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NB: Player appearances are based on a player starting and completing at least 60 minutes. The sample is based on a team’s home and away league matches since the start of last season unless otherwise stated.

Hull v Man City

Manchester City travel to the KC Stadium this weekend and will expect to enhance their top-four prospects by taking all three points from relegation-threatened Hull. However, the Citizens will have to do so without Micah Richards, who is carrying a calf injury.

However, given the England international’s form for much of the past 18 months that may actually prove an advantage. Since the start of last season Richards has played 20 and missed 10 of City’s away games with a very disappointing return of just three wins and 13 defeats, for an average points per game of only 0.65. This compares to a fairly respectable, if not particularly outstanding, record of two wins, six draws and just two defeats (1.20 PPG) from the 10 matches he’s missed. Significantly, their average goals conceded has fallen by 33% when Richards has been absent for City’s away games; down from 1.80 per game with him to just 1.20 without.

Hull are also missing a key player in the shape of former Manchester City forward Geovanni. The Brazilian has played 17 of Hull’s 31 home games since the start of last season, during which the Tigers have won six and lost six for an average PPG of 1.35. These results look even more impressive when compared to Hull’s home results without him, where they’ve won only once, and lost eight of 14 games for a PPG of 0.57 – a 58% drop.

Burnley v West Ham

Burnley are currently without their two most experienced players, with captain Steven Caldwell and vice-captain Graham Alexander both injured. Caldwell has played 53 and missed just 16 of Burnley’s matches since the start of last season and with the Scottish defender the Clarets have earned 1.55 points per game, including 1.0 PPG this season, while without him this drops to just 0.88 PPG (0.77 PPG this term). Moreover, they’ve earned just one point from the last seven matches he’s missed.

Racing Santander v Atletico Madrid

Atletico won the first of three meetings inside a week with Racing, when they thumped their opponents 4-0 in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-finals on Thursday night. One of the goal-scorers in midweek was former Arsenal player Jose Antonio Reyes, however the Spaniard went off with strained knee ligaments and will be out for the next month.

After leaving Arsenal permanently for Atletico at the start of the 2007/08 season, Reyes suffered a poor first year and was loaned out to Benfica last term. However, back at the Vicente Calderon Reyes has flourished this season, as he’s secured a first team berth and helped the team to five wins in his eight appearances. This is in stark contrast to Atletico’s form without him, as they’ve won only once and lost half their 12 other matches.

Impressively, Atletico have averaged 2.25 goals per game with Reyes this season, compared to just one per game without him, while their average goals conceded have risen dramatically in his absence – up 79% from 1.12 per game to 2.0.

Koln v Hamburg

Koln are without the injured duo of Fabrice Ehret and Manasseh Ishiaku, and that should mean goals. Midfielder Ehret has played 36 and missed 18 of Koln’s games since the start of last season, with their average goals scored rising by 47% (from 0.83 per game with him to 1.22 per game without) and their average goals conceded increasing by 16% (from 1.19 to 1.56). While Ishiaku is a less important figure, having played just nine of Koln’s 54 games, there is also a big increase in goals when he’s been missing. The net result has been that the number of games with over 2.5 goals when Ehret has been missing has increased from 39% with him to 61%, while for Ishiaku just one of his nine matches had three or more goals compared to 53% of the rest.

Genoa v Chievo

Domenico Criscito is serving a one-match ban for Genoa and the Italian international has been a key part of the Genoa defence since the start of last season. In this time the left-back has played 47 and missed only 13 of Genoa’s matches and their win percentage has fallen from 49% with him to just 38% without, with their PPG falling by 15% from 1.72 to 1.46. Criscito’s defensive strength is highlighted in this sample by Genoa’s average goals conceded rising from 1.11 per game with him, to 1.77 without – a massive 59% increase. Specifically at home, where he’s played 22 of 30 matches, their average goals conceded increases from 0.95 with him to 1.75 without. As a result, there has been a big increase in the number of Genoa matches with over 2.5 goals when Criscito has been absent, rising from 40% to 77%, including seven of the eight he’s missed at home.