We are hours away from the second leg of the UCL playoff between Paris Saint-Germain and AS Monaco, and though the latter are underdogs, some intrepid Fan Token traders may sense that an upset is on the cards…

Down But Not Out: How Monaco Could Turn Tie Around

After trailing 2-0 early at the Stade Louis II last week, the reigning Champions League rulers turned on the afterburners to win 3-2, but Monaco cannot be counted out at the Parc des Princes.

Those with faith in an upset will point to the fact that Monaco led PSG 2-1 last week before their striker Aleksandr Golovin was sent off in the second half. Sébastien Pocognoli’s men also have a recent win over their opponents, having beaten PSG 1-0 at home in the league on Nov. 29.

Moreover, Paris Saint-Germain do not look like the same swashbuckling team that cruised to the title last season. Earlier this month, they were beaten 3-1 in the league by Rennes and last month they were knocked out of the Coupe de France – at home, no less – by lowly Paris FC.

Although PSG have won four of the last five meetings between the sides, they have only managed to keep a clean sheet once. Thus, Monaco can certainly score the goal they need to get back in the tie. But can they prevent PSG’s superstars from scoring at the other end?

Fan Token Focus: $PSG vs $ASM

Before we turn our attention to how the clubs’ respective Fan Tokens look ahead of the return fixture, let’s rewind to a week ago and review the action.

Although PSG ended up winning the match, 24hr trade volumes for the AS Monaco Fan Token ($ASM) surged on matchday, crossing $500,000 after being less than $100k that morning, per socios.com data. Moreover, the token hit a value of $0.114 after Monaco took a two-goal lead, an intraday jump of 9.6%.

Naturally, volumes and value fell after full-time, although the former remained elevated for a few days: on Feb. 19, two days after the match, $ASM trade volumes were still $305,000.

As for the Paris Saint-Germain Fan Token ($PSG), it rose in value ahead of the first leg, gaining 4.3% in three days, although it mostly tracked sideways in the days afterwards.

The $PSG Fan Token got a bounce from a 3-0 win over Metz at the weekend, particularly after title rivals Lens lost at home to – you guessed it – Monaco, and $PSG has climbed 2.9% since yesterday as the UCL playoff looms.

Given $ASM’s 9.6% intraday jump last week, their token could rise dramatically even if they were to level the tie by scoring an early goal. If they were to pull off the upset – inspired, perhaps, by Bodø/Glimt beating Inter Milan last night – it could well rocket.

As for $PSG, it has mostly tracked sideways on matchday morning and a win may be priced in given their status as heavy favourites. However, a resounding victory may turn sentiment bullish and restore belief that they can go all the way and defend their title.

Ronnie McCluskey: Fan Tokens Market Reporter