning behind this is simple: teams generally perform better at home, and tackles often reflect a team being on the defensive more frequently.
However, the difference is not as pronounced as with other statistics like Total Team Goals stats. For example, in the Premier League, teams earn an average of 1.63 points per home game, compared to 1.1 away. In contrast, the number of tackles per game is typically only about 10% higher when playing away, but it's still something worth factoring into your calculations.
Best Tackle Stats Betting Markets
Tackle stats are probably more useful than you’d think, and they can give you a leg up in a whole range of betting markets. While they come in handy across the board, some markets really make the most of these stats. To help you get started, here’s a look at the best markets where defensive tackle stats can really give you an edge.
Let’s kick things off with the obvious one: Player Tackles. This market lets you predict whether a particular player will complete over or under a set number of tackles in a match. Knowing how a player generally performs in this area can massively boost your chances of nailing your prediction for upcoming games.
While Player Tackles markets are more common, Team/Total Tackles are also available from some bookmakers. Here, you're predicting the total number of tackles performed by one team, or both, by the end of regular time. Our tackle stats make it easy to check how a team has been performing in this regard. For example, you could look up Liverpool tackle stats for an upcoming game at Anfield and use them to determine if the odds are worth your while.
Tackles often go hand-in-hand with defensive pressure, and more tackles can mean more goals are likely to be scored. Pair these stats with shots and goals data for a fuller picture,
Understanding the tackle stats gives you insight into the likely number of goals and their direction, which in turn helps predict the probable winner. While it’s just one part of the equation, it can definitely give you an edge when assessing the overall outcome of a match.
When a player is consistently putting in the effort to defend their side of the pitch, bookings and cards become more likely. Tackles and fouls tend to go hand-in-hand and combining this info with foul and cards stats gives you an even better insight. Good news, all are included on our table above for a deeper understanding of these markets.
Key Factors Impacting Tackle Stats Betting
It might sound straightforward, but the average number of tackles a player or team makes is the single biggest factor when it comes to betting on tackle stats. Put simply, if you know how many tackles they usually rack up, you’ve got a solid head start on predicting how many they’ll make in the next match.
That said, it’s not the only thing worth looking at. Different competitions produce different numbers: Premier League tackle stats, for example, tend to be higher than most, thanks to the fast-paced, high-intensity style of play. Plus, away sides typically rack up a few more tackles than home teams, as playing without the home advantage usually means more time spent defending.
And don’t forget the opposition. The more threatening the other team is going forward, the more likely it is that defenders will need to step in with tackles. On the flip side, teams that dominate possession and play more attacking football often post lower tackle stats. After all, if you're always on the front foot, you don’t need to win the ball back.
How to Spot Value Bets Using Tackle Stats
Never used our tackle stats for football betting before? No worries, you’ll be breaking down the numbers like a pro in no time. Here’s how to get started:
Head over to the table and pick the league, team or player you want to focus on.
Our Expert Tackle Betting Tips
Our tackle stats are simplicity itself, but that doesn’t mean you can’t improve you chances even further with a little sprinkle of expert advice. Best of all? It’s easy enough for anyone to understand and utilize. Let’s have at it.
Combine your knowledge with other stats
Defensive tackle stats work best with friends. Even if you’re sticking with Player or Team Tackles markets, you’ll get much more insight by also checking out fouls, cards, possession, shots, and goal stats. The more context you’ve got, the sharper your predictions will be. Simple as that.
Adjust your expectations by league
Tackle numbers vary massively between competitions. Take the Premier League, where top players can clock up and average of over 3 tackles per game. Compare that to Bundesliga where above 2.5 is rare. So, if you’re switching leagues, be sure to adjust your thinking to avoid any expensive slip-ups.
Pay attention to line-up changes
There’s real value to be found when teams rotate their usual line-ups. That’s when under-the-radar players with great tackle numbers might step in and often without the bookies clocking on. Take Mario Lemina at Wolves, for instance. By the end of the 2024/25 season, he didn’t get many starts, but when he did, his tackle stats were among the best. Spot those outliers early, check the odds, and you might just catch the market off guard.
Don’t Miss Any Match Stats
ThePuntersPage Final Say
All you’ve got to do is nip over to our tackle stats table, pop in the teams, players or league you’re after, and within minutes you’ll be better set to sniff out the best value odds. It’s a proper easy way to boost your chances of making a few quid on your football bets, without needing to be an expert. Whether you’re after a quick punt or something more strategic, this is a cracking place to start.
Football Tackle stats FAQs
Tackle stats show how often a player wins the ball back from the opposition with a successful challenge. You’ll find all that and loads more across dozens of leagues and hundreds of players right here on this very page.
Yes, plenty of bookies now offer Player Tackles markets, where you can have a punt on whether a player will make over or under a set number of tackles during a match. Team Tackles or Total Match Tackles markets do pop up too, though they’re not quite as common. On top of that, tackles stats can give you a real edge across loads of other markets including Total Goals, Booking Points, and much more in-between.
Tackle stats per 90 minutes (or per 90) simply means the average number of tackles a player makes over a full match. This helps even the playing field when comparing players who’ve had different amounts of game time. It’s a great way to spot high-impact players who might not start often but rack up big numbers when they do.
Quite a few! Aside from the obvious Player Tackles markets, tackle stats can also help you with Cards, Team Goals, Full-Time Result, and even Total Goals bets. They give insight into how much pressure a team is under or how aggressively they defend, two things that impact many markets across the board.