England keeps the same 11 in about 1 line-up in 8; Brazil, 1 in 18
A line-up is a side's starting 11 in one match. It rarely repeats, by the manager's choice, injury or suspension: in Brazil's top flight, 1 in 18 do.
Manchester United played 9 matches this season and repeated the same players in only 1: why is the starting XI, the 11 who begin, rarely repeated?
A line-up is one side's starting 11 in one match, and repeating it is rare in all seven leagues. In Brazil's top flight, the Brasileirão, 323 of 5,875 line-ups from 2016 to 2023 repeated the previous one, 1 in 18; in the Premier League, 581 of 4,436, about 1 in 8.
Manchester United beat Roma 3-2 on Tuesday 3 November in the Champions League, the kind of midweek this count tests: a Premier League side that played in Europe changed 2.65 of its 11 starters, and 2.64 when there was no European game, practically no difference. This season, to 5 November, the 20 Premier League sides stand at 19 of 160 line-ups, about 1 in 8. The figures come from Soccer Addicted's archive, which compares each line-up with the same side's previous one in the Brasileirão, the Premier League and five other leagues.
How much does a side change from one match to the next?
A Brasileirão side changes 3.1 players a match, a Premier League side 2.2, for any reason: the manager's choice, injury, suspension or a call-up.
In the Brasileirão a side changed 5 players or more in 1 of every 5 line-ups, in the Premier League in about 1 of every 12; substitutions during a match do not count, only the 11 who start; the guide explains.
Is it the same in Europe?
Nearly: LaLiga, Spain's top division, sits beside the Brasileirão, the Premier League is lowest, and the Bundesliga and J1 League are close.
| League | Full seasons | Players changed per match | Line-ups equal to the previous one | 1 in every |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brasileirão | 2016 to 2023 (8) | 3.10 | 323 of 5,875 | 18 |
| LaLiga | 2017/18 to 2022/23 (6) | 3.01 | 277 of 4,436 | 16 |
| Serie A | 2015/16 to 2022/23 (8) | 2.92 | 368 of 5,904 | 16 |
| Ligue 1 | 7, from 2016/17 to 2024/25, without 2019/20 and 2023/24 | 2.65 | 349 of 4,999 | 14 |
| Bundesliga | 2016/17 to 2022/23 (7) | 2.44 | 376 of 4,156 | 11 |
| J1 League | 9, from 2016 to 2025, without 2024 | 2.38 | 744 of 5,636 | 8 |
| Premier League | 2016/17 to 2022/23, without 2021/22 (6) | 2.22 | 581 of 4,436 | 8 |
The Brasileirão is highest, nearly 1 player more per match than the Premier League, with LaLiga too close to call; the J1 League is almost level.
With a cup match in midweek, does a side change more?
In the Brasileirão it did: with a cup match, a tournament where the loser goes out, such as the Copa Libertadores, between 2 matches, the same side changed nearly 1 and a half players more; in the Premier League, the same number.
| League | The cup | With a cup match in between | Without that match | Is the gap more than coincidence? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brasileirão | Libertadores | 4.92 | 3.51 | Yes, by a wide margin |
| Ligue 1 | The 3 European cups | 3.62 | 2.82 | Yes |
| Bundesliga | The 3 European cups | 3.19 | 2.59 | Yes |
| Serie A | The 3 European cups | 3.33 | 3.05 | Not for sure |
| LaLiga | The 3 European cups | 3.39 | 3.22 | No |
| Premier League | The 3 European cups | 2.65 | 2.64 | No: it is the same number |
The count compares a side with itself, only among sides that played the cup that season: the Libertadores in Brazil and the three European cups; “without that match” is not no match at all, since the Copa do Brasil and League Cup are not in the archive.
And Manchester United, where do they sit in this count?
This season Manchester United change 2.00 players a match, above the league's 1.81, and repeated the line-up in 1 of 8.
United beat Roma 3-2 on Tuesday 3 November in the Champions League and host Aston Villa on Sunday 8 November at 16:30 (UK time).
Are this year's leagues changing more or less than normal?
Almost all are within normal, the same league's full seasons to the same match; only LaLiga is above, a little. Figures run to 5 November 2026.
| League under way | Matches per side | Players changed per match | Line-ups equal to the previous one | The normal (full seasons, to the same match) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brasileirão 2026 | 33 or 34 | 3.18 | 37 of 651 | 3.08 |
| LaLiga 2026/27 | 10 or 11 | 3.21 | 13 of 198 | 2.83 |
| Serie A 2026/27 | 10 | 2.78 | 8 of 180 | 2.81 |
| Ligue 1 2026/27 | 9 | 2.37 | 23 of 144 | 2.64 |
| J1 League 2026/27 | 13 | 2.44 | 28 of 240 | 2.24 |
| Bundesliga 2026/27 | 8 | 2.25 | 16 of 126 | 2.36 |
| Premier League 2026/27 | 9 | 1.81 | 19 of 160 | 1.91 |
The table shows the sides that change most and least in each of the 7 leagues, with few line-ups (7 to 10 in Europe): a door in, not proof.
| League | Side | Players changed per match | Line-ups equal to the previous one | Match this week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brasileirão | Palmeiras | 3.00 | 2 of 33 | Vasco da Gama v Palmeiras, Sunday 8 November, 17:00 (Brasília time), Copa do Brasil semi-final |
| Brasileirão | Flamengo | 3.06 | 1 of 33 | - |
| Brasileirão | Fluminense | 4.34 | 2 of 32 | - |
| Brasileirão | Bahia | 2.12 | 7 of 33 | - |
| Premier League | Manchester United | 2.00 | 1 of 8 | Manchester United 3-2 Roma, Tuesday 3 November; Manchester United v Aston Villa, Sunday 8 November, 16:30 (UK time) |
| Premier League | Tottenham | 3.38 | 0 of 8 | - |
| Premier League | Bournemouth | 0.75 | 2 of 8 | - |
| LaLiga | Betis | 5.00 | 0 of 10 | - |
| LaLiga | Sevilla and Elche (tied) | 2.30 | 1 of 10 each | - |
| LaLiga | Barcelona | 3.50 | 1 of 10 | Atlético de Madrid v Barcelona, Sunday 8 November, 21:00 (Spain time) |
| LaLiga | Atlético de Madrid | 3.00 | 1 of 10 | Atlético de Madrid 0-2 Bayern Munich, Tuesday 3 November |
| Serie A | Inter | 4.44 | 0 of 9 | - |
| Serie A | Napoli | 3.67 | 0 of 9 | Porto 4-1 Napoli, Wednesday 4 November; Napoli v Lazio, Sunday 8 November |
| Serie A | Lazio | 1.56 | 2 of 9 | Napoli v Lazio, Sunday 8 November |
| Serie A | Cagliari | 1.22 | 3 of 9 | - |
| Bundesliga | Bayern Munich | 4.29 | 0 of 7 | Mainz v Bayern Munich, Saturday 7 November |
| Bundesliga | Werder Bremen | 0.57 | 5 of 7 | - |
| Ligue 1 | PSG | 4.00 | 0 of 8 | Villarreal 0-6 PSG, Tuesday 3 November; PSG v Troyes, Saturday 7 November |
| Ligue 1 | Rennes | 4.00 | 0 of 8 | - |
| Ligue 1 | Brest | 0.88 | 4 of 8 | - |
| J1 League | Gamba Osaka | 3.50 | 0 of 12 | - |
| J1 League | Yokohama F. Marinos | 1.50 | 3 of 12 | - |
The table shows each league's extremes, and the count does not link the number to a side's place in the standings.
How was the count made?
Full seasons only: the archive lacks the last 2 seasons of line-ups in Europe's big leagues, so it stops at 2022/23 (France 2024/25); the Brasileirão lacks 2025.
Only matches of the same league count: a cup match in between does not, and a missing line-up drops the 2 comparisons around it. Cups seen: the Champions League, Europa League, Conference League, Copa Libertadores, FA Cup, DFB-Pokal, Coupe de France and Coppa Italia. The seven leagues are the Brasileirão and the top leagues of England, Spain, Italy, Germany, France and Japan.
Looking only at the 4 years when all 7 leagues have a full season, the order does not change: only the J1 League and the Bundesliga swap, almost level. The line-ups of 4 matches, from the Brasileirão, Ligue 1, Serie A and the Bundesliga, were checked name by name on official sites: all 11 matched in all 4.
So why does a side almost never repeat the same starting XI?
Changing part of the side every match is normal in all seven leagues, and the Brasileirão changes nearly 1 player more per match than the Premier League. In my reading, United's number sits a touch above the league's this season, and says how much changed, not why.
For Manchester United v Aston Villa, Sunday 8 November at 16:30 (UK time), compare the announced line-up with the previous one and count the new names; what remains is who holds those starting places, the older or the younger, and the comparison shows how many go to each age.
Read next
- CONMEBOL: Venda de ingressos para torcedores dos clubes finalistas da CONMEBOL Libertadores 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- CBF: CBF divulga tabela detalhada das rodadas 35 e 36 do Brasileirão Série A (opens in a new tab)
- Palmeiras: Calendário do Palmeiras (opens in a new tab)
- Flamengo: Próximos jogos do Flamengo (opens in a new tab)
- Manchester United: Fixtures & results (opens in a new tab)
- UEFA: Champions League highlights and round-up: Paris remain perfect as Barcelona, Manchester… (opens in a new tab)
- UEFA: Champions League highlights and round-up: Como equal biggest-ever win, Real Madrid stay… (opens in a new tab)
- The IFAB: The IFAB permanently approves five-substitute option in top-level competitions (opens in a new tab)
- Bundesliga: Lineup | 1. FSV Mainz 05 - FC Bayern München | Matchday 9 | Bundesliga | 2026/27 Season (opens in a new tab)
- LaLiga: Next matches, Atlético de Madrid (opens in a new tab)
- FC Barcelona: Atlético Madrid - FC Barcelona (opens in a new tab)
- Lega Serie A: Quando si gioca? Anticipi e posticipi fino alla 12ª giornata (opens in a new tab)
- Lega Serie A: Lazio-Cagliari 2-1, Gattuso primo da solo (opens in a new tab)
Frequently asked questions
- Why does my team never repeat the same starting XI?
- Because repeating the 11 who begin a match is rare: in the Brasileirão it happened in 323 of 5,875 line-ups, 1 in 18, over the full seasons from 2016 to 2023. A change counts the manager's choice, injury, suspension and a call-up.
- Are starting XI changes the same in Europe?
- Nearly: LaLiga sits right next to the Brasileirão, with 3.01 against 3.10 players changed per match, and the Premier League has the lowest number, 2.22, with the Bundesliga and the J1 League close. These are full seasons of each league.
- Is it because of the Libertadores or the Champions League?
- In the Brasileirão the number was higher: with a Libertadores match in between, the same side changed 4.92 players a match, against 3.51 without it. In the Premier League it was 2.65 with a European match in between and 2.64 without. Only sides that played the cup.
- Is squad rotation only the manager's choice?
- No: the count looks at the 11 who begin a match and includes the manager's choice, injury, suspension and a call-up. It runs from 0 to 11 new players against the previous match. Players who come on during the match do not count.
- How many different players does a side start in a season?
- In the Brasileirão, 32 per side on average, from 25 to 44; in the Premier League, 24, from 18 to 31. Only sides with a complete line-up in every match count: in the Brasileirão, 142 of 160 sides in full seasons.
