The best matches to follow this weekend
Saturday
🏴 The International Break is over, and with no further gaps planned until the European summer, it’s time to buckle up for the business end of the season in all of the top leagues. Not least in England, where we could see another pivotal set of results come in over the weekend.
The first of Saturday’s seven fixtures is a case in point: Manchester City host Liverpool, the two main title protagonists over the past few campaigns and while that might not be the case this season, Liverpool could still have a say in the destination of this year’s silverware. City sit second, eight points down on Arsenal, but with a game in hand, they need to keep the pressure on. Liverpool’s need for the three points is just as great as they currently sit sixth, seven points short of Tottenham, in fourth.
Recent form shows City unbeaten in 10 across all competitions but Pep Guardiola will be wary of a Liverpool side who may well have lost to Bournemouth last time out in the league, but were able to stifle City, and Erling Haaland in particular, to record a 1-0 victory against them back in October.
Playing later in the day, Arsenal will have the benefit of knowing City’s result but with points already on the board, the Gunners will no doubt just want to continue their recent form – 8 wins and 2 draws in their last 10 meetings – against their opponents, Leeds United.
Brighton vs. Brentford, the battle between the sides level on points and placed seventh and eighth in the table should be intriguing – especially with the winners likely to move into the top six, should Liverpool slip up at City. And then there’s Chelsea vs. Aston Villa, two more sides who find themselves level on points, albeit stuck a little further down in mid-table.
🇩🇪 We’ve been talking up this edition of Der Klassiker all through the International break but only because the Bundesliga title race was so beautifully set up after the last set of games. With nine rounds to play, the leagues’ two biggest clubs meet each other, separated by a single point in the table, and for once – it’s the 10-time defending champions Bayern who are sitting below rivals Borussia Dortmund.
That was after Dortmund continued their 10-game unbeaten run since Christmas with a 6-1 thrashing of FC Köln while Bayern slipped to a 2-1 defeat at Bayer Leverkusen. But what have Bayern gone and done about that in the interim period? They’ve sacked Julian Nagelsmann and replaced him with former-Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel. Honestly, this game couldn’t come at a better time.
Union Berlin, meanwhile, will continue their pursuit of the top two, or at least a third place finish, when they take on bottom side Stuttgart.
🇪🇸 Barcelona, like Arsenal in England, have a sizeable advantage in LaLiga. They return to action with a 12 point lead on nearest (and dearest) rivals Real Madrid, who they beat, thanks to an injury time winner, just prior to the break. Confidence should be high then, regardless of events off the field, when they go to bottom side Elche. Unsurprisingly, this is a meeting between the leagues worst defence – Elche – and the best, with Barcelona still only having conceded nine goals in 26 games played.
Incidentally, Barcelona meet Real Madrid again, in the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final this coming Wednesday (Barca lead 1-0 on aggregate).
🇮🇹 Serie A, among the top five leagues in Europe, is undoubtably the closest to being done and dusted (more on Napoli later), but nevertheless there are key games for two of the league’s big names on Saturday. Inter have been disappointing of late – losing three of their last four league games despite progressing to a Champions League semi-final during that same period. It’s a run of form that has allowed others in to the race for the runners-up spot and which has frustrated fans, and coach Simone Inzaghi alike. They therefore need a result against an in-form Fiorentina side who’ve won each of their last seven competitive games.
For Juventus, this season has become all about putting themselves in the best position they can in case they are given back the 15 points deducted from their tally for off-field improprieties earlier in the campaign. They’ve lost just once in their last 12 but remain seventh, outside of the European picture, ahead of Saturday’s home tie with relegation threatened Verona.
🇺🇸 In MLS, where we did not stop for the international break, the season continues at pace. With five rounds played only new franchise club St. Louis City can boast a 100% record – which is the best ever start recorded by a new side entering the league. This week, they’ll test that at home to Minnesota United, who are also unbeaten having played a game less, winning two, and drawing the other two.
Elsewhere LA Galaxy will be looking for their first win of the campaign in a tough looking fixture against Concacaf Champions League holders Seattle Sounders, and their inform striker Jordan Morris, who has seven goals from his first five games of 2023. Defending MLS Cup holders LAFC go to winless Colorado Rapids in the Western Conference while Eastern leaders New England Revolution take on NYCFC.
Sunday
🇮🇹 Serie A champions elect Napoli clash with the outgoing champions Milan in Italy’s biggest game of the weekend. This game will mark a changing of the guard domestically (with the home side 19 points clear of second placed Lazio) and also give us a preview of the Champions League semi-final between these two that is taking place later this month.
Milan currently sit fourth, four points further down on Lazio, and come in to this game having lost momentum. They won four games on the bounce in February only to lose to Fiorentina and Udinese, and draw at home to Salernitana in March. For the Partenopei though, all looks rosy, the only blot on their recent copy book a 1-0 defeat to Lazio three rounds ago. They haven’t conceded so much as a goal in the other eight games that they’ve played in the last two months.
🏴 Back in the Premier League, there’s just two further fixtures on Sunday (with Everton vs. Spurs held over to Monday night). First, there’s an all-important six pointer between West Ham United and Southampton – two of the three sides occupying a place in the relegation zone heading in to the weekend. With four points separating the bottom nine, a positive result could see either side leap up the table.
Then, to follow, there’s Newcastle United vs. Manchester United, fifth vs. third, and a re-run of the Carabao Cup Final played a little over a month ago. The Red Devils won that day at Wembley but have consequently looked poor in the league – losing 7-0 to Liverpool and drawing with Southampton – but strong in both their FA Cup and Europa League knockout games. Over the same period Newcastle have lost to City but beaten Wolves and Nottingham Forest.
🇪🇸 In LaLiga, Sunday is a day for the chasing pack. At the top of that, second placed Real Madrid prepare for the midweek Copa semi-final second leg against Barcelona with a home game against Real Valladolid, a side they have not lost to since FotMob started, and therefore our archive began, in the early 2010s.
Then, there’s the clash between sixth and fourth – Villarreal vs. Real Sociedad followed by the battle between third and fifth as Atlético Madrid host Real Betis. With a five point gap separating the top six from the sides below them and 10 points from Atlético in third to Villarreal in sixth, this is probably going to be the make up of the final places. We just need to work out where everyone slots in in terms of Champions League, Europa League, and Europa Conference League qualification.
🇫🇷 Ligue 1’s headliner on Sunday evening sees leaders PSG host wildcards Lyon. Despite sitting down in 10th, Laurent Blanc’s side have the ability to disrupt in the league thanks, in part, to the goalscoring exploits of a revitalised Alexandre Lacazette. They’re currently unbeaten in five, a run that includes draws with Lille and Nantes, a side they face again in the semi-finals of the Coupe de France this coming week.
PSG were knocked out of that competition, along with the Champions League, so must now focus on securing what would be their ninth league title in 11 seasons. Incidentally, the race for the Ligue 1 golden boot may prove to be more interesting than the title run in!
🇩🇪 Lastly, we return to the Bundesliga for another notable match-up, this time between Rhine River rivals FC Köln and Borussia Mönchengladbach. The Billy Goats and the Foals don’t get on so with nothing else to play for in terms of the league table we could be in line for another goalfest. The last five meetings between the sides have averaged 4.6 goals per game.
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Cover Image from IMAGO