The 2018 UEFA Champions League is getting down to the final stages. We’re currently in the middle of the round of 16, which is typically where the contenders separate themselves from the pretenders. Some teams, like Liverpool, already looked destined for the quarterfinals. Others, such as Manchester United, still have some work to do.
Juan Mata says Manchester United focused on Champions League
One aspect of the Champions League that is relatively new to fans is the opportunity to wager on the game after it begins. Live betting is quickly becoming one of the most popular forms of sports gambling. Even if you don’t have a dog still in the Champions League hunt, you can make the matches more entertaining by putting some money down on the action. A match between Roma and Manchester United wouldn’t be a must-see event on its own. However, if you’ve got some cash riding on it, it certainly becomes quite a bit more interesting.
Live betting also provides additional bets you wouldn’t see just betting on standard game lines. Will Eden Dzeko be the next man to find the back of the net? Will David De Gea keep a clean sheet in the second half? If you’re interested in enhancing your Champions League viewing experience, check out livebetting.net, where you can get any and all of your live betting questions answered.
The 2017-18 Premier League season was expected to be far more competitive than it has been. With so many of England’s biggest clubs having spent gobs of money during last summer’s transfer window, the race to the top of the league looked like it would be quite the doozy.
Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case. Manchester City started the season on a tear and haven’t looked back. Heading into matchweek 28, the Citizens currently lead the league on a whopping 72 points, a comfortable 16 points clear of the Red Devils.
With City’s Premier League title all but assured at this stage, their Premier League rivals are having to set new goals for themselves. United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham are essentially battling for the 3 remaining available Champions League spots.
United midfielder Juan Mata recently told the media that his squad has shifted their focus toward winning Europe’s most prestigious tournament rather than chasing an improbable Premier League comeback this season. Mata said, “If we had less of a gap with respect to the Premier League leaders and we had a chance to fight for it, it wouldn’t be so tough to be eliminated from the Champions League, but now our aim is to progress from every round. It would be a big blow to be eliminated in the last 16.”
United faced Spanish side Sevilla in the first leg of their round of 16 tie on Wednesday afternoon. The Red Devils didn’t play particularly well, but they did escape the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium with a 0-0 result, which bodes well for their chances at advancing. Keeping Sevilla off the score sheet gives United a chance to advance by winning the second tie, which will go down at Old Trafford on March 13.
Mata believes the play of goalkeeper David De Gea may be the determining factor in whether United are able to get past Sevilla and into the quarterfinals. Mata heaped praise on the Spanish keeper, saying, “He is having another great season. David is reliable. At crucial games, against important rivals, he always shines. He always makes crucial saves to save points. I hope he can continue like that for a long time for United and the national team’s sake.”
De Gea was in sparkling form on Wednesday, finishing with a whopping 8 saves in keeping Sevilla without a goal. The Spain No. 1 made several unreal saves, including a one-handed effort to keep a Jesus Navas header out of the back of the net just before halftime. Without De Gea, there’s no way United escape Spain with a draw in hand.
De Gea famously had a transfer to Real Madrid fall through back in the summer of 2015. Los Blancos have not yet made another attempt to lure the Spaniard back to his home country, but rumours have begun to surface suggesting that a move could be in store this summer.
When asked about the potential for De Gea to leave Manchester after the season, his Spanish compatriot said, “I hope not. I don’t see United without De Gea. He gives us a lot. I’ve played with many goalkeepers and many great ones, but the level he shows week after week and the capacity to compete is difficult to equal. For me, he is the best. The rumours that always resurface of him going to Real Madrid do not affect him as much anymore.”
Mata isn’t a candidate to leave Old Trafford any time soon. The 29-year-old attacking midfielder recently inked a contract extension that will keep him in red until the summer of 2019.
Tags: Champions League, Juan Mata, Liverpool, Manchester United, Premier League, Roma
