How $PSG, $CITY and Arsenal ($AFC) Were Impacted in Champions League Last 16

Three of the largest football Fan Tokens by market cap and trade volume, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, and Arsenal, all played the first leg of their Champions League last sixteen ties on Wednesday, March 11.

All three teams have been battling at the summit of their respective domestic competitions this season, but after Wednesday’s results came through, it appears progression in the Champions League could be a bit trickier for some.

Let’s take a glance at the Fan Tokens involved in last night’s Champions League fixtures – $CITY, $PSG and $AFC – and see how they look as the season’s competitions draw to a close. 

Manchester City ($CITY) Drop Three…

The last time Man CIty defeated Real Madrid in the Champions League knockout phase, City went on to win the competition outright.

That omen didn’t count for much on Wednesday night, when City shipped three goals to give Madrid a 3-0 win at the Santiago Bernabéu.

The valuation of the Manchester City Fan Token ($CITY) fell 3.7% after the final whistle against Madrid, per Socios.com. 

The $CITY spot price is now down 8.2% for the week, after City were held to a 2-2 draw in their last league match against Nottingham Forest. City’s failure to grab all three points gave Arsenal a crucial seven-point lead at the top of the Premier League.

One ray of hope for City fans can be found in the historical precedent. Their team managed to put four goals past Real Madrid in the home leg the last time they played in the Champions League knockout round, so continental progression can’t be ruled out for City just yet.

PSG Demolish Chelsea

Current UEFA Champions League title holders PSG put five goals past Chelsea in Wednesday night’s first-leg UCL match, which finished 5-2 after a thrilling back-and-forth goal-fest. 

The valuation of the Paris Saint-Germain Fan Token ($PSG) climbed 23% in February alone, as PSG ascended to the top of Ligue 1 and overcame Monaco in the Champions League’s first knockout phase.

However, in the past month, PSG lost two domestic matches against Rennes and Monaco, which cut their lead at the top of Ligue 1 to just one point.

Perhaps that’s why sentiment has cooled on $PSG in recent weeks, after a 10% decline saw its valuation drop from $0.764 to $0.687 since mid-February.

Arsenal Save Draw as $AFC Run Cools

Arsenal grabbed an 89th equaliser via a Kai Havertz penalty in a 1-1 draw away to Bayer Leverkusen, extending their longest unbeaten streak in the Champions League, while also cutting short their longest winning streak.

Arsenal didn’t lose a match in the qualifying phase. Combined with their ascension to the top of the Premier League, this golden run of form resulted in the Arsenal Fan Token ($AFC) being able to hold off the worst of the crypto market’s winter dip.

Indeed, the $AFC token’s valuation climbed 32% between December and February, amid a quarter in which Bitcoin’s valuation dropped by 27%.

However, the $AFC token price is down 5% for the past seven days, and trade volume has halved to $2.5 million from the weekly peak of $5.75 million. 

Arsenal’s draw against Leverkusen, combined with the team’s seven-point lead at the top of the Premier League, may have allowed some traders to take profits early on what they deem to be a successful season.

But with an EFL Cup final against Man City on the horizon later this month, and with numerous important fixtures still to play in the league, as well as the Leverkusen rematch, there would still appear to be enough event-driven trading opportunities to fuel $AFC in the final months of the season.

Greg Thomson: Fan Tokens Market Reporter