Barcelona: The True Champions
FC Barcelona will be the 2019 Champions of the Champions League.
Barcelona are on top of the La Liga standings with an 18–2 record. The numbers are on their side. The two top scorers of the league are on the squad and the squad has scored the most goals, 66, this season, scoring 20 more than Real Madrid in 2nd place.
They’ve only allowed about 25 goals insofar this season with a save percentage (percentage of times that shots on target are saved by the goalie) of 72%. The squad is able to score 2.5 goals per game and is shooting 6.96 times on target per game. Although it is a high amount of shots with a low amount of goals, this amount means that they are able to create so many chances on average to score.
Barcelona also has their ace in the hole. The legendary Lionel Messi seems to never slow down.
His skill has been shown time and time again. Messi’s ability to create chances with assists and by manually dissecting the defense shows his talent and intelligence on the field.
He proved himself last season by being able to put himself on top of the league in 10 different categories as shown.
Compared to the other teams in the league, Barcelona should be able to take on the Champions League with ease.
But there’s only one problem.
Paris Saint-Germain, also known as PSG. A team that has claimed an ex-member of Barcelona, Neymar Jr, and the recent World Cup star, Kylian Mbappe. Their numbers are off the charts this year and they have beaten Barcelona in almost every team statistic mentioned. They could prove a challenge to Barcelona.
Yet, PSG doesn’t play in a league as challenging as La Liga. They don’t have nearly as many superstars on opposing teams in their league, which leads them to be able to play better and stack their stats and seem intimidating.
Neymar Jr has an injured foot so he will not be able to play. His absence will hinder PSG’s performance since he is one of the top players on the team. PSG is very weak when it comes to stopping opponents from creating chances, a strong suit of Barcelona especially due to Messi.
Barcelona will be the next champion of champions, especially with their biggest competition seeming not as competitive as one would initially think.
