Vitoria conjures its way to the top, while Vallecas is left empty-handed

A matchday that's shaking up the bookmakers' calculations

Five games, one pattern: whoever led on the scoreboard also won – but the xG numbers tell a more nuanced story. While three teams sent out their calling cards with 3-0 statements, others had to head home empty-handed despite solid performances. Welcome to the first "Honest Table" of the 2026/27 season – and yes, not all matches of the round have been played yet, but enough to draw some early conclusions.

Game of the week: Espanyol dismantle Levante according to plan

The clearest case of the matchday comes from the RCDE Stadium: RCD Espanyol sent Levante UD packing with a 3-0, and the xG numbers (1.70 to 0.49) confirm it: this was no fluke, but deserved dominance. With an xG difference of 1.21, this is the most emphatic show of power on the matchday. Levante may have dreamed of a tighter scoreline, but Espanyol's finishing left little room for hope.

Right behind them comes Deportivo Alavés, who also put Getafe CF to the sword 3-0 (xG: 1.96 to 0.78). Two statement wins on the same matchday – the message is clear: someone here wants to make an early mark.

Lucky charm of the matchday: A three-way tie for the favour of the football gods

This time there's no single lucky devil, but three teams sharing the "Lucky Team" label. Deportivo Alavés, RCD Espanyol and Sevilla FC all picked up 3 points with an xP value of 2.5 – a delta of +0.5 each.

For Alavés and Espanyol, though, the superiority was so clear-cut that you can hardly call it luck – 3-0 wins are rarely a product of chance. More interesting is the case of Sevilla FC: the Andalusians won a tight 2-1 at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán against Rayo Vallecano, with an xG of 1.43 to 0.78. Here too the lead in the xG chart was clear, but a narrow scoreline is always more vulnerable to the whims of the football gods.

xG victims: Three teams who didn't get their statistical bill paid

On the other side of the coin stand three unlucky souls with an identical delta of -0.5: Getafe CF, Rayo Vallecano and Levante UD. All three went home with 0 points, despite each posting an xP value of 0.5.

It's particularly bitter for Rayo Vallecano, who are listed as the "biggest loser" of the matchday both in the official table and in the Top Movers. A 1-2 defeat to Sevilla with an xG of 0.78 against 1.43 shows: the loss wasn't surprising, but Rayo would have at least deserved a point. Getafe and Levante share this fate – triple bad luck on a single matchday is quite the statistical curiosity.

The honest table situation: Who's really standing where?

A look at both tables shows: the top 3 are identical – Deportivo Alavés, RCD Espanyol and Sevilla FC lead both the official and the xP table, all with the same diff of +0.5. So no major injustice has crept in here (yet).

Things get more interesting at the bottom of the table: Rayo Vallecano, Getafe CF and Levante UD sit on 0 points in the official table, but would deserve 0.5 points each according to xP. In the honest table, this bumps them up to places 8 to 10 – clearly ahead of teams like Athletic Club, Atlético de Madrid, and even FC Barcelona, who simply haven't played yet and sit at 0 xP. A perspective that shows: after one matchday, "0 points" doesn't always mean "0 points" – it depends on how you got there.

Outlook: Will the early picture hold?

The season is still a tender little seedling, and with only five matches played (out of ten scheduled), much remains in the subjunctive. But the question that arises: can Alavés, Espanyol and Sevilla confirm their convincing opening performances, or was that just a flash in the pan? And will Rayo Vallecano finally manage to turn their playing quality into points? The "Honest Table" will show us – matchday by matchday, with no room for chance.