Comparison of external load and physical performance of professional soccer players between a cup match and a league match: A preliminary study

Soccer is an intermittent sport characterised by frequent high-intensity actions, with performance varying based on the competition or tournament. This study aimed to compare the activity profiles of professional soccer players in a cup match versus a league match. Data were collected from two offi...

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Main Authors: Luiz Ricardo Mendes de Sousa Silva, Luciano Bernardes Leite, Pedro Miguel Forte, Victor Neiva Lavorato, José E. Teixeira, Ricardo Ferraz, Leôncio Lopes Soares, Eduardo Mendonça Pimenta, Guilherme de Azambuja Pussieldi, Christian Emanuel Torres Cabido, Mario Norberto Sevilio de Oliveira Junior, Christiano Eduardo Veneroso
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Desafio Singular 2025-07-01
Series:Motricidade
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Online Access:https://revistas.rcaap.pt/motricidade/article/view/38034
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author Luiz Ricardo Mendes de Sousa Silva
Luciano Bernardes Leite
Pedro Miguel Forte
Victor Neiva Lavorato
José E. Teixeira
Ricardo Ferraz
Leôncio Lopes Soares
Eduardo Mendonça Pimenta
Guilherme de Azambuja Pussieldi
Christian Emanuel Torres Cabido
Mario Norberto Sevilio de Oliveira Junior
Christiano Eduardo Veneroso
author_facet Luiz Ricardo Mendes de Sousa Silva
Luciano Bernardes Leite
Pedro Miguel Forte
Victor Neiva Lavorato
José E. Teixeira
Ricardo Ferraz
Leôncio Lopes Soares
Eduardo Mendonça Pimenta
Guilherme de Azambuja Pussieldi
Christian Emanuel Torres Cabido
Mario Norberto Sevilio de Oliveira Junior
Christiano Eduardo Veneroso
author_sort Luiz Ricardo Mendes de Sousa Silva
collection DOAJ
description Soccer is an intermittent sport characterised by frequent high-intensity actions, with performance varying based on the competition or tournament. This study aimed to compare the activity profiles of professional soccer players in a cup match versus a league match. Data were collected from two official matches played by a professional team from Brazil’s Serie B Men’s Championship during the 2018 season, in which the team participated in regional and national competitions organised by the Brazilian Football Confederation while maintaining regular training routines. The main variables analysed included total distance covered, highspeed running distance, number of sprints, accelerations, and decelerations. The results showed no significant differences in most variables, including heart rate, total distance covered, and number of sprints between the two match types. However, there was a significant reduction in the number of accelerations during the league match compared to the cup match. These findings suggest that league tournaments may feature fewer accelerations compared to cup matches, which could impact players’ physical demands and tactical preparation. Understanding these differences can help coaches optimise training and game strategies tailored to the specific demands of each competition type.
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publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher Desafio Singular
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series Motricidade
spelling doaj-art-5fe7748c0467402e9834fccef4865e012025-08-20T03:15:09ZengDesafio SingularMotricidade1646-107X2182-29722025-07-012110.6063/motricidade.38034Comparison of external load and physical performance of professional soccer players between a cup match and a league match: A preliminary studyLuiz Ricardo Mendes de Sousa Silva0Luciano Bernardes Leite1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3012-1327Pedro Miguel Forte2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0184-6780Victor Neiva Lavorato3https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9914-4722José E. Teixeira4Ricardo Ferraz5Leôncio Lopes Soares6https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6852-1230Eduardo Mendonça Pimenta7https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0381-1119Guilherme de Azambuja Pussieldi8https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0275-5226Christian Emanuel Torres Cabido9https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4800-0128Mario Norberto Sevilio de Oliveira Junior10https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9733-6659Christiano Eduardo Veneroso11https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8291-3270Post-Graduate Program in Physical Education - Federal University of MaranhãoDepartment of Physical Education, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, BrazilDouro Higher Institute of Educational SciencesDepartment of Physical Education, Governador Ozanam Coelho University Center, Ubá, Minas Gerais, Brazil;IPGUBIDepartment of Physical Education, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, BrazilGraduate Program in Sport Sciences, School of Physical Education, Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte-MG, Brasil. UFMG Soccer Science Center14 Department of Physical Education, Federal University of Viçosa, Florestal Campus, Florestal, Minas Gerais, Brazil; 15 Department of Physical Education, Federal University of Maranhão, São Luís, Maranhão, BrazilPost-Graduate Program in Physical Education - Federal University of MaranhãoDepartment of Physical Education, Federal University of Maranhão, São Luís, Maranhão, BrazilPost-Graduate Program in Physical Education - Federal University of Maranhão Soccer is an intermittent sport characterised by frequent high-intensity actions, with performance varying based on the competition or tournament. This study aimed to compare the activity profiles of professional soccer players in a cup match versus a league match. Data were collected from two official matches played by a professional team from Brazil’s Serie B Men’s Championship during the 2018 season, in which the team participated in regional and national competitions organised by the Brazilian Football Confederation while maintaining regular training routines. The main variables analysed included total distance covered, highspeed running distance, number of sprints, accelerations, and decelerations. The results showed no significant differences in most variables, including heart rate, total distance covered, and number of sprints between the two match types. However, there was a significant reduction in the number of accelerations during the league match compared to the cup match. These findings suggest that league tournaments may feature fewer accelerations compared to cup matches, which could impact players’ physical demands and tactical preparation. Understanding these differences can help coaches optimise training and game strategies tailored to the specific demands of each competition type. https://revistas.rcaap.pt/motricidade/article/view/38034soccer playershigh-intensitytrainingsprintsaccelerations
spellingShingle Luiz Ricardo Mendes de Sousa Silva
Luciano Bernardes Leite
Pedro Miguel Forte
Victor Neiva Lavorato
José E. Teixeira
Ricardo Ferraz
Leôncio Lopes Soares
Eduardo Mendonça Pimenta
Guilherme de Azambuja Pussieldi
Christian Emanuel Torres Cabido
Mario Norberto Sevilio de Oliveira Junior
Christiano Eduardo Veneroso
Comparison of external load and physical performance of professional soccer players between a cup match and a league match: A preliminary study
Motricidade
soccer players
high-intensity
training
sprints
accelerations
title Comparison of external load and physical performance of professional soccer players between a cup match and a league match: A preliminary study
title_full Comparison of external load and physical performance of professional soccer players between a cup match and a league match: A preliminary study
title_fullStr Comparison of external load and physical performance of professional soccer players between a cup match and a league match: A preliminary study
title_full_unstemmed Comparison of external load and physical performance of professional soccer players between a cup match and a league match: A preliminary study
title_short Comparison of external load and physical performance of professional soccer players between a cup match and a league match: A preliminary study
title_sort comparison of external load and physical performance of professional soccer players between a cup match and a league match a preliminary study
topic soccer players
high-intensity
training
sprints
accelerations
url https://revistas.rcaap.pt/motricidade/article/view/38034
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