With so much football around the world lost to the effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we thought we’d provide a short guide not only to the games still going ahead, but also recommending a few things to watch, read and listen to over the weekend.
? What to watch
FIFA have uploaded full match footage of every World Cup dating back to 1982. It’s all in a playlist on YouTube for you to dive in.
COPA90’s Derby Days is exactly the escapism we need right now. If you haven’t seen it yet, their episode on Seville is must-watch stuff.
✅ Test your knowledge
We made a tough Premier League Grab Bag quiz for you to take on, as well as a medium-level quiz on the 2019-20 season.
?? Australia battles on.
To the best of our knowledge, there will still be football played in Australia over the coming days, albeit with all games behind closed doors.
In the W-League, we have the Grand Final as the season’s two best women’s teams go head-to-head for the title. Melbourne City will start as favourites having finished 12 points clear of their opponents, Sydney FC in the regular season.
The roles are completely reversed in the men’s game, where it’s Sydney FC with the double digit lead over their Big Blue rivals from Melbourne.
With some sides having as few as five regular season games left, the fight to finish in the top six and qualify for the A-League finals is heating up.
The most important fixture this week though is more a matter of local pride, as a resurgent Western Sydney Wanderers battle it out against the league leaders in the Sydney Derby.
Since sacking former Germany international, Markus Babbel in January, the Wanderers have only lost once and just last month, a late goal from their captain won the previous edition of the derby.
? Something to read
Our friends at MUNDIAL just released a new issue of their magazine featuring 186 things to look forward to in football. Previously, they visited Naples to explore the city’s ongoing love affair with Maradona. It’s one of our favourite pieces of football writing ever. Read it here.
STADIO wrote about what we’ll miss once Messi is gone from the game. Read it here.
These Football Times wrote about what Finland can learn from Iceland’s success at the Euros. Read it here.
?? The Belarusian Premier League, everyone’s new favourite.
The Republic of Belarus, the landlocked nation in Eastern Europe began its 2020 league season on Thursday and there will be games played across the weekend.
Last year, Dynamo Brest won their first ever title and in the process, ended 13 years of dominance by BATE Borisov. Any aspirations to re-capture their title were dealt an early blow when the Champions or Europa League regulars were beaten by the Belarusian State University side in the season opener.
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We’ll be looking forward to seeing how Dynamo Brest fare in their first game, when they host newly promoted Smolevichy on Saturday.
A couple of FotMob staffers will also have an eye on the other games after they picked out Isloch and Rukh Brest in the competition we are running to help celebrate the league over on Twitter.
? Something to listen to
The documentary podcast series GIANT, produced by MUNDIAL, has six episodes waiting for you on Spotify.
We suggest starting with the story behind the group of fans who founded AFC Wimbledon and brought them back up the football pyramid. Listen here.
If you want to follow any of the games mentioned above, click on the relevant link and tap the bell icon to receive all the key match updates.
Or join us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to discuss all the important football going on this weekend!