Leinster eyeing record high five – European Champions Cup final in Opta numbers
Leinster will be bidding to make history in the European Champions Cup final but Saracens go in search of a record of their own at St. James’ Park on Saturday.
Victory over Racing 92 in Bilbao last year saw Leinster crowned European champions for a fourth time, matching a tally only Toulouse have also achieved.
Leo Cullen’s side will be out to break new ground in Newcastle against a Sarries side hungry to regain a trophy they won back-to-back in 2016 and 2017.
The Premiership champions will become the first English club to win the competition three times if they dethrone the Irish province.
Here, we pick out some of the Opta facts ahead of the showdown this weekend:
4 – This will be the fourth meeting between Leinster and Saracens in the Champions Cup. The three previous clashes were all won by the defending champions.
9 – Should Saracens come out on top, it would be the ninth time an English club has lifted the trophy – more than any other nation.
16 – Leinster have won 16 of their 17 European games since the beginning of 2017-18, their only defeat in that run coming by a single point against Toulouse in this season’s pool stage.
8 – Sarries have won all eight of their European matches this season. On only two previous occasions has a side won every match en route to the title – Saracens in 2015-16 before Leinster achieved it last season.
32 – No side has averaged more tries per game than Leinster or Saracens in the competition this season (four, level with Racing 92) – both finalists crossing 32 times in their eight matches.
79 – Sarries fly-half Owen Farrell is the top points-scorer in the competition this season with 79. He finished as the top scorer in each of the previous three editions of the Champions Cup.
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