The football world has seen a few unbelievable scenarios play out in the last few years, most memorably the Cinderella story that was Leicester City winning the Premier League in 2016 after narrowly escaping relegation the year prior. While this season does not offer up anything quite as dramatic, there are a few storylines to follow along with and keep your eyes on heading into the final third of the season.
First up: Liverpool is on track to win the Premier League for the first time since the 1989/90 season. With 13 matches remaining, The Reds still boast an undefeated record and are a whopping 22pts clear at the top. Having conceded just 15 goals all season, Virgil van Dijk and Co. have claimed a remarkable 73 out of 75 points. Coming off last year's UEFA Champions League title run as well as their FIFA Club World Cup title earlier this season, Jürgen Klopp has his team running on all cylinders and is poised to put together one of the best seasons modern football has ever seen. Stand aside 'Invincibles'.
2. The Italian Serie A title is up for grabs! Juventus is out in front with 54pts, but Inter Milan (51pts) and Lazio (49pts) are close behind. Juve, of course, has won the title an unprecedented 8 times in a row and look to make it 9 straight! At the same time, Lazio's Ciro Immobile has been lighting it up across Italy and now stands with 25 goals to his name. With 17 matches to go, the Italian international only needs 12 more goals to break the all-time record of 36 held by Rossetti for Torino back in 1928/29 and Higuaín for Napoli in 2015/16.
3. The German Bundesliga is shaping up for a frantic finish! At the moment, FC Bayern Munich sits atop the table with 42pts while RB Leipzig (41pts) trails closely behind. Dortmund and M'gladbach round out the top-4 tied at 39pts apiece. The boys from Bayern have lifted the Meisterschale for 7 consecutive seasons thanks in large part to their world-class striker Robert Lewandowski. The Polish playmaker has been awarded the Torjägerkanone (top scorer) 4 out of the last 6 years and looks to make it 3 straight as he leads all players with 22 goals so far this season (RB Leipzig's Timo Werner trails him by 2).
4. Well, would you look at that! It's a two-horse race in La Liga between Real Madrid C.F. and FC Barcelona. Los Blancos (49pts) are 3pts up on Barça as Messi and Co. are on the hunt for their 5th title in 6 years. The final El Clásico of the season is set to take place Sunday, March 1 at the Bernabeu @ 3pm EST. The Goat also leads the pack for top scorer so far this season and would claim his 7th scoring title (4th straight) in Spain.
5. The Champioooooons League returns on February 18th with the first leg of knockout rounds. Paris Saint-Germain has bolstered their squad with key signings like GK Keylor Navas from Madrid, snatching up CF Mauro Icardi on loan from Inter, and keeping striker Édison Cavani at bay for now. Alongside Mbappe, Di Maria, and Neymar (when healthy) the Parisian powerhouse looks to make a deep run into the tournament and lift a trophy that has eluded them ever since their sudden rise to success in 2011. They first travel to Signal Iduna Park to take on a Dortmund team that has made a few marquee signings of their own including Erling Haaland. The 19-year-old Norwegian wonderboy has all but solidified himself as the next superstar of Europe after scoring 7 goals in his first 3 matches for BVB.
Another team looking for their first UCL hardware is Pep Guardiola's Manchester City. The Citizens have only reached the semifinals once in 2015/16 before losing to the hands of Real Madrid – coincidentally, the same team they'll be facing on February 22 in the first leg at the Bernabeu. A few other notable matchups include Chelsea vs Bayern Munich in a rematch of the epic 2012 Final when Didier Drogba slotted home the game-winning PK inside Bayern's home arena. Liverpool travels to Wanda Metropolitano for their first leg matchup with Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid. And finally, Barcelona heads over to the San Paolo to take on Napoli.
6. Honorable Mention: Celtic F.C. is going for their 9th straight Scottish Premiership title. The Bhoys are 7pts clear from Rangers with 9 matches to go. The deciding factor could be the final Glasgow Derby of the season which is set to be played Sunday, March 15th at Ibrox Stadium @ 8am EST.
Did we miss anything? Leave a comment and let us know what you're watching/looking out for in 2020. And don't forget to grab your favorite gear at U90Soccer.com or stop by any of our local stores here in New York.
