O n May 11 2020, the crypto world experienced the phenomena knows as Bitcoin halving . For those who are still a little looney-toons regarding this phenomena, here's the lowdown . Moral of the story is that, as the Bitcoin supply decreased and it's 21 million market cap slowly approached, it was widely accepted that the low supply and high demand will increase the price of the cryptocurrency back to its previous highs. Basic business right? Wrong! Source: Equity Trust Company BTC prices actually fell and after briefly holding steady, are only just rising above the 10000 USD range. Surprise eh? Well, we are not done yet. Because while the most valuable crypto coin wasn't showing it's expected gains, some other cryptocurrencies shot to outer space. There was no SpaceX rocket nor a Tesla Roadster involved. These "altcoins" bumped up in their market value thanks to the entire underlying system of cryptocurrency: investor speculation. But what exactly are these ...
'Mission Impossible' said Tottenham boss Pochettino. And for neutrals and supporters alike, the idea of Tottenham beating Barcelona was as probable as Tottenham finally playing their games at their supposed next-gen home ground. Inter Milan were widely expected to beat PSV but Lozano and Co. had other ideas. In fact, until Icardi's goalmouth scramble, Milan looked to be set for a loss. On the other side of the world however Tottenham was ruing their missed sitters and after a draw, were left breathlessly watching the game in Italy. And a draw was enough. Like Tom Cruise reprising the role of Ethan Hunt, Harry Kane did what he did best and carried Tottenham to the knockout stages.
Supposedly Lady Luck seems to prefer the Englishmen as even Liverpool were lucky enough to qualify by the skin of their teeth. Man Utd were a gone case..even Lady Luck couldn't favor them. Anfield saw Sadio Mane miss chances that even El Nino in his "prime" would have put to bed. Salah's goal, Alison's saves and save wayward finishing by the Neapolitans ensured the last season finalists didn't suffer the ignominy of doing a "Germany" (if you catch my drift).
As the Champiooooons theme songs blare among the historic stadiums of the round of 16, I look into teams who now have a realistic chance of progressing
Roma vs Porto
Porto sit 5 points pretty on top of the Primeira Liga table, having lost just 2 games in the entire season. However, the quality of opponents, while not being shoddy, isn't equal to rugged toughness of the Serie A, with Roma precariously occupying the 5th spot. Having lost 5 games this season they are only one point behind AC Milan in the race to champions league spots. Both teams can turn up their estilo at their home stadiums. Roma's defense is significantly more porous, conceding 26 goals to Porto's 11 meaning if Porto gets their affairs in order at the Estádio do Dragão they will have significantly less work to do in Rome.
Winner: Tough to call but Roma seems more likely, simply because they have a habit of defying expectations. And they have Dzeko.
Man United vs PSG
Talking about tables and goal differences is useless in this setup as everyone who watches or reads about Football, knows the Mourinho saga and the renaissance of the Alex Ferguson's ways with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. 7 wins from 7 has ensured Man Utd are back in the hunt for the top 4. With Pogba and Rashford both picking up the pace, the battle seems much more winnable thanks to the change in the defend-until-you-die philosophy. However their defense is not much improved, and PSG has the most inform strikers in town. Neymar is a class above all the United players while Mbappe seems too good for his age. Cavani is a skilled poacher, an out and out striker who never refuses to make love with the back of the net. Winning this tie seems too much for Man Utd, at least for this time.
Winner: PSG. They are a gulf above the Utd. players ( except De Gea). Buffon is no De Gea but his vast experience will be vital for reaching at least the last 8. Unless De Gea did what he did against the 1-0 win against Tottenham, PSG are set free.
Tottenham vs Dortmund
Tottenham is a curious oddity in this season simply because, they are only the club in the Premier League, perhaps even the top 5 leagues in Europe, to have not bought any players whatsoever, and yet somehow they are 3rd. Their title ambitions have thawed over recent defeats but Pochettino keeps on producing his Argentine magic and makes the squad play brilliant football. Recent injuries have reduced Tottenham's aura, and that is where Dortmund comes in. Tottenham has lost Harry Kane as well as Dele Alli, their second-best striker, Son, is playing for Korea in the Asia Cup. There have to be some good additions to the squad in the transfer window or else Pochettino risks losing out to a team they could still beat. Dortmund is on fire this season but does underwhelm in the Champions League. Paco Alcacer and his Dortmund pals are scoring goals like madmen and the defense has made sure Dortmund have only lost 1 game in the entirety of this season
Winner: Dortmund. As many saves as Hugo Lloris does, if Tottenham are toothless in attack, it leaves them useless.
Ajax vs Real Madrid
If you look at league performances, Ajax looks like a clear winner. They have had only 1 loss in the entire season and in their group stage, were only second to a mighty Bayern. Madrid, however, is something of an enigma, losing twice but still topping their group. They are floundering in the league, losing one week then winning the next. The appointment of Santiago Solari has done little to set the ship straight, but one can't blame him. Losing a person the size of Ronaldo and getting a Mariano Diaz sized has return has dried up the goals. Vinicius seems to be making more of an impact on the team this season than veterans like Benzema and Marcelo. Even Modric and Kroos don't seem to be their flowing best.
Winner: Real Madrid. They are the proverbial bad penny for any team in the Champions League. They somehow always keep turning up. Ajax is still a young and upcoming side but Real's experience might just scrape them. However, I don't begrudge an Ajax victory.
Lyon vs Barcelona
Ah. A potential goal-fest. Both Lyon and Barcelona are traditionally openly passing and scoring teams, so this will be one of the matches to really watch, even if you don't support either party. Barca do lead the Spanish Liga but have tasted many defeats this year, their most recent being the shambolic first leg against Sevilla. Yes, many of the first-team regulars weren't playing but you would expect the other big-name signings to turn up the heat. Yet no, nothing like that. Barca will never say they are a one-man team, but Messi has saved them on more occasions than De Gea has saved Tottenham's goal herding shots. The best that Barca can be called is a two-man team with Ousmane Dembele finally living up to his price tag. His recent injury doesn't seem to be too serious but it does hamper Barca's squad so far. Malcolm seems like a useless buy. Suarez ( rarely) and Coutinho (not rarely) only seem to turn up when Messi is watching their back. Pique seems more error-prone at the back. And Boateng..well..he remains to be seen. Lyon has a team capable of evening the odds even if they don't have as much of star power. Nabil Fekir is a delightful player to watch, with Lyon scoring plenty of goals but conceding many as well.
Winner: Barcelona. M-E-S-S-I. That is enough of an explanation.
Liverpool vs Bayern
Another potential goal-fest. Salah and Co. vs Lewandowski and die Riege. Gegenpressing vs Kovac-cussing. A beautiful mishmash of world-class strikers will test 2 of the world's best keepers to their limits. More often than not the battle will most likely be between Alison and Neuer, as both parties will do their utmost best to surge forward and beat the living crap out of the attack. Van Dijk has turned Liverpool's fortunes and is a commanding presence in the ex-porous backline but Lewy man will not be easy. For Bayern, winning the league title is as natural as Trump's infamous rantings and more often than not, a Bayern boss is judged by his ability to lift the Champions League. Liverpool have never won the Premier League in the modern era. But reaching last year's final will have left the young squad hungry to go one further.
Winner: Liverpool. Salah and co. look unstoppable and are finally clicking into the high gears. And Liverpool are imperious at Anfield while Bayern have lost and drawn many games at their fabled Allianz Arena
Atletico Madrid vs Juventus
This will be one of the closely contested games this Champions League season. Juventus have been in imperious form since the purchase of Ronaldo, and have lost a big fat zero games in the Serie A this entire season. Atletico meanwhile have been off form, drawing many games this season. Both have world-class backlines supported by good if not great goalkeepers ( although the loss of Buffon seems to have made the Juventus nets more ripped and pipped). Griezmann is in form however and if anything, the Atletico squad will have added impetus to at least the reach the final because it is being held in their stadium, the next-gen Wanda Metropolitano.
Winner: Juventus. Ronaldo loves scoring against them.
Man City vs Schalke
Man City wins. Nothing else to say. Sorry to Schalke fans
As the Champiooooons theme songs blare among the historic stadiums of the round of 16, I look into teams who now have a realistic chance of progressing
Roma vs Porto
Porto sit 5 points pretty on top of the Primeira Liga table, having lost just 2 games in the entire season. However, the quality of opponents, while not being shoddy, isn't equal to rugged toughness of the Serie A, with Roma precariously occupying the 5th spot. Having lost 5 games this season they are only one point behind AC Milan in the race to champions league spots. Both teams can turn up their estilo at their home stadiums. Roma's defense is significantly more porous, conceding 26 goals to Porto's 11 meaning if Porto gets their affairs in order at the Estádio do Dragão they will have significantly less work to do in Rome.
Winner: Tough to call but Roma seems more likely, simply because they have a habit of defying expectations. And they have Dzeko.
Man United vs PSG
Talking about tables and goal differences is useless in this setup as everyone who watches or reads about Football, knows the Mourinho saga and the renaissance of the Alex Ferguson's ways with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. 7 wins from 7 has ensured Man Utd are back in the hunt for the top 4. With Pogba and Rashford both picking up the pace, the battle seems much more winnable thanks to the change in the defend-until-you-die philosophy. However their defense is not much improved, and PSG has the most inform strikers in town. Neymar is a class above all the United players while Mbappe seems too good for his age. Cavani is a skilled poacher, an out and out striker who never refuses to make love with the back of the net. Winning this tie seems too much for Man Utd, at least for this time.
Winner: PSG. They are a gulf above the Utd. players ( except De Gea). Buffon is no De Gea but his vast experience will be vital for reaching at least the last 8. Unless De Gea did what he did against the 1-0 win against Tottenham, PSG are set free.
Tottenham vs Dortmund
Tottenham is a curious oddity in this season simply because, they are only the club in the Premier League, perhaps even the top 5 leagues in Europe, to have not bought any players whatsoever, and yet somehow they are 3rd. Their title ambitions have thawed over recent defeats but Pochettino keeps on producing his Argentine magic and makes the squad play brilliant football. Recent injuries have reduced Tottenham's aura, and that is where Dortmund comes in. Tottenham has lost Harry Kane as well as Dele Alli, their second-best striker, Son, is playing for Korea in the Asia Cup. There have to be some good additions to the squad in the transfer window or else Pochettino risks losing out to a team they could still beat. Dortmund is on fire this season but does underwhelm in the Champions League. Paco Alcacer and his Dortmund pals are scoring goals like madmen and the defense has made sure Dortmund have only lost 1 game in the entirety of this season
Winner: Dortmund. As many saves as Hugo Lloris does, if Tottenham are toothless in attack, it leaves them useless.
Ajax vs Real Madrid
If you look at league performances, Ajax looks like a clear winner. They have had only 1 loss in the entire season and in their group stage, were only second to a mighty Bayern. Madrid, however, is something of an enigma, losing twice but still topping their group. They are floundering in the league, losing one week then winning the next. The appointment of Santiago Solari has done little to set the ship straight, but one can't blame him. Losing a person the size of Ronaldo and getting a Mariano Diaz sized has return has dried up the goals. Vinicius seems to be making more of an impact on the team this season than veterans like Benzema and Marcelo. Even Modric and Kroos don't seem to be their flowing best.
Winner: Real Madrid. They are the proverbial bad penny for any team in the Champions League. They somehow always keep turning up. Ajax is still a young and upcoming side but Real's experience might just scrape them. However, I don't begrudge an Ajax victory.
Lyon vs Barcelona
Ah. A potential goal-fest. Both Lyon and Barcelona are traditionally openly passing and scoring teams, so this will be one of the matches to really watch, even if you don't support either party. Barca do lead the Spanish Liga but have tasted many defeats this year, their most recent being the shambolic first leg against Sevilla. Yes, many of the first-team regulars weren't playing but you would expect the other big-name signings to turn up the heat. Yet no, nothing like that. Barca will never say they are a one-man team, but Messi has saved them on more occasions than De Gea has saved Tottenham's goal herding shots. The best that Barca can be called is a two-man team with Ousmane Dembele finally living up to his price tag. His recent injury doesn't seem to be too serious but it does hamper Barca's squad so far. Malcolm seems like a useless buy. Suarez ( rarely) and Coutinho (not rarely) only seem to turn up when Messi is watching their back. Pique seems more error-prone at the back. And Boateng..well..he remains to be seen. Lyon has a team capable of evening the odds even if they don't have as much of star power. Nabil Fekir is a delightful player to watch, with Lyon scoring plenty of goals but conceding many as well.
Winner: Barcelona. M-E-S-S-I. That is enough of an explanation.
Liverpool vs Bayern
Another potential goal-fest. Salah and Co. vs Lewandowski and die Riege. Gegenpressing vs Kovac-cussing. A beautiful mishmash of world-class strikers will test 2 of the world's best keepers to their limits. More often than not the battle will most likely be between Alison and Neuer, as both parties will do their utmost best to surge forward and beat the living crap out of the attack. Van Dijk has turned Liverpool's fortunes and is a commanding presence in the ex-porous backline but Lewy man will not be easy. For Bayern, winning the league title is as natural as Trump's infamous rantings and more often than not, a Bayern boss is judged by his ability to lift the Champions League. Liverpool have never won the Premier League in the modern era. But reaching last year's final will have left the young squad hungry to go one further.
Winner: Liverpool. Salah and co. look unstoppable and are finally clicking into the high gears. And Liverpool are imperious at Anfield while Bayern have lost and drawn many games at their fabled Allianz Arena
Atletico Madrid vs Juventus
This will be one of the closely contested games this Champions League season. Juventus have been in imperious form since the purchase of Ronaldo, and have lost a big fat zero games in the Serie A this entire season. Atletico meanwhile have been off form, drawing many games this season. Both have world-class backlines supported by good if not great goalkeepers ( although the loss of Buffon seems to have made the Juventus nets more ripped and pipped). Griezmann is in form however and if anything, the Atletico squad will have added impetus to at least the reach the final because it is being held in their stadium, the next-gen Wanda Metropolitano.
Winner: Juventus. Ronaldo loves scoring against them.
Man City vs Schalke
Man City wins. Nothing else to say. Sorry to Schalke fans
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