After what may have seemed an extended international break but was actually just loads more games squeezed in to the same November window as usual, club football is back.
And there’s intriguing stories wherever you look – top of the table clashes, former players and managers meeting their old clubs, a couple of league titles will probably be decided and there is of course, the latest instalment of Mourinho vs. Guardiola.
Here, we pick through the best games FotMob has to offer over the next few days. ⬇️
? Friday Night
?? There’s no better place to start tonight’s previews than the Stade Louis II in the Principality of Monaco. Here, Kylian Mbappé will return to his former club as a part of a PSG side looking to continue their 8-Ligue 1 game winning streak prior to the international break.
?? In La Liga, the Friday evening game comes in Pamplona where hosts Osasuna face bottom club Huesca. The newly promoted club are still looking for their first win of the season whilst the home side are sitting in the relative comfort of lower mid-table!
?? We have now reached post-season in MLS where tonight, the usual play-offs begin with what they’re calling the play-in round for the sides who finished 7th – 10th in the Eastern Conference. New England Revolution take on Thierry Henry’s Montreal Impact whilst further south, the two new expansion sides that joined the league this year meet one another as Nashville host Inter Miami.
? Saturday
??????? In the week that Pep Guardiola seemingly ended speculation over his future by signing an extended contract at Manchester City, he is reunited with his old managerial foe, José Mourinho as City go to Tottenham Hotspur. The two have met from opposite dugouts 23 times during their careers, with Pep boasting 11 wins to Mourinho’s 6 but this season, it’s Spurs who have looked the more fluent side in the Premier League.
Amongst the other games in England’s top flight tomorrow, Manchester United play West Brom and Chelsea go to Newcastle United.
?? A rush of positive coronavirus tests in the Uruguay squad for last week’s World Cup Qualifiers has put paid to what many were most excited about this weekend – the first meeting between Barcelona and Luis Suárez’s new club, Atlético Madrid since the striker was supposedly forced out of Camp Nou earlier this season. Still, there’s plenty to look forward to in this game, especially with Atleti being the only unbeaten side in the division and the team averaging the most goals per game – 2.43 to be precise!
Before that late kick-off, Real Madrid get the chance to temporarily leapfrog their in-form opponents, Villarreal AND Atlético to move second in the table.
?? Saturday is a bumper day in the Bundesliga with seven games in total. European Champions Bayern go up against Werder Bremen in one of the afternoon kick-offs before later, Leipzig go to Frankfurt and Borussia Dortmund are in the capital to play Hertha.
? Around Europe, there are also a few derby games that might be of interest. In Switzerland, it’s not local pride at stake but more a question of national reputation as FC Basel go to Young Boys in a clash between the perennial title challengers.
Moving to Greece, Olympiacos host arch-rivals Panathinaikos whilst in Bulgaria, the big two meet in Sofia as CSKA play Levski. Both games are pretty spectacular when fans are allowed in the stands.
? Sunday
?? The headline game of the Serie A weekend sees league leaders Milan go to 3rd placed Napoli looking for their first win in Naples since 2010. The winning goalscorer that day? None over than Zlatan Imbrahimović, who also happens to be the current top scorer in the league 10 years on… incredible!
??????? Back in the EPL, we see another clash between sides currently sitting 1st and 3rd in the table – with Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers returning to former club, Liverpool. It’s the current incumbent at Anfield who’s feeling the pressure though thanks to the Champions’ extensive injury list and recent positive coronavirus tests in the squad. So Much so, Jürgen Klopp was reported to be calling up 8 youth players to the first team ahead of the game.
Here’s Sunday’s Premier League line-up in full:
?? You didn’t think we’d forgotten about our favourite lockdown #1-defying league in Europe, did you!? Well, the Premier League in Belarus has now reached it’s penultimate round of games and the title could be decided on Sunday.
BATE Borisov, the big boys of the league saw their 13-year run as Champions ended last year but could swiftly re-take their crown with a victory over Belshina. If they slip up, Shakhtyor Soligorsk are the most likely to benefit, should they themselves win away at Rukh Brest. ?
?? And finally, in Norway – one of the most dominant teams in all of Europe during 2020 should finally wrap up the Eliteserien title. Bodø/Glimt have won 21 of their 24 fixtures to date, scoring a whopping 83 goals along the way in a year that will long be remembered by the fans… despite so few of them actually getting to see the team win what will be their first ever league title!
Glimt could actually have secured that title by Sunday if Molde drop points tomorrow but either way, they’ll be looking to celebrate with a win away at Strømgodset.
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