There is one final
round of matches to go in the 2019/20 Champions League Group Stage,
and it has arguably been characterised by a lack of dominant performances by
Europe’s most important teams. Indeed, many of the teams that lead the betting
odds for the competition – Manchester City, Liverpool, Barcelona and Juventus –
have shown stuttering form in the competition, and it leads some to theorise
that this is the most open Champions League in years.
Bayern Munich is the only side to have had
a perfect record so far in the competition, but their sloppy form in the
Bundesliga has caused many to doubt their credentials for a sustained push
later in the competition. Tottenham who have qualified alongside Bayern Munich
from Group B, have also had poor form in the Premier League, but they will hope
that can
be addressed under their new manager Jose Mourinho.
City have not been at their best
Manchester City are the betting favourites
for the competition, but they have also had certain struggles this season. They
will top a poor Group C containing Shakhtar Donetsk, Dinamo Zagreb and
Atalanta, yet there seems something missing from this team, summed up by the
lacklustre performance against Shakhtar at the Etihad Stadium in the most
recent game.
The current champions Liverpool look in a
precarious position, and manager Jurgen Klopp may face a gamble as stark as
when facing the card dealer online at www.casino.com/blackjack.
Will Liverpool face a perfect storm in Salzburg, where they could be knocked
out with a defeat? It really isn’t inconceivable when you consider what a
talented side has been assembled by the Austrian club.
Of all the big teams in Europe, Paris Saint
Germain probably feel the most satisfied after they have conquered a group
containing Real Madrid. Yet, defeating Madrid is not as difficult a task as it
was a few years ago and there will be tougher tests for the French side later
in the competition.
Inter Milan a team to watch
The toughest group is undoubtedly Group F, which hosts the trio of Barcelona, Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund. It is a straight fight between Inter and Dortmund to take second place behind Barcelona, who will travel to the San Siro. If Inter do manage to get through to the next round, you will see their odds tumble from the current mark of 80/1. The team has been excellent under Antonio Conte and could take advantage in the Champions League this year.
Indeed, it looks like there will be an
opportunity for some middle-tier teams this season if the trends continue into
the spring. Ajax, Chelsea, RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen have all put on some
impressive performances in this season’s competition so far. It’s not
guaranteed that all of them will progress to the knockout phases, but they
could easily spring a surprise against the betting favourites if the pattern of
performances remains the same.
While there have been no standout team
performers of the competition so far, there have been several players standing
tall among the rest. The top accolade must go to Bayern Munich’s Robert
Lewandowski. 10 goals in the six games for Bayern is an incredible achievement,
and a reason to call the Polish marksman the best striker in the world.