Start Champions League With A Win
Source: Pixabay.com The 2019-2020 Champions League is kicking off across Europe. The Group Stage began in September and we’ve already gotten a taste of the excitement that’s in store. With games every few weeks during this phase of the tournament, you can clear your calendar to enjoy some football-filled days. And, between games, you can keep the spirit of the tournament alive with mobile casino games like Football Studio or Football Champions Cup online slot. The Group Stage of the UEFA Champions League has 32 teams that will play off in groups of four to determine who makes it to the next part of the tournament. The teams, from all around Europe, will be trying to knock out the current titleholder, Liverpool.
Top teams and players to watch
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The champions league is a showcase of Europe’s best. We can expect to see impressive performances all around, but there are some particular teams and players to watch out for:
- Liverpool is the defending champion, but they’re already gone down once to Napoli in the Group Stage. This English team has won the Champions League six times, and star players like Salah and Mané will be pushing to make it seven.
- Currently ranked highest in UEFA coefficient rankings, Real Madrid has won more Champions Leagues than any other team, with an impressive thirteen wins. The Spanish football league, La Liga, is full of stiff competition, but Real Madrid has repeatedly been a hard hitter in competitions. However, they’re already lost one match to PSG in the group stage, so there could be an upset still.
- Real Madrid’s La Liga rival, FC Barcelona, has five Champions League titles, and a host of other trophies. They’re one of the most popular teams in the world, with much-loved forward Lionel Messi. They drew their first match of the Group Stage but be on the lookout for a comeback.
- Former Real Madrid favourite Cristiano Ronaldo is now playing for Italian team Juventus, giving them a boost for this tournament.
- The popular German Club Bayern Munich will also be in the running, searching for their sixth Champions League title.
Root for the underdog
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If you want to cheer for the underdog, there are some outsiders who have promising odds in this year’s tournament.
- Internazionale Milano, or Inter, has been on the rise. Their first Group Stage game was a draw against Slavia Praha, but they may find the energy for a comeback.
- Amsterdam’s AFC Ajax, with up-and-coming Brazilian player David Neres, got off to a strong start in the Group Stage.
- Napoli, with several hot new transfers, has already made a splash in the Champions League tournament.
- Borussia Dortmund have a tough group, with Barcelona and Inter, but they’re not out yet after their draw in the first game of the Group Stage.
- Tottenham Hotspur, who were also the underdog of last season, may be able to make a similar performance in this year’s Champions league, carrying over their energy from the previous season to keep the Champions League trophy in England.
Looking forward to the rest of the tournament
With a few surprising results already after the first set of games, it’s hard to tell how the rest of the matches will pan out. It’s still early in the group stage and there could be some surprise performances from outsiders or upsets of the big names. The one thing that’s for sure is that it’ll be an exciting tournament, whether you’re rooting hard for your favourite team or just watching a few of the matches to enjoy the competition. If you want to have even more fun during the tournament, you can create a fantasy football team to join in on the competition and see how your favourite players fare. You can pick a team made of players from different squads, so you have a stake in more games. You can also enjoy football-themed online casino games, like Football Champions Cup, to get you amped up for the next match…whether you’re watching from your couch or cheering at the pub.
