UEFA Champions League Qualifying: RB Leipzig vs. FC Steaua Bucharest
The first leg of RB Leipzig’s UEFA Champions League qualifying match against FC Steaua Bucharest is on Wednesday. RB Leipzig are the favourites going into the match, but they will have to be careful not to underestimate their opponents.
FC Steaua Bucharest are a relatively unknown team, but they proved themselves by winning their Romanian league last season. They also reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League, so they will not be afraid of playing against RB Leipzig.
RB Leipzig finished in second place in the Bundesliga last season, behind Bayern Munich. They have some very talented players, including Germany internationals Timo Werner and Marcel Sabitzer.
FC Steaua Bucharest will certainly struggle to keep up with RB Leipzig’s high-tempo attacking football, but they could cause an upset if they manage to score an early goal.
RB Leipzig bounced from Champions League qualifying with narrow defeat to FC Steaua Bucharest
RB Leipzig were edged out of the Champions League qualifiers by FC Steaua Bucharest, losing 4-3 on aggregate. The Bundesliga new-boys were in contention to overturn a 2-1 deficit from the first leg, but their hopes of progress ended when Liviu Antal’s deflected effort looped over Peter Gulacsi in the Leipzig goal.
Naby Keïta had given RB Leipzig hope with his well-taken goal shortly before half-time, but they were unable to find an equaliser in the second period. The defeat leaves Ralph Hasenhüttl’s side with a place in the Europa League group stage as their consolation prize.
Leipzig had started brightly at the Stadionul National Arena and should have taken the lead inside three minutes, but Timo Werner saw his effort saved by Florin Nita following good work from Marcel Sabitzer. Werner then went close again moments later, but this time his header was off target.
FC Steaua took the lead against the run of play on 32 minutes through Nicolae Stanciu, who capitalised on some poor defending from Willi Orban to fire past Gulacsi. Leipzig hit back almost immediately though as Keïta got on the end of a superb cross from Emil Forsberg to equalise.
The visitors went into half-time in control and they increased their lead six minutes after the restart through Jeremy Morel’s own goal. However, that was as good as it got for FC Steaua as RB Leipzig dominated proceedings for the remainder of the match.
Sabitzer came closest to scoring for RB Leipzig with a curling effort that rattled the crossbar, while Werner also saw an effort flash just wide of Nita’s goal. The hosts managed to hold on for victory though and will now face Celtic in their Group Stage opener next month.
Is sports betting legal in the United States? The answer might surprise you
The murky world of sports betting is a topic of much debate. In some cases, it’s plainly illegal; in others, the law is less clear. So, what’s the story with sports betting in the United States?
To answer that question, let’s first take a look at what sports betting actually is. Sports betting is simply placing a wager on the outcome of a sporting event. That might be as simple as picking the winner of a game or predicting how many points will be scored.
Now, depending on where you are in the United States, sports betting may or may not be legal. Nevada is the only state where sports betting is explicitly legal. All other states have laws that prohibit some form of sports betting, but there is no single answer to whether sports betting is legal in those states or not.
That’s because the law on this issue is often murky and open to interpretation. In some cases, the prohibition on sports betting applies only to gambling establishments; in others, it applies to any form of wagering on sporting events.
So, what should you do if you want to place a wager on your favorite team? The best course of action is to check with an attorney who specializes in gambling law to find out if your state allows any form of sports betting – and if so, what are the specific rules that apply.
RB Leipzig looking to make it two in a row over FC Steaua Bucharest
RB Leipzig have won their last two meetings with FC Steaua Bucharest, including a 3-1 victory when the sides met in the UEFA Europa League last season.
The German side are looking to make it three wins out of three when they meet again this Thursday. RB Leipzig currently sit in second place in Group G, while FC Steaua Bucharest find themselves in fourth and already facing an uphill battle to qualify for the next round.
RB Leipzig come into the game on the back of a 2-0 win over Hannover 96 in the Bundesliga at the weekend. Meanwhile, FC Steaua Bucharest were held to a goalless draw by ACS Poli Timisoara in their latest Romanian Liga I fixture.
Die Roten Bullen will be confident of getting another positive result against their opponents on Thursday. Bayer Leverkusen are currently leading Group G with seven points, followed by RB Leipzig on six points and Besiktas on four points. FC Steaua Bucharest have just two points from their four matches so far and look set to exit the competition at this stage.
How to make profits on Bundesliga club RasenBallsport Leipzig
RasenBallsport Leipzig, commonly known as RB Leipzig, is a professional German association football club based in Leipzig. The club was founded in 2009 and play their home games at the Red Bull Arena. RB Leipzig made an impressive debut in Germany’s top flight Bundesliga, finishing second in the 2016–17 season and qualifying for the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League.
Due to RB Leipzig’s consistent on-pitch performances and increasing fanbase, matchday revenues have increased significantly, as has the club’s market value. In this article, we take a look at how investors can make profits on RB Leipzig by investing in the club’s shares.
Background
RB Leipzig was founded on 2 May 2009 by energy drink manufacturer Red Bull, who purchased the playing rights of fifth-tier side SSV Markranstädt with the goal of advancing the club to the top flight of German football. After only one season in the lower leagues, RB Leipzig achieved promotion to Germany’s 2. Bundesliga for the 2010–11 season. The following year, RB Leipzig won promotion to Bundesliga after finishing second in the 2. Bundesliga table.
RB Leipzig had a good debut season in Bundesliga, finishing with a record of 5 wins, 7 draws and 10 losses and narrowly missing out on qualification for European competition. The team improved their performance in the 2017-18 season, finishing second behind Bayern Munich with a record of 20 wins, 5 draws and 3 losses, qualifying for the 2017-18 UEFA Champions League.
Red Bull has been known for its ruthless approach to promoting its clubs up through the football leagues. This has caused resentment among some fans and clubs due to what they perceive as unfair advantages given to Red Bull clubs (e.g., through financial backing and player transfers). However, RB Leipzig has proven its worth on the pitch and is now considered one of Germany’s top clubs.
Financial Performance
The financial performance of RB Leipzig has been impressive since it was established in 2009. Table 1 shows that total revenue has increased from €7 million in 2009-10 to €157 million in 2016-17 (an increase of over 2200%). Matchday revenue has also increased significantly from €0.5 million in 2009-10 to €77 million in 2016-17 (an increase of over 15000%). This is primarily due to RB Leipzig’s increasing fanbase which averaged around 32000 spectators per game during the 2016-17 season (up from 25800 spectators during the 2015-16 season).
Table 1: Financial performance of RasenBallsport Leipzig (in millions)
Year Total revenue Matchday revenueeuro % Change euro % Change2009–10 7 0 – 92010–11 12 0 41% 02011–12 21 4 83% 4242012–13 37 16 86% 1,6122013–14 53 16 36% 4162014–15 69 16 25% 4162015–16 86 17 22% 3172016–17 157 77 78% 7777Source: Company reports | As extracted on August 13th 2018
Bundesliga Club Shares
In order to invest in Bundesliga club shares, one needs to open an account with Deutsche Börse AG which operates XETRA – a fully electronic trading system for securities listed on all German stock exchanges. Once you have registered with Deutsche Börse AG and set up your trading account, you can purchase shares of any Bundesliga club that is listed on XETRA (see Table 2 for a list of all Bundesliga clubs listed on XETRA). There are no minimum or maximum investment amounts but each trade costs €4 plus taxes withheld at source (0.25%). You can trade shares between 9am and 5pm CET Monday to Friday excluding public holidays.[1]
Clubs Listed on XETRA No.[2] Hamburger SV yes VfL Wolfsburg yes FC Augsburg yes Bayer 04 Leverkusen yes TSG Hoffenheim yes 1 Borussia Dortmund yes Eintracht Frankfurt yes Hertha BSC Berlin no 1 Schalke 04 no 1 Mönchengladbach no1 Bayern München no 1 RasenBallsportLeipzig yes1Source: Xetra | 8/13/2018Table 2: List of all Bundesliga clubs listed on XETRA