Osem tekem je še ostalo v Premier ligi in za Pepa Guardiolo je enačba jasna. Le osem zmag pomeni, da je dresi Bosna in Hercegovina spet prvak Anglije. Matematika se verjetno izide. Navsezadnje City za vodilnim Arsenalom zaostaja za devet točk. Imajo tekmo manj in ključno je, da morajo Topničarji naslednji teden priti na stadion Etihad. Če se bo ta tekma iztekla v korist Guardiole, bo zmaga tri točke.

City bi še vedno potreboval pomoč drugje, morda celo dve. Vprašanja o gol razliki so še vedno nekoliko zapletena, saj je še toliko nogometa pred vrati. Recimo, da bi City ponovil svojo zmago z dvema goloma razlike nad Arsenalom na Wembleyju v finalu pokala EFL prejšnji mesec. Njihova gol razlika bi se povečala na +34, Arsenalova pa na +37. Morda je to tista razlika, ki jo je mogoče odpraviti z enim vikendom, ko bodo rezultati šli v korist Cityja, vendar bi bilo tesno. Zaradi teh in mnogih drugih razlogov stavnice ponujajo kvote, ki Arsenalu dajejo implicitno verjetnost 89 % za zmago v ligi. Optin projekcijski model daje Topničarjem 97,2 %.

Dober del teh simulacij v projekcijskem modelu bo Cityju prinesel zmago v uvodnem delu. Kot je Guardiola povedal na svoji tiskovni konferenci pred nedeljskim gostovanjem pri Chelseaju, se zdi, da je to edini način, da pridemo do vrha. "Zmagati moramo vsako tekmo," je dejal. "Upajmo, da bomo lahko osvojili veliko točk. V situaciji, v kateri smo v Premier ligi, moramo osvojiti vse, sicer nam ne bo dano možnosti, da bi poskusili do konca."

Osem od osmih je izziv v kateri koli sezoni. V tej sezoni povečane izenačenosti, kjer je v diviziji verjetno le ena objektivno slaba ekipa – vsaj City lahko igra proti Burnleyju, preden se sezona konča – je to še težje. Le ena ekipa je storila tisto, kar Guardiola zahteva od svoje ekipe – Aston Villa je zmagala na vseh tekmah med 9. novembrom in 27. decembrom. City se je v podobnem časovnem obdobju temu približal kot kdorkoli drug, saj je dosegel šest točk zapored do zmage z 2:1 proti Nottingham Forestu takoj po božiču, vendar sta bila v sezoni 2025/26 le dvakrat druga priložnost, ko so dosegli tri od treh točk.

"Osvojiti moramo veliko točk," je dejal Guardiola, ki je morda mislil le na zadnjo ligaško tekmo svoje ekipe, remi 1:1 proti West Hamu, ko je dodal: "V sezoni nismo bili dovolj dosledni. Izgubili smo točke, ki bi jih morali osvojiti, zato smo zdaj v položaju, ko ne moremo storiti drugače."

Na tej točki verjetno razmišljate, da če se katera ekipa lahko prebudi v končni fazi, je to City. Načeloma imate prav. V tem, kar bi lahko imenovali starost Haalanda, štirih letih, odkar je deveti igralec zapustil Borussio Dortmund in se preselil na Etihad, sta dva najdaljša niza zmag v sezoni v angleški najvišji ligi pripadala ekipi velikega moža. Presenetljivo je, da sta oba niza tesno končana. V sezoni 2022/23 je City z 12 zmag dosegel 12 zmag in premagal Arsenal. Leto kasneje je City z devetih zmag dosegel devet zmag in nato, bobnanje, bobnanje, bobnanje. Morda niste poznali številk, a ste to vedeli, tako kot Guardiola, tako kot verjetno Arteta. Ko se City segreje, žgečka.

Ali pa bi moralo biti takrat, ko se je City segrel? To je najboljši del dveh sezon, v katerih je Guardiolova ekipa, če smo zelo radodarni, občasno dosegla raven svojih izjemnih predhodnikov. V nizu 12 tekem konec sezone 2022–23 so bili pričakovani goli Cityja brez enajstmetrovk (npxG) na tekmo videti takole: 1,81 zadetka, 0,77 zadetka, razlika 1,05. V naslednji sezoni so bili 2,16 zadetka, 0,82 zadetka, razlika 1,33.

V tej sezoni, vključno z zadnjimi nekaj tekmami, je City deloval kot ekipa, nogometni dresi z lastnim imenom ki lahko napada približno tako dobro kot njihovi predhodniki. Da bi to dosegli, morajo igrati s tako vnemo, da, kot kaže spodnji graf, nikoli niso bili videti kot takšna sila, ki bi se zapirala, kot so bili pred dvema ali tremi leti v lovu za naslovom.

Seveda ni treba biti vrhunski City, da bi zmagal. Villa je to dokazala že prej v tej sezoni (njihova razlika v npxG na tekmo je bila 0,07, saj so dosegli osem zaporednih tekem). Vsekakor pa to pomaga. Navsezadnje je pot do cilja za Guardiolovo ekipo precej težka. Po Chelseaju in Arsenalu je seveda na gostovanju Burnley, toda Everton, Brentford, Bournemouth in Villa bi lahko bili vrsta ekip, ki imajo v poznih tekmah veliko za igrati.

Seveda ekipa, ki je pravkar premagala Liverpool in se prebila mimo Arsenala, ne bi smela imeti razloga za strah na seznamu tekem, ki prihajajo. Če bi iskali dokaze o ekipi, ki lahko zmaga to sezono, vam ne bi bilo treba iti dlje od drugega polčasa finala pokala EFL. City lahko igra na tej ravni, lahko pa igra tudi na ravni, kjer bo Leedsu, Fulhamu in Tottenhamu dovolil več kot ducat strelov. Če ta ekipa še vedno nosi barve Cityja, potem jim bo že samo premagati Chelsea, kaj šele, da bi na vrh pripeljali še sedem golov.

When I usually hype up a major sporting event between Columbus and Brandon Scanlin Jersey, I'm referring to the Ohio State vs. Michigan football game (Ann Arbor is a Detroit suburb). To be honest, I've never done a pre-game preview of an NHL game between these two cities, but tonight will be different—this matchup in Motown is one of the most impactful of tonight's 11 games on the playoff picture.

With the regular season ending on April 16th, I'll likely start paying more attention to the NHL. And I think there's no more exciting playoff series in any professional sports league than the Stanley Cup playoffs. As of today, the Boston Bruins lead the Eastern Conference Wild Card standings with 95 points and four games remaining. The Bruins have already secured their playoff spot. The Ottawa Senators are second with 90 points and five games to play.

Following closely behind are the New York Islanders with 89 points and four games remaining—they just fired their head coach, and I'll probably be watching their next game on Thursday—are the Red Wings and Blue Jackets, both with 88 points and five games left, including tonight. The Detroit Red Wings currently hold the advantage in a tie.

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Both teams are in a clear slump. On Saturday, the Columbus Blue Jackets suffered their sixth consecutive loss, falling 1-2 at home to the in-form Winnipeg. During this losing streak, the Blue Jackets have only managed 10 goals. Interestingly, despite their offensive slump, since Rick Bones replaced sacked Dean Ewassen as head coach on January 13, the Columbus Blue Jackets have tied for the most opening goals in the NHL with 21.

Saturday's squandering of a 1-0 lead has raised their odds of making the playoffs to +235, while their odds of not making the playoffs are -290. With every team remaining in the schedule potentially making the playoffs, I don't think they'll advance. The Blue Jackets held a players' meeting after Saturday's game and closed their locker room for 24 minutes. Injuries have been a significant factor in their recent problems, with players like Dmitry Voronkov, Mathieu Olivier, and Damon Seiferson all sidelined. “I’ll leave our conversation here because we’re a better team than we are now, and we just discussed that,” said Blue Jackets star guard Zach Werenski. “We’re not out of the game. We’re still in contention, and I believe in this team. I believe we can do it; the key is to take action. After all, we’ve been holding on for two months. While the last two weeks have obviously not gone as planned, the problem lies in the locker room, and we have to pick ourselves up and turn things around. However, it all has to be done game by game.”

Between 1991 and 2016, the Detroit Red Wings were one of the league's powerhouses, consistently making the playoffs. However, shockingly, they haven't returned to the playoffs since. The arrival of the salary cap era has arguably dealt a greater blow to this big-spending team than to any other.

On January 21st, after a three-game winning streak, the Detroit Red Wings boasted a record of 31 wins, 16 losses, and 4 draws, firmly holding onto a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with odds as low as -400. But since then, the Red Wings haven't achieved a winning streak, losing six of their last eight games (including four home losses) and 17 of their last 26 games. While Sunday's home loss to the strong Minnesota team was somewhat acceptable, Saturday's defeat against the struggling New York Rangers was unforgivable.

“We have to find a way to not let these losses become a burden,” Andrew Cope said after Sunday’s game. “We have to get ourselves out of it. Once the noise from the outside world and you (the media) start affecting our performance on the field, problems arise. Sometimes it’s just one round, one goal conceded, and then it all starts to ripple outwards. Victory is contagious; so is defeat.”

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The Detroit Red Wings are currently +600 to make the playoffs, while the Blue Jackets are -900. The Red Wings have a easier remaining schedule than the Blue Jackets, including two games against teams already eliminated from playoff contention (New Jersey and Florida) and one against a team that may rest players who have already secured a spot (Tampa Bay). Therefore, I think the +600 odds are worth considering, provided they win tonight's game. The Detroit Red Wings had a slump this season – going 5-7-2 in November – but then bounced back strongly under goaltender John Gibson until late January.

Sunday saw history: future Hall of Famer Patrick Kane was involved in his 251st game-tying goal, https://www.allrangersjerseys.com/igor-shesterkin-jersey/ surpassing Mike Modano for the second-highest number of game-tying goals by an American player in NHL history, behind only Phil Houseley (254). Kane also moved into 25th place on the NHL's all-time scoring list with 1,395 points, surpassing Luke Robitaire.

The Detroit team's struggles have many causes. Their goaltending is clearly subpar, but since February 1st, their field goal percentage in five-on-five situations is a league-worst 7.3%. Since January 23rd, Detroit has averaged 2.49 goals per game, ranking 31st in the league.

While head-to-head record isn't the primary determinant of NHL playoff seeding, it is certainly one factor, and tonight's winner will have an advantage, as this is the third and final meeting between the two teams this season. The previous two matchups in the 2025 season went to overtime, both won by the home team.

I lean towards a Red Wings win, but that would also give me some assurance should the game go to overtime like the previous two meetings. Generally, crucial playoff games tend to be lower-scoring towards the end of the season due to significantly increased defensive intensity. Also, a 3-3 score at the end of regulation would obviously cover the total points spread. Please check the daily newsletter for other expert recommendations.

A week ago, the Colorado Avalanche seemed to have found their form, returning to the unstoppable force they were in the first three months of the Igor Shesterkin Jersey. But as everyone knows, the tide can turn dramatically in just six or seven days.

The Colorado Avalanche entered Week 21 on a five-game winning streak, boasting a 6-1 record since returning from the Olympic offseason. They once led the Presidents Cup race by seven points, but that lead has shrunk to just three points due to the Avalanche's struggles this week and the Stars' strong performance.

The Colorado Avalanche lost to the Edmonton Oilers and Winnipeg Jets before defeating the Seattle Sea Monsters. Meanwhile, the Dallas Stars extended their winning streak to 15 games (14-0-1 overtime) with consecutive victories against the Las Vegas Golden Knights, Oilers, and Detroit Red Wings, and are poised to close the gap further this week—they will face the Avalanche directly on Wednesday.

The Dallas Stars and the New York Rangers were the only two teams to go 3-0 in Week 21. Only two other teams remained undefeated in regulation time: the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Philadelphia Flyers, both with a 2-0 record and one overtime loss.

Every team except the Detroit Red Wings and the Utah Mammoths won at least one game last week. The Red Wings and Mammoths each lost two games in regulation and one game in overtime.

This season, I will rank the top ten teams in the league each week based on their performance last week and their overall record for the 2025-26 season. I will also provide a brief commentary for each team explaining the basis for their ranking.

Let's dive into the power rankings for Week 22 of the 2025-26 NHL season and highlight the outstanding performances of several teams.

NHL Week 22 Power Rankings

1. Colorado Avalanche (Week 21 record: 1-2; Overall record: 44-12-9)

Nathan McKinnon failed to score in the loss to the Oilers, ending his seven-game scoring streak. But he bounced back strongly against the Sea Monsters. The 2024 Hart Trophy winner recorded his sixth game with at least four points this season, scoring his NHL-leading 44th goal and adding three assists. He then added another assist against the Jets, bringing his career total to 109 points, trailing only Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers by five points in the Art Rose Trophy race. Martin Nekas had a standout offensive week, contributing three goals and one assist, reaching the 80-point mark for the second time in his career. The 27-year-old Czech has scored in nine of his last ten games, just three points shy of tying his season-best record.

2. Dallas Stars (3 wins, 0 losses, 0 draws; 42 wins, 14 losses, 10 draws)

Since their 0-1 loss to the Blue Jackets on January 22, the Stars have not gone home empty-handed. Last week, they thrashed the Edmonton Oilers 7-2, and also narrowly defeated the Las Vegas Golden Knights and the Detroit Red Wings by one goal each. Jason Robertson ended a two-game goal drought in that game, scoring two goals and providing two assists, delivering his first four-point performance of the season. He added another assist against the Red Wings, while Wyatt Johnston recorded two goals and four assists in Week 21, scoring in all three of Dallas's games. With Miko Rantanen and Rupe Hintz both sidelined with lower limb injuries, captain Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene took on more offensive responsibilities last week. Ben scored the winning goal against the Golden Knights and netted twice against the Oilers; Duchene contributed a goal and an assist in the victory against Edmonton, having previously provided an assist against the Golden Knights.

3. Buffalo Sabres (2 wins, 1 loss, 0 draws; 41 wins, 20 losses, 6 draws)

The Sabres won two of their three games last week without their leading scorer, Jeff Beukeboom Jersey, marking Thompson's second three-game scoring streak this season. This scoring drought ended the 28-year-old's 11-game scoring streak, during which he recorded 6 goals and 9 assists. Jack Quinn was outstanding this week, scoring his first career hat-trick and providing an assist in the Buffalo Sabres' 6-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks, and then adding another goal in their 3-2 penalty shootout win against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

3. Buffalo Sabres (2-1; 41-20, 6 overtime losses)

Last week, the Sabres won two of their three games without their leading scorer, Taggart Thompson. This marked Thompson's second three-game scoring streak this season. The scoring drought ended his previous 11-game scoring streak, during which the 28-year-old contributed 6 goals and 9 assists. Jack Quinn had a standout week, scoring his first career hat-trick and providing an assist in the Buffalo Sabres' 6-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks, and then adding another goal in the 3-2 penalty shootout win against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 24-year-old right winger has a career-high 16 goals, 28 assists, and 44 points this season.

4. Carolina Hurricanes (2 wins, 1 loss; 42 wins, 18 losses, 6 draws)

The Carolina Hurricanes haven't suffered consecutive losses since mid-January, winning two of their three games in Week 21. Sebastian Aho provided an assist in the 5-4 penalty shootout win against the Pittsburgh Penguins, followed by a goal and an assist in the 4-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 28-year-old Finnish center hasn't gone two consecutive games without scoring since his three-game goalless streak in late January. Logan Stankovic scored twice last week, and defender Mark Jankovski also netted twice—he had only managed one goal in his previous 14 games, but has scored in his last two.

Klub v položaju Nogometni dresi Arsenal poleti verjetno ni rabil zapraviti 90 milijonov dolarjev za igralca, kot je Eberechi Eze. Ta navijač iz otroštva je bil nedvomno superzvezdnik, toda za Crystal Palace ni samoumevno, da se bo nekdo, ki je bil igralec v ekipi višjega srednjega dela lestvice, takoj prilagodil sekundarni ali celo terciarni vlogi v ekipi, ki se poteguje za največje nagrade v športu.

Ko je dopolnil 27 let, je za seboj prišel po sezoni, ki je bila v največjih trenutkih nepozabna, a nekoliko drugačna od prejšnje, in ni ravno vajen igrati v slogu, ki ga je imel rad Mikel Arteta, se je treba vprašati, ali je to prava poteza. Veselje, ki je Ezeja preplavilo stadion Emirates, ko so ga nekega sijočega poletnega popoldneva razkrili, je bilo dovolj, da je celo najbolj zadržanim ocenam posla dodalo rožnat odtenek, toda kako škoda bi bilo, če bi se ta sanjska selitev izjalovila?

Da, poškodba Kaija Havertza je bila potrebna takojšnje obravnave, toda štiriletna pogodba je kar precejšnja naložba za zapolnitev vrzeli, ki se v tistem trenutku ni zdela tako dolga, da bi segala v novo leto. In seveda v tistem trenutku nihče ni vedel, koliko poškodb bo utrpel Martin Odegaard. Zato je bila podpis pogodbe z Ezejem verjetno bolj tvegana zadeva, kot se je zdelo.

In ali ni to tveganje, ki ga bo Arteta vesel, da ga bodo njegovi delodajalci sprejeli? Za najvišjo ceno, ki so jo to poletje namenili igralcu, so dobili nekaj, kar so resnično potrebovali: pravega strelca, napadalca, ki lahko izkoristi nadzorovano Arsenalovo gradnjo in vnese malo moči. Skratka, ko žoga pride do njega s hrbtom proti golu, se bo obrnil in zakaj ne bi preprosto uživali v počitku spodaj?

Noga kot vlečna lokomotiva, če sploh obstaja. V noči, kot je bil torek, ko je njegova ekipa začela mukotrpno napredovati v zmagi z 2:0 nad Bayer Leverkusnom, je Arsenal potreboval tisto, kar je njihov trener označil za "čaroben trenutek". Doživeli so ga, tako kot v severnolondonskem derbiju (izberite doma in v gosteh), tako kot proti njegovemu nekdanjemu klubu za njegov prvi gol v novih barvah.

To je bila Ezejeva velika lastnost za Arsenal to sezono. Izvaja strele, ki jih trener morda odsvetuje, a morda bi jih ekipa, ki je tako odločena, da bo dosegla popoln strel, lahko izvedla. Svoj prvi strel na stadionu Tottenham Hotspur, četrti od petih, ki jih je dosegel to sezono proti ekipi, ki jo je ignoriral, da bi uresničil sanje. Žoga se po začetnem odboju po podaji Bukaya Sake nerodno odbije od njegove noge. Manj neustrašen zaključevalec bi se morda dotaknil še ene žoge, Eze dvigne desni čevelj na videz v višino oči, a ga še vedno gladko udari. Podobna iznajdljivost je tudi v njegovem zmagovitem golu nad Palaceom. Verjetno jih je torkova havbica potisnila nižje na lestvici tekmovanja za gol sezone Eberechi Eze; ni slab portfelj.

Da bi dosegli te čudovite gole, morate biti pripravljeni zaman zamahniti. Vzemimo sobotno zmago nad Evertonom, sedem strelov Ezeja je skupno vrednih 0,15 xG. Če pogledate na to ločeno, se vam zdi, da ne. To ni optimalna izraba posesti. Pa vendar se je glede na kontekst igre, ko je Everton hitreje zapiral vrzeli, kot jih je Arsenal lahko odpiral, zdelo, da je Eze razumel, da bodo meti ohranili nasprotnika poštenega, ga morda izvlekli iz bunkerja in v najboljšem primeru morda zmagali tekmo, ne da bi se od dijakov zahtevalo kakršno koli junaštvo.

Ezejevo povprečje 0,08 xG na strel je drugo najnižje med igralci Arsenala to sezono – Odegaardova prisotnost pod njim odraža kapetanovo nenavadno predanost temu, da v zadnjem času vzame nekaj več strelcev z dolge razdalje – toda Arteti nikoli ni manjkalo igralcev, kot so Havertz, Gabriel Jesus in, na svoj način, Viktor Gyokeres, ki bodo delali za bolj dragocene napade od blizu na svoji močnejši nogi. Eze zapolnjuje vrzel, ki jo Arsenal potrebuje ... in to se dogaja vedno pogosteje.

Tisti Eze iz pozne sezone, o katerem so nekoč navdušeno govorili navijači Palacea, se vrača v barve Arsenala. Od začetka februarja je minilo pet golov (velikodušna definicija pomladi, ampak hej, globalno segrevanje) in dve podaji. Po dveh golih angleškega reprezentanta proti Spursom je Arteta dejal, da začenja razumeti, kako mora uporabljati Ezeja. Zdaj se zdi, da so njegovi igralci storili enako.

"Ima ritem, ima razumevanje tudi s soigralci, še posebej glede na njegovo raven aktivnosti," je dejal Arteta. "Z žogo, brez žoge, v prostorih, kjer se giblje, namen, ki ga kaže vsakič, ko je v kazenskem prostoru in okoli njega. To je tisto, kar ga zanima, in razlog, zakaj je tukaj, da ustvarja takšne trenutke."

»Gradi boljšo kemijo, boljše razumevanje z vsemi. Tudi mi ga začnemo veliko bolje razumeti. Ko začneš dobro igrati, dobro akcijo, takšno akcijo, ko si v igri, to dvigne tudi tvojo samozavest. To potrebuje vsak igralec.«

Tisto omembo tega, kaj Eze počne brez žoge, ste morda sprva spregledali,Slovenski Nogometni Dresi brez dvoma, za Arteto ne igrate, če ni zadovoljen z vašo prijavo, ko ima žogo druga ekipa. Zdelo se je, da je bila ta resnica vtisnjena v spomin igralcu številke 10, ko je pustil, da ga je Matty Cash prehitel in dosegel gol za Aston Villo v porazu z 2:1 v Premier League v začetku decembra. Arteta je nato vztrajal, da Ezeja ni kaznoval zaradi njegove ohlapne obrambe, a njegova dejanja so povedala veliko. Njegova podpisana pogodba je med to napako in sredino februarja začela le eno tekmo v Premier League, in sicer doma proti Wolvesom, ki so na zadnjem mestu lestvice. Tudi zdaj, ko se njegova vrednost začenja kazati, mu le redko zaupajo varovanje levega krila, temveč deluje bolj kot drugi napadalec v Arsenalovi formaciji 4-2-3-1.

Vendar pa nihče ne more podvomiti o njegovi sposobnosti igranja brez žoge. Medtem ko se je Leverkusen trudil najti pot skozi organiziran pretisk, je Eze v napadalni tretjini dobil posest tolikokrat kot kateri koli drug igralec Arsenala, kljub temu da je v 69. minuti šepal iz igre zaradi, kot kaže, poškodbe gležnja. Proti Evertonu, Brightonu in še posebej Spursom je dosegel podobno impresivne številke. Igralec, ki je bil nekoč šibka povezava brez žoge, izpolnjuje pričakovanja.

»Brez tega nimaš možnosti igrati v tej ekipi,« je bila Artetajeva neposredna ocena. »Vsi to počnejo in to je čar tega ter razlog, zakaj smo tako dosledni pri zmagovanju na tekmah in preprečevanju nasprotniku, da bi dosegel gol.

»On to zmore. Če tega ne bi mogel, tega nikoli ne bi zahteval. On to zmore, pripravljen je to storiti in to počne vsak dan bolje in bolje.«

Morda je to za Ezeja preprosto čas sezone, vendar se zdi bolj verjetno, da je to igralec, ki je potreboval več časa, kot bi večina pričakovala za izkušeno okrepitev v Premier ligi. Dejstvo, da bo potreboval čas, da spremeni svoj slog igre iz vodilnega napadalca v prosti vlogi v igralca, ki prispeva k igri z žogo in brez nje, je bil del razloga, zakaj se je ta prestop zdel tvegana igra. Trenutno je videti, kot da bi se lahko Arteti in Arsenalu precej dobro obrestoval.

Monaco bo morda brez vezista Aleksandra Golovina po rdečem kartonu proti Nogometni dresi PSG, vendar to ne pomeni, da nimajo možnosti za zmago kljub težkemu nasprotniku. Ameriški napadalec Folarin Balogun bo osrednjega pomena, saj je na prvi tekmi dosegel dva gola in Monacu pomagal zmanjšati trenutni zaostanek enega gola.

Pripravite se na izločilne boje kot še nikoli doslej z žrebom UEFA Champions League! Ustvarite skupino za tekmovanje s prijatelji ali pa se prijavite na naš izziv žrebanja in osvojite sanjsko potovanje v London, ki vključuje dve vstopnici za UCL in ogled seta UCL Today! Poleg tega si oglejte, kako se boste odrezali proti Jamieju in Micahu iz UCL Today. Prijavite se zdaj, preden se žreb po žrebu osmine finala odklene, ali pa igrajte v aplikaciji!

Leta 2026 je bil v odlični formi za Monaco, saj je v desetih nastopih letos dosegel tri gole in dve podaji, in ker je pet od desetih golov za Monaco v tej sezoni dosegel v tekmah Lige prvakov, je Balogun nekdo, ki se v največjih trenutkih za svoj klub izkaže. Bila je nenavadna sezona, saj Balogun kljub svojim predstavam v teh trenutkih ni dosegel pričakovanih golov, vendar je star komaj 24 let in še ni v najboljših letih.

Ker se svetovno prvenstvo 2026, na katerem naj bi Balogun vodil moško reprezentanco Združenih držav Amerike, iz dneva v dan bliža, je dobro tako za Monaco kot za selektorja ameriške reprezentance Mauricia Pochettina, da Balogun na največjih tekmah igra na tej ravni. Pritisk nanj bo z letom naprej le še večji, vendar se znajde na ravni izziva.Balogun bo odličen pri spreminjanju dobrih priložnosti v strelske priložnosti, saj bo lahko izkoristil težave PSG-ja s poškodbami, da bi na tekmi dosegel želene rezultate.

Parižani Luisa Enriqueja bodo igrali brez Ousmaneja Dembeleja in Fabiana Ruiza, ki sta ključna člana ekipe. Dembele je to sezono, potem ko je osvojil Ballon d'Or, večkrat vstopal v enajsterico in izstopal iz nje, in to je glavni razlog, zakaj PSG v tej fazi ne vodi Ligue 1, kot bi pričakovali. Potem ko so v prejšnji sezoni prvič v svoji zgodovini osvojili Ligo prvakov, je PSG med glavnimi kandidati za ponovni naslov, a premagovanje poškodb ključnih igralcev po dolgi sezoni, v kateri so se uvrstili v finale svetovnega klubskega prvenstva, ni lahka naloga.

PSG se je v tekmi proti drugi ekipi iz Ligue 1 še bolj spoznal z ekipo, podobno kot lani v izločilnih tekmah proti Brestu,Slovenski Nogometni Dresi  a to pomeni tudi, da Monaco ve, kaj lahko pričakuje. Čas bo pokazal, ali bo vrnitev domov PSG-ju dala prednost na tekmi, če pa bodo Monaku dali vsaj centimeter, bo Balogun dosegel gol, zgodnji gol pa bi lahko spremenil vse v spopadu med tema dvema ekipama.