The positions

Eleven players line up in broadly four groups. The exact roles blur in modern football, but the labels still help you read a team sheet and understand what it loses to an injury.

From back to front

1. Goalkeeper (GK) — the only player allowed to use their hands, and only inside the penalty area. The last line of defence.
2. Defenders — centre-backs anchor the middle and head away crosses; full-backs (and modern wing-backs) defend the flanks and often push forward to support attacks.
3. Midfielders — the engine room. Defensive midfielders shield the back line, central midfielders link play, and attacking midfielders create chances for the forwards.
4. Forwards — the strikers and wingers whose job is to score and assist. A team's goal threat is concentrated here.

Why positions matter for prediction

When a key player is missing, the position tells you what the team loses — a first-choice striker subtracts goals, a centre-back subtracts clean sheets, a creative midfielder subtracts chances. Football is unusually sensitive to a single absence, so confirmed line-ups move expectations fast.