Like the Elo rating in chess
Open any match page on ScanGoal and you'll see a "Power" column with two numbers separated by a dot — for example, 13.2 · 9.8. The first is the home team's strength, the second the away team's. It works the same way as the Elo rating in chess: every team has a number, and the gap between them tells you the size of the favourite.
Reading the numbers
The league average is fixed at 10.0. Above 10 — better than average, below — worse.
- 10.5 vs 10.5 — coin flip, no clear favourite.
- 11.5 vs 10.0 — slight home edge.
- 13.0 vs 8.0 — clear favourite, usually top of the table vs relegation zone.
The bigger the gap, the bigger the favourite. A team rated 13+ is highlighted in bold green to make it visible at a glance.
Where the number comes from
Power is updated daily, after every match a team plays. We look at:
- The last 6–10 matches of the team
- Goals scored and conceded, home and away separately
- Quality of opposition — beating a leader counts more than beating a relegation team
Just like in chess: beating a strong opponent gives more rating than beating a weak one.
How to use it
On the live table:
- Sort by Power gap — find the day's lopsided matches (large gap) or coin flips (small gap)
- Use as a starting point — Power tells you who's stronger overall, but doesn't know about today's lineup
- Combine with other columns — injuries, current dominance, the live line. Power is one piece of the picture
What Power doesn't know
- Last-minute injuries or suspensions
- A new coach's first match
- Cup vs league rotation
That's why we show the injuries column and the live line side by side — they fill the gaps.
Short version
Power = chess Elo for football teams. League average = 10. The bigger the gap, the bigger the favourite. Updated daily. One column on the live table, one number per team, a quick read of who's stronger right now.