The best action to follow this weekend
Saturday
?? The main event this weekend is undoubtedly Saturday evening’s El Clásico. Both Real Madrid and Barcelona have made their way back into the title hunt, and there’s the possibility that this could be Messi’s final appearance in the famous rivalry.
Real enter the match undefeated in 12 games across all competitions, while Barça are undefeated in 9. However, with both Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane ruled out for Real Madrid, it could be Barcelona who add another tally to their undefeated run.
??????? The Premier League serves up three fixtures on Saturday featuring the three English sides still left in the Champions League (for now). In the early kickoff, Man City host a Leeds side who have only scored four goals in their last five matches. Then, ninth-place Aston Villa visit seventh-place Liverpool, with the hosts three points off the Champions League places. And the evening kickoff sees Chelsea away to Crystal Palace with the Blues on a run of eight away games unbeaten.
?? Saturday’s Bundesliga action brings us third versus fourth as Wolfsburg visit Frankfurt with both sides looking to cement a spot in next year’s Champions League. Frankfurt have scored the second-most goals in the league this season, with Portuguese forward André Silva scoring 22 in 25 matches.
Elsewhere, Bayern face Union Berlin, who earned a 1-1 draw against the current league leaders in their last meeting in December, while Dortmund, coming off a loss to Frankfurt, visit a Stuttgart side who sit just four points behind them.
?? Soccer returns in the US this weekend with the NWSL kicking off its season with the Challenge Cup. The USWNT are also in action, as they face Sweden on Saturday in a friendly.
?? The Swedish Allsvenskan also begins its 2021 season on Saturday, with a tasty matchup between Malmö and Hammarby to start, followed by Örebro hosting a new-look IFK Göteborg side that picked up Marek Hamsik (!!!) in the transfer window. Hamsik has been recovering from an injury, but a Göteborg supporter has already released a tribute track.
?? In Argentina, it’s the Clásico de Avellaneda, a derby between two clubs that share the same street in Buenos Aires, Racing and Independiente. If you want to dive in, the folks over at These Football Times have the backstory.
Sunday
??????? In the EPL’s headline match of the weekend, José Mourinho hosts his former employers as United visit Spurs. Their last meeting in October ended in a 6-1 win for Spurs, who now sit two points off of European places.
In an unexpected battle to secure Champions League spots for next season, Leicester are away to West Ham. The Hammers are unbeaten in four home games, a run which includes a 3-3 draw with Arsenal and a 2-1 win over Spurs.
?? Atletico Madrid could kick-off against Real Betis in second place, depending on the result of Saturday’s El Clásico, while Betis sit in a Europa Conference League spot and will hope to leapfrog Real Sociedad into fifth, a Europa League spot.
?? Someone will be lifting a trophy in Brazil on Sunday, as the Super Cup takes place with league winners Flamengo facing cup-winners Palmeiras.
?? Across Europe, we’ll be treated to a number of heated rivalries on Sunday.
In Austria, the nation’s most popular club, Rapid Wien, play league leaders Salzburg who are in the hunt for their eighth straight title. Despite being Salzburg’s closest challengers, Rapid have suffered some nasty defeats to Salzburg in recent years, including a 6-2 loss in the cup in December and a 7-2 loss last June.
Belgium’s two biggest clubs face off as Anderlecht visit Club Brugge, who are walking to the title with a 19-point lead over second-place Royal Antwerp.
In the Danish Superliga, Brøndby are a point off top and host Denmark’s most successful club, FC København, who are seven points back but still hoping to make their mark on the title race.
And in Greece, we get perhaps the best-named derby of all — The Derby of Eternal Enemies or better yet, The Mother of All Battles — Olympiacos vs. Panathinaikos.
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