NFL
February is marked out in the calendar of soccer fans all over the world, as it’s at that time every year when the Champions League knockout stages finally burst into life. The tournament brings together the top European teams, as they battle it out to lift the most acclaimed trophy in club soccer. The final is watched by an insane amount of people around the globe. Think of it as of similar stature as the Super Bowl LVI showdown.
Last year, the final was an all English affair, with London club Chelsea narrowly beating the northern team Manchester City, in a tightly fought game. In 2022 though, there are a few teams that seem strong contenders to go all the way to the Gazprom Stadium in St. Petersburg, which is set to be the location of the final.
Let’s have a look then, at some of the biggest headlines after the first round of knockout fixtures.
The Future is Bright for RB Salzburg
One of the biggest underdogs left, RB Salzburg, might have drawn one of the shortest straws when they were matched against one of the true heavyweights, Bayern Munich, but if the first match between the two was a sign of things to come, then the future looks bright for the current Austrian champions. Their team had an average age of just twenty-three when they held Bayern to a hard-fought draw at their home stadium.
Whilst they might not manage to actually squeeze past the six times winners of the tournament in the return leg, the fact that they’ve gone toe to toe with the German giants, and come away with their dignity still heavily intact, shows that the only way is up for the club.
Manchester City Look Formidable
The previously mentioned Manchester City may have stumbled at the final hurdle last year, but instead of just licking their wounds, they have come out looking even stronger. Their manager, Pep Guardiola, has been at the club since 2016, and the club have won the Premier League title an astounding three times in those six years. Many pundits think that this could finally be the year that he adds a Champions League to those honours, after coming so close previously.
It seems that the City team out on the pitch have that winning belief as well, as they absolutely decimated their opponents, Sporting Lisbon. They racked up an astonishing 0-5 victory in their away fixture at the home of the Portuguese champions. They were actually already four nil up by half-time, pretty much putting the tie to bed before they even play the second leg back in Manchester.
No wonder then, with the side seeming so formidable, that it’s not just pundits who see them as one of the clear favourites. The Champions League is of massive interest to betting fans in many different countries, and millions of them will have backed City to get the job done in 2022. India is one such country, and you can find all the best sports betting sites and guide to online sports betting in the region, over at the useful Asiabet. Their listed sites offer the shortest odds available, so their lucky users’ money will be going as far as possible. They also highlight all the sign-up offers available, so users can choose a site that gifts them everything they need.
The Kylian Mbappe Show
The soccer world seems almost set on the idea that French superstar forward, Kylian Mbappe, will be moving from the Parisian club PSG to Spanish super club Real Madrid. The miraculous youngster has cemented himself as one of the generational soccer talents to emerge in the past few years, after he erupted onto the scene as France won the 2018 World Cup. Some people might be asking the question of why Mbappe appears to be leaning towards Real Madrid as his next destination, but it appears to be a childhood dream of the now twenty-three-year-old to play in their famous white.
Well, it seems that the soccer gods decided to add to all this drama by bringing the two teams together, to face off in the Champions League. Many were saying that this could be an audition for Mbappe, and that he would have to show Real Madrid especially what they’d miss out on if they didn’t do everything they could to sign him in the summer. Well, if that’s the case, then the Frenchman passed with flying colors, as he looked dangerous every time he got the ball, and even capped off PSG’s home leg with a majestic goal, right at the death
