A look ahead to the best of the action in the Women’s Super League
Each week, podcasters Two Girls Talk Balls cast their critical eye over the fixture list. You can listen to their alternative take on Women’s Football – here!
Saturday
The return of the WSL post-international tournament season sees a spread of games across the weekend, a real treat for all of those missing their club football fix.
And on Saturday, there’s an early start at Villa, with Brighton hoping to break their current run of form and return back to kind of performances they were putting together in the first half of the season.
Later in the day, Manchester United will look to take all three points against Leicester as they hunt down Spurs in the fight for third. United’s recent dip in form may well have be bolstered by some strong international performances from members of the squad.
Sunday
It’s top vs. bottom on Sunday as struggling Birmingham City travel to face an Arsenal side who looked rampant in their return to league action during midweek. The Gunners put four past Reading with Vivianne Miedema pivotal in a number 10 role and recent signing Stina Blackstenius once again in the goals.
Perhaps the most closely matched of all the weekend fixtures is Sunday’s game between Reading and Tottenham. Spurs are still up for that assault on third place, whilst Reading have managed to pull off some impressive results – December’s win over Chelsea for example, and more recently consecutive wins over Leicester, Birmingham, Brighton (in the FA Cup) and Everton.
League Cup Final
Away from the league, Chelsea and Manchester City meet in the final of the FA Women’s League Cup on Saturday evening.
Emma Haye’s Chelsea side will probably start as favourites having won the last two editions of this trophy and beating City in each of their three meetings so far this season. However, City come in this game fresh from two morale boosting wins over rivals Manchester United just prior to the international break and Gareth Taylor will be keen to secure some silverware given City’s disappointments in the WSL this season.
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!
If you would like to receive this weekly preview direct to your inbox, sign up to our FREE mailing list by clicking here.
Saturday
??????? We start with the mammoth slate of games due to take place in the Premier League. There’s eight on the card, but with storms currently battering the UK and half the population watching a live stream of planes trying to land at Heathrow Airport, we might have to wait and see which games actually get played.
Manchester City, fresh from that record breaking win at Sporting in the Champions League Round of 16 now face the prospect of Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur in the late kick-off.
Earlier games to look out for include Liverpool against Norwich, a side they’ve beaten in 10 of their last 12 meetings and Chelsea’s trip across London to Crystal Palace. Staying in the capital, Arsenal will be out for revenge against Brentford – with the Bees inflicting that famous upset versus the Gunners in their very first Premier League game back in August.
?? The Serie A weekend follows on from Friday night’s Turin Derby with a couple of interesting matches on Saturday. One pits the leaders, Milan against the side currently sitting bottom of the pile, Salernitana and the other sees Roma entertain the unpredictable Hellas Verona.
The Gialloblu have the third best record in terms of goals scored per match (1.9) but have also conceded 40, the worst record of anyone in the top half of the table.
?? The top side are also in action in La Liga with Real Madrid playing relegation threatened Alavés. That defeat at PSG during the week means that Madrid have won one of their last five games in all competitions, a record that has a section of the fanbase grumbling – but at home, you’d fully expect them to maintain their four point lead in the table.
Things aren’t looking too rosy on the other side of the capital either – Atlético lost to the league’s bottom side on Wednesday, a result that saw the defending champions slip out of the top four. Under pressure Diego Simeone and their fans will be hoping for more from a trip to Osasuna.
?? As we’ve mentioned that important win for PSG, we should reference what they’re up to back on the domestic front this weekend. Well, the Parisians will be on the road to face a Nantes side unbeaten in seven home games.
The only other game in Ligue 1 comes as seventh placed Lyon visit eighth placed Lens.
?? One of the more intriguing stories in the Bundesliga season appears to be the battle for fourth place. Four teams are currently locked together on 34 points, from Leipzig in fourth down to Union Berlin in seventh. Three of the four play on Saturday, with Hoffenheim the best placed of them set to visit Wolfsburg.
Sunday
?? La Liga delivers further interest on Sunday with match-ups including a lot of the top teams. Sevilla (2nd) play Espanyol whilst city rivals Betis (3rd) host Mallorca and Barcelona (4th) go to Valencia.
And if that wasn’t enough, there’s the Basque Derby between in-form Athletic Club and arch-rivals Real Sociedad to round off the day’s action.
?? Back in the Bundesliga, its top vs. bottom as Bayern welcome Greuther Fürth to the Allianz Arena for the first time since 2013. Greuther are actually on their best run of the form this season with two wins in their last three but surely the good ship Bayern will get back to an even keel after their shock defeat to Bochum and stuttering display at Salzburg in the Champions League.
Elsewhere there’s another derby, albeit for the name only as the two Borussia – Dortmund and Mönchengladbach battle it out.
??????? Rivalries will be renewed in the Premier League on Sunday with Yorkshire side Leeds United facing Lancashire ‘neighbours’ Manchester United in the first game between the two, with fans at Elland Road for over a decade.
?? In Serie A, the side with the best away record in the league, Atalanta go to Fiorentina just 10 days after the two met in the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia. La Viola came back from 2-1 down in that one, winning the game in the 93rd minute thanks to Nikola Milenković.
Inter, whose season has taken a couple of blows recently – losing their hold on top spot plus defeat to Liverpool in the first leg of their Champions League tie need to lift themselves for a home game vs. Sassuolo.
?? After it’s long sabbatical over the winter months, the Danish Superliga returns to action on Sunday. Midtjylland hold a two point advantage at the top and they’ll be looking to carry on where they left off against fourth placed Aalborg.
?? And finally, we’re in the midst of the various State Championships in Brazilian football but there’s still time to break off for the Supercopa. Atlético Mineiro, who broke a 50 year curse to lift the league title last season also won the main cup competition meaning that for this game, they face league runners up Flamengo who themselves won the title in both 2019 and 2020. This should therefore be a great advert for all that Brazil has to offer!
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!
If you would like to receive this weekly preview direct to your inbox, sign up to our FREE mailing list by clicking here.
Saturday
? The Club World Cup isn’t always a competition that grabs European football fans but that certainly can’t be said for South America where the tournament, and its predecessor – the Intercontinental Cup are revered by the clubs and fans alike.
Therefore, the pressure is on Chelsea to deliver a result when they meet Brazilian side Palmeiras in Saturday’s final, especially considering that the UEFA representatives have won in 13 of the previous 14 years. In fact, the only side in that run to lose a final was Chelsea back in 2012 when they went down 1-0 to Palmerias’ big São Paulo rivals Corinthians. The Verdão will be desperate to emulate that achievement.
?? Following last weekend’s Milan Derby, there’s another top of the table clash in Serie A as Inter travel to Napoli.
Napoli capitalised on Inter’s defeat to Milan in that game by beating Spezia to climb within a point of the summit. Another win here would see the first change in leadership since Napoli themselves were knocked off the top back in early December.
??????? There’s five fixtures scheduled in the Premier League with Manchester United starting proceedings at home against Southampton in the early kick-off. With the Saints winning at Spurs in midweek whilst United stumbled at Burnley it will be interesting to see how this one plays out.
Elsewhere, Everton meet Leeds United in a battle between two struggling teams looking to change the course of their season and later in the day, relegation threatened Norwich City host leaders Manchester City, who are unbeaten in 14 league games.
?? The new football season in Japan kicks off with the Super Cup, which is being held for the 37th time and features back-to-back J.League champions Kawasaki Frontale against Urawa Red Diamonds, who won last season’s Emperor’s Cup.
?? In La Liga, the big game of the day sees Real Madrid travel to sixth place Villarreal. Despite their cushion, in terms of points at the top of the table Madrid could be venerable to the Europa League holders who are on a fine run of form at home.
Madrid haven’t been at their fluent best in recent weeks – drawing with Elche at home, losing in the Copa del Rey and only narrowly beating Granada last weekend, thanks to a wonder strike from Marco Asensio.
?? Bayern München will be on the road on Saturday, visiting a Bochum side that they beat 7-0 in the early stages of this season. Bochum aren’t as bad as that result suggests and they’ve done well to consolidate in mid-table following their promotion as champions of the 2.Bundesliga.
Third placed Bayer Leverkusen also feature, at home to struggling Stuttgart. Always entertaining to watch, Leverkusen have smashed five goals in each of their last two fixtures – first beating Augsburg before the big win at Dortmund that narrowed the gap on the side directly above them in the table.
Sunday
??????? On Sunday, Premier League draw specialists Burnley will be hoping for another positive display as they host Liverpool, a second club from the ‘Big Six’ to visit Turf Moor this week. Burnley’s midweek 1-1 draw with United was their seventh in their last 10 league games!
Newcastle United are another side towards the bottom of the table with reasons to be cheerful but they face a stiff test on Sunday, with Steven Gerrard’s new-look Aston Villa the visitors to St. James’ Park.
Spurs (7th) will also be in action, taking on Wolves (8th) as both clubs look for a run of results that will break them in to the top six.
?? Its Derby Day in Barcelona as Espanyol host their more illustrious rivals from across Spain’s second city. Earlier in the season, the reverse fixture marked Xavi’s first game in charge of Barça and resulted in a narrow 1-0 win thanks to a penalty from Memphis Depay.
Since then, Barcelona have lost just once in the league and they’ll have been massively encouraged by last week’s 4-2 victory over Atlético Madrid, a performance seen by many as their best under the new manager.
?? In Germany, two sides at the top of the table and smarting from recent defeats will be out to prove a point against each other. Dortmund (2nd), who were on the wrong end of that 5-2 defeat to Leverkusen last weekend visit the capital to face Union Berlin (4th) who for their part, lost at lowly Augsburg.
?? We haven’t spoken about the Swiss Super League enough this season, which is an oversight when you consider that we could have our first title winners to break the Basel/Young Boys duopoly since 2009!
FC Zürich were the last side other than the big two to win the league and they currently sit top of the pile. Zürich play fourth placed Lugano on Sunday, with Young Boys clashing with Basel in the country’s most high profile fixture earlier in the day.
?? Lastly, we head back to Serie A where Sunday traditionally provides the best action of the weekend. Milan, who boast an in-form Olivier Giroud (4 goals in 2 games this week!) entertain Sampdoria in the early kick-off. And to close off proceedings, watch out for Atalanta as they welcome Juventus, seemingly their direct rivals for the fourth Champions League qualification spot this season.
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!
If you would like to receive this weekly preview direct to your inbox, sign up to our FREE mailing list by clicking here.
Friday
The weekend starts early with some big games set to get you going this evening!
Before they face Bayern München in the Champions League, Salzburg must face Rapid – their main rivals back home in the Austrian Bundesliga. There’s also a top of the table clash in Portugal where unbeaten FC Porto take on chasers Sporting whilst in La Liga, second placed Sevilla play in-form Elche.
PSG fill the Friday night slot in Ligue 1, as they host Rennes and its sixth vs. seventh in the German Bundesliga as FC Köln go to Leipzig.
Meanwhile, there’s potentially a title-defining game in the English WSL. Current champions Chelsea sit two points below leaders Arsenal and will be desperate to overhaul their rivals in a lively London Derby.
And if that wasn’t enough, there’s also the start of the CAF Champions League group stages.
Saturday
? The Club World Cup isn’t always a competition that grabs European football fans but that certainly can’t be said for South America where the tournament, and its predecessor – the Intercontinental Cup are revered by the clubs and fans alike.
Therefore, the pressure is on Chelsea to deliver a result when they meet Brazilian side Palmeiras in Saturday’s final, especially considering that the UEFA representatives have won in 13 of the previous 14 years. In fact, the only side in that run to lose a final was Chelsea back in 2012 when they went down 1-0 to Palmerias’ big São Paulo rivals Corinthians. The Verdão will be desperate to emulate that achievement.
?? Following last weekend’s Milan Derby, there’s another top of the table clash in Serie A as Inter travel to Napoli.
Napoli capitalised on Inter’s defeat to Milan in that game by beating Spezia to climb within a point of the summit. Another win here would see the first change in leadership since Napoli themselves were knocked off the top back in early December.
??????? There’s five fixtures scheduled in the Premier League with Manchester United starting proceedings at home against Southampton in the early kick-off. With the Saints winning at Spurs in midweek whilst United stumbled at Burnley it will be interesting to see how this one plays out.
Elsewhere, Everton meet Leeds United in a battle between two struggling teams looking to change the course of their season and later in the day, relegation threatened Norwich City host leaders Manchester City, who are unbeaten in 14 league games.
?? The new football season in Japan kicks off with the Super Cup, which is being held for the 37th time and features back-to-back J.League champions Kawasaki Frontale against Urawa Red Diamonds, who won last season’s Emperor’s Cup.
?? In La Liga, the big game of the day sees Real Madrid travel to sixth place Villarreal. Despite their cushion, in terms of points at the top of the table Madrid could be venerable to the Europa League holders who are on a fine run of form at home.
Madrid haven’t been at their fluent best in recent weeks – drawing with Elche at home, losing in the Copa del Rey and only narrowly beating Granada last weekend, thanks to a wonder strike from Marco Asensio.
?? Bayern München will be on the road on Saturday, visiting a Bochum side that they beat 7-0 in the early stages of this season. Bochum aren’t as bad as that result suggests and they’ve done well to consolidate in mid-table following their promotion as champions of the 2.Bundesliga.
Third placed Bayer Leverkusen also feature, at home to struggling Stuttgart. Always entertaining to watch, Leverkusen have smashed five goals in each of their last two fixtures – first beating Augsburg before the big win at Dortmund that narrowed the gap on the side directly above them in the table.
Sunday
??????? On Sunday, Premier League draw specialists Burnley will be hoping for another positive display as they host Liverpool, a second club from the ‘Big Six’ to visit Turf Moor this week. Burnley’s midweek 1-1 draw with United was their seventh in their last 10 league games!
Newcastle United are another side towards the bottom of the table with reasons to be cheerful but they face a stiff test on Sunday, with Steven Gerrard’s new-look Aston Villa the visitors to St. James’ Park.
Spurs (7th) will also be in action, taking on Wolves (8th) as both clubs look for a run of results that will break them in to the top six.
?? Its Derby Day in Barcelona as Espanyol host their more illustrious rivals from across Spain’s second city. Earlier in the season, the reverse fixture marked Xavi’s first game in charge of Barça and resulted in a narrow 1-0 win thanks to a penalty from Memphis Depay.
Since then, Barcelona have lost just once in the league and they’ll have been massively encouraged by last week’s 4-2 victory over Atlético Madrid, a performance seen by many as their best under the new manager.
?? In Germany, two sides at the top of the table and smarting from recent defeats will be out to prove a point against each other. Dortmund (2nd), who were on the wrong end of that 5-2 defeat to Leverkusen last weekend visit the capital to face Union Berlin (4th) who for their part, lost at lowly Augsburg.
?? We haven’t spoken about the Swiss Super League enough this season, which is an oversight when you consider that we could have our first title winners to break the Basel/Young Boys duopoly since 2009!
FC Zürich were the last side other than the big two to win the league and they currently sit top of the pile. Zürich play fourth placed Lugano on Sunday, with Young Boys clashing with Basel in the country’s most high profile fixture earlier in the day.
?? Lastly, we head back to Serie A where Sunday traditionally provides the best action of the weekend. Milan, who boast an in-form Olivier Giroud (4 goals in 2 games this week!) entertain Sampdoria in the early kick-off. And to close off proceedings, watch out for Atalanta as they welcome Juventus, seemingly their direct rivals for the fourth Champions League qualification spot this season.
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!
A look ahead to the best of the action in the Women’s Super League
Each week, podcasters Two Girls Talk Balls cast their critical eye over the fixture list. You can listen to their alternative take on Women’s Football – here!
Chelsea ? Arsenal
It’s only fair that this week we direct you towards the mammoth clash between Chelsea and Arsenal that takes place at a sold out Kingsmeadow on Friday night.
Without doubt, this is a title-deciding fixture and a must watch with defending champions Chelsea currently trailing leaders Arsenal by just two points.
The big question is, will Emma Hayes’ Chelsea use their usual guile and grind out a win, or will Arsenal’s ‘Eideball’ style return and allow them to stretch the gap at the top?
Manchester City ? Manchester United
Headlining the rest of the fixtures, which are all being played on the traditional Sunday is the Manchester Derby.
The clash, at City’s Academy Stadium could be pivotal in both teams’ quest to secure that vital third place spot in the league and consequent Champions League qualification.
Around the Grounds
Elsewhere Everton will be looking to get something from their match at home with Aston Villa whilst Birmingham meet high-flying Spurs where in truth, only a win will do for the beleaguered Midlands side.
Brighton welcome in-form Reading to Sussex and Leicester have a visit from a West Ham side whose Czech international midfielder, Kateřina Svitková has been one of the league’s best rated players over the last few weeks.
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!
If you would like to receive this weekly preview direct to your inbox, sign up to our FREE mailing list by clicking here.
Saturday
?? The Derby della Madonnina, or Milan Derby is quite simply the biggest game in club football this weekend. Inter are the designated home side for the clash against city rivals Milan in the stadium that they share, and its Inter who go in to the game with a four point lead at the top of Serie A.
Milan sit third, level on points with Napoli above them and they will be looking to get back to winning ways after defeat to lowly Spezia and a goalless draw against Juventus in their last two fixtures.
??????? The FA Cup takes priority in England over the next few days, although if you do need a Premier League fix there is one vital game being played, and that’s between the bottom two – Burnley vs. Watford.
In the fourth round itself, look out for the games involving lower league teams taking on top flight opposition. After all, the FA Cup is built on the back of potential giant-killings!
Kidderminster Harriers are the lowest side left in the competition sitting as they do, third in the National League North (level 6 of English football) and they host West Ham United. Elsewhere, League Two (level 4) Hartlepool United go to Crystal Palace whilst League One (level 3) Plymouth Argyle will be putting their promotion aspirations to one side as they visit the home of European Champions, Chelsea!
Another intriguing clash pits Premier League leaders Manchester City against Fulham, their counterparts from the Championship. Both sides are in form, with Fulham always a threat going forward – they’re averaging over 2.6 goals a game this season.
?? In the Bundesliga, Bayern München face RB Leipzig in the Saturday headliner in Germany and whilst this isn’t the potential title decider it has been in recent years – Leipzig currently sit sixth in the table, there is still no love lost between the sides. That does of course, stem from the perception that one tends to lose their star players and indeed coaches to the other on a regular basis, mentioning no names (ahem Julian Nagelsmann).
? The delayed 2021 FIFA Club World Cup sees its first major contest take place on Saturday with African Champions, Al Ahly of Egypt – often dubbed the biggest team in Africa taking on Concacaf Champions League holders Monterrey, from Mexico.
The winners of this one go on to face Palmeiras, with the Brazilian giants allowed a bye until the semi-final stage due to their status as South America representatives.
Sunday
? The Africa Cup of Nations will come to a dramatic conclusion on Sunday, with the final set to be contested by Senegal and Egypt. Now, you won’t catch us reducing a game of this magnitude to a clash between two strikers from the same Premier League club, it’s obviously so much more than that.
That said, Sadio Mané’s side (!) have the chance to right the wrong of losing out in the 2019 final but they will have to do it against the tournament’s most decorated nation, as Mo Salah (!) and his countrymen look for AFCON title number eight.
Senegal have looked fluent in the knockout stages, easing past Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea and Burkina Faso whilst Egypt required penalty shoot-out wins against the Côte d’Ivoire in the Round of 16 and again in Thursday’s Semi-Final versus Cameroon.
?? La Liga should be lively on Sunday with six of the current top seven all involved. Leaders Real Madrid have the easiest game on paper, at home against 14th placed Granada whilst Real Betis, who sit third at the time of writing must play seventh placed Villarreal.
Top of the billing though, will be the game between fourth and fifth as defending champions Atlético Madrid go to Barcelona. And given the transfers between the two clubs, there may be a few players out to prove a point against their former employers.
??????? Back to the FA Cup and Sunday features a couple of ties that might just grab the headlines. Leicester City, the current holders make the short trip to Championship side Nottingham Forest and Liverpool entertain Cardiff City.
??????? It’s already been a significant week in the Scottish Premiership where Celtic beat old rivals Rangers to take top spot in the table, a position Rangers had held since Round 5 of the season. The defeat ended Rangers’ 21-game unbeaten league run and extended Celtic’s to 18 under the impressive stewardship of new manager Ange Postecoglou.
On Sunday, both sides face a further test – Rangers host Hearts, who’ve sat third for the majority of the campaign and Celtic go to Motherwell, the side currently in fourth.
?? Ligue 1 provides an interesting end to the weekend as we get to see how outgoing champions Lille shape up against PSG, the side aiming to regain what was taken from them in that dramatic 2020/21 season. Despite their success in the Champions League groups stages, Lille are looking decidedly mid-table domestically but PSG haven’t been as dominant as their 11 point lead in the table might suggest, and they did suffer an early exit from the Coupe de France on Monday night.
?? Lastly, we’ll end with a look at Sunday’s Serie A fixtures where Napoli will know exactly what they need to do to keep pace with the Milan clubs as they visit Venezia.
And later, we’ll have our alerts set to see if Dušan Vlahović makes his first appearance for new club Juventus after the league’s joint top scorer made his controversial and rather protracted move from Fiorentina. The Old Lady face Hellas Verona in Turin.
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!
If you would like to receive this weekly preview direct to your inbox, sign up to our FREE mailing list by clicking here.
Saturday
?? The Derby della Madonnina, or Milan Derby is quite simply the biggest game in club football this weekend. Inter are the designated home side for the clash against city rivals Milan in the stadium that they share, and its Inter who go in to the game with a four point lead at the top of Serie A.
Milan sit third, level on points with Napoli above them and they will be looking to get back to winning ways after defeat to lowly Spezia and a goalless draw against Juventus in their last two fixtures.
??????? The FA Cup takes priority in England over the next few days, although if you do need a Premier League fix there is one vital game being played, and that’s between the bottom two – Burnley vs. Watford.
In the fourth round itself, look out for the games involving lower league teams taking on top flight opposition. After all, the FA Cup is built on the back of potential giant-killings!
Kidderminster Harriers are the lowest side left in the competition sitting as they do, third in the National League North (level 6 of English football) and they host West Ham United. Elsewhere, League Two (level 4) Hartlepool United go to Crystal Palace whilst League One (level 3) Plymouth Argyle will be putting their promotion aspirations to one side as they visit the home of European Champions, Chelsea!
Another intriguing clash pits Premier League leaders Manchester City against Fulham, their counterparts from the Championship. Both sides are in form, with Fulham always a threat going forward – they’re averaging over 2.6 goals a game this season.
?? In the Bundesliga, Bayern München face RB Leipzig in the Saturday headliner in Germany and whilst this isn’t the potential title decider it has been in recent years – Leipzig currently sit sixth in the table, there is still no love lost between the sides. That does of course, stem from the perception that one tends to lose their star players and indeed coaches to the other on a regular basis, mentioning no names (ahem Julian Nagelsmann).
? The delayed 2021 FIFA Club World Cup sees its first major contest take place on Saturday with African Champions, Al Ahly of Egypt – often dubbed the biggest team in Africa taking on Concacaf Champions League holders Monterrey, from Mexico.
The winners of this one go on to face Palmeiras, with the Brazilian giants allowed a bye until the semi-final stage due to their status as South America representatives.
Sunday
? The Africa Cup of Nations will come to a dramatic conclusion on Sunday, with the final set to be contested by Senegal and Egypt. Now, you won’t catch us reducing a game of this magnitude to a clash between two strikers from the same Premier League club, it’s obviously so much more than that.
That said, Sadio Mané’s side (!) have the chance to right the wrong of losing out in the 2019 final but they will have to do it against the tournament’s most decorated nation, as Mo Salah (!) and his countrymen look for AFCON title number eight.
Senegal have looked fluent in the knockout stages, easing past Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea and Burkina Faso whilst Egypt required penalty shoot-out wins against the Côte d’Ivoire in the Round of 16 and again in Thursday’s Semi-Final versus Cameroon.
?? La Liga should be lively on Sunday with six of the current top seven all involved. Leaders Real Madrid have the easiest game on paper, at home against 14th placed Granada whilst Real Betis, who sit third at the time of writing must play seventh placed Villarreal.
Top of the billing though, will be the game between fourth and fifth as defending champions Atlético Madrid go to Barcelona. And given the transfers between the two clubs, there may be a few players out to prove a point against their former employers.
??????? Back to the FA Cup and Sunday features a couple of ties that might just grab the headlines. Leicester City, the current holders make the short trip to Championship side Nottingham Forest and Liverpool entertain Cardiff City.
??????? It’s already been a significant week in the Scottish Premiership where Celtic beat old rivals Rangers to take top spot in the table, a position Rangers had held since Round 5 of the season. The defeat ended Rangers’ 21-game unbeaten league run and extended Celtic’s to 18 under the impressive stewardship of new manager Ange Postecoglou.
On Sunday, both sides face a further test – Rangers host Hearts, who’ve sat third for the majority of the campaign and Celtic go to Motherwell, the side currently in fourth.
?? Ligue 1 provides an interesting end to the weekend as we get to see how outgoing champions Lille shape up against PSG, the side aiming to regain what was taken from them in that dramatic 2020/21 season. Despite their success in the Champions League groups stages, Lille are looking decidedly mid-table domestically but PSG haven’t been as dominant as their 11 point lead in the table might suggest, and they did suffer an early exit from the Coupe de France on Monday night.
?? Lastly, we’ll end with a look at Sunday’s Serie A fixtures where Napoli will know exactly what they need to do to keep pace with the Milan clubs as they visit Venezia.
And later, we’ll have our alerts set to see if Dušan Vlahović makes his first appearance for new club Juventus after the league’s joint top scorer made his controversial and rather protracted move from Fiorentina. The Old Lady face Hellas Verona in Turin.
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!
If you would like to receive this weekly preview direct to your inbox, sign up to our FREE mailing list by clicking here.
Saturday
? We have reached the last eight at the Africa Cup of Nations and our thoughts remain with those affected by the tragic events outside the Olembé Stadium earlier in the week.
All games at this stage have consequently been moved to other grounds and that will see host nation Cameroon face Gambia in Douala on Saturday.
The Gambia are ranked 150 in the world according to FIFA but have been enjoying a dream debut appearance at the finals, finishing second in their group and beating Mali to reach this point. Cameroon though will prove a stiffer test as the tournament’s top scorers and led by Vincent Aboubakar up front – the first man this century to score more than five goals in a single AFCON.
Saturday’s other quarter-final is perhaps a surprise one with Burkina Faso, who overcame Gabon on penalties in the Round of 16 taking on Tunisia, who were victors against the previously impressive Nigeria.
?? Flicking through the app this weekend, you may well be missing your usual fix of big domestic league action but don’t worry – there’s still some decent games to look out for! And from France, that comes in the form of the Coupe de France.
The Round of 16 gets underway on Friday night but Saturday’s biggest game comes on the country’s Mediterranean coast where Ligue 1 giants Marseille take on Montpellier. The last three meetings between these two have seen a total of 15 goals scored.
?? In Portugal, the Taça da Liga takes centre stage on Saturday evening with the 2021/22 final being contested by Lisbon rivals, Benfica and Sporting.
Sporting are the defending champions going in to the game but perhaps surprisingly, in a country dominated by the big three (Benfica, Sporting plus Porto), this is just the second time that these two have met in the showpiece final. The last one came back in 2009 with Benfica winning on penalties.
??????? The English Championship is one high level league that is carrying on as normal this weekend, with games spread over the next few days.
Leaders Fulham face mid-table Blackpool and will be looking to extend their run of four back-to-back wins, a period in which they’ve scored a whopping 22 goals!
Among the chasers, Blackburn Rovers go to Luton Town (10th), Bournemouth visit bottom side Barnsley and Queens Park Rangers host another of the struggling sides, Reading (21st).
Sunday
? The drama of World Cup Qualifying will be where we’re focusing most of our attention on Sunday, with games in the Concacaf Octagonal top of the bill. This is the final stage of qualifying for this federation and for the first time since their only other appearance back in 1986, Canada are on the verge of reaching the finals.
But with five rounds left to play and only five points separating Canada from Panama, current occupants of the inter-continental play-off place, it’s not guaranteed just yet! Which makes Sunday’s game against old rivals the United States all the more crucial. The USMNT sit second and will be determined to end Canada’s unbeaten campaign but could be forgiven for having one eye on the nations coming up behind them in the group.
For their part, Mexico will look to follow Thursday’s comeback win in Jamaica with something a little more comfortable at home vs. Costa Rica. And Honduras and El Salvador, the bottom two face each other in a game that always has a lot at stake, particularly if you know the history between these two.
? Sunday’s quarter-finals at the Africa Cup of Nations gives us the opportunity to cast an eye over three of the remaining favourites.
Record seven-time winners Egypt haven’t set the tournament alight so far but will come in to their game against Morocco on a high after a penalty shootout victory over the dangerous Côte d’Ivoire. For their part, Morocco have been one of the more exciting sides with the likes of Romain Saïss, Selim Amallah and Achraf Hakimi all making our team of the Round of 16 after beating Malawi.
Senegal feature in the late game and will start as overwhelming favourites against Equatorial Guinea. That is despite concerns over the fitness of Liverpool striker Sadio Mané who suffered a concussion in the last round vs. Cape Verde. Despite their lowly FIFA ranking of 114th, Equatorial Guinea have a surprisingly good tournament record having never failed to make the last eight in any of their three appearances at the finals.
?? Lastly and returning to the Coupe de France, two further games to let you know about on Sunday.
Bergerac of the regionalised fourth tier have already knocked out Metz en route to the Round of 16 and as such, will fancy their chances against another Ligue 1 club, the struggling Saint-Etienne. Meanwhile the all-Ligue 1 clash between Lens and Monaco pits two very evenly matched sides against each other – both are locked on 33 points with identical W9 D6 L7 records in the league.
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Saturday
? We have reached the last eight at the Africa Cup of Nations and our thoughts remain with those affected by the tragic events outside the Olembé Stadium earlier in the week.
All games at this stage have consequently been moved to other grounds and that will see host nation Cameroon face Gambia in Douala on Saturday.
The Gambia are ranked 150 in the world according to FIFA but have been enjoying a dream debut appearance at the finals, finishing second in their group and beating Mali to reach this point. Cameroon though will prove a stiffer test as the tournament’s top scorers and led by Vincent Aboubakar up front – the first man this century to score more than five goals in a single AFCON.
Saturday’s other quarter-final is perhaps a surprise one with Burkina Faso, who overcame Gabon on penalties in the Round of 16 taking on Tunisia, who were victors against the previously impressive Nigeria.
?? Flicking through the app this weekend, you may well be missing your usual fix of big domestic league action but don’t worry – there’s still some decent games to look out for! And from France, that comes in the form of the Coupe de France.
The Round of 16 gets underway on Friday night but Saturday’s biggest game comes on the country’s Mediterranean coast where Ligue 1 giants Marseille take on Montpellier. The last three meetings between these two have seen a total of 15 goals scored.
?? In Portugal, the Taça da Liga takes centre stage on Saturday evening with the 2021/22 final being contested by Lisbon rivals, Benfica and Sporting.
Sporting are the defending champions going in to the game but perhaps surprisingly, in a country dominated by the big three (Benfica, Sporting plus Porto), this is just the second time that these two have met in the showpiece final. The last one came back in 2009 with Benfica winning on penalties.
??????? The English Championship is one high level league that is carrying on as normal this weekend, with games spread over the next few days.
Leaders Fulham face mid-table Blackpool and will be looking to extend their run of four back-to-back wins, a period in which they’ve scored a whopping 22 goals!
Among the chasers, Blackburn Rovers go to Luton Town (10th), Bournemouth visit bottom side Barnsley and Queens Park Rangers host another of the struggling sides, Reading (21st).
Sunday
? The drama of World Cup Qualifying will be where we’re focusing most of our attention on Sunday, with games in the Concacaf Octagonal top of the bill. This is the final stage of qualifying for this federation and for the first time since their only other appearance back in 1986, Canada are on the verge of reaching the finals.
But with five rounds left to play and only five points separating Canada from Panama, current occupants of the inter-continental play-off place, it’s not guaranteed just yet! Which makes Sunday’s game against old rivals the United States all the more crucial. The USMNT sit second and will be determined to end Canada’s unbeaten campaign but could be forgiven for having one eye on the nations coming up behind them in the group.
For their part, Mexico will look to follow Thursday’s comeback win in Jamaica with something a little more comfortable at home vs. Costa Rica. And Honduras and El Salvador, the bottom two face each other in a game that always has a lot at stake, particularly if you know the history between these two.
? Sunday’s quarter-finals at the Africa Cup of Nations gives us the opportunity to cast an eye over three of the remaining favourites.
Record seven-time winners Egypt haven’t set the tournament alight so far but will come in to their game against Morocco on a high after a penalty shootout victory over the dangerous Côte d’Ivoire. For their part, Morocco have been one of the more exciting sides with the likes of Romain Saïss, Selim Amallah and Achraf Hakimi all making our team of the Round of 16 after beating Malawi.
Senegal feature in the late game and will start as overwhelming favourites against Equatorial Guinea. That is despite concerns over the fitness of Liverpool striker Sadio Mané who suffered a concussion in the last round vs. Cape Verde. Despite their lowly FIFA ranking of 114th, Equatorial Guinea have a surprisingly good tournament record having never failed to make the last eight in any of their three appearances at the finals.
?? Lastly and returning to the Coupe de France, two further games to let you know about on Sunday.
Bergerac of the regionalised fourth tier have already knocked out Metz en route to the Round of 16 and as such, will fancy their chances against another Ligue 1 club, the struggling Saint-Etienne. Meanwhile the all-Ligue 1 clash between Lens and Monaco pits two very evenly matched sides against each other – both are locked on 33 points with identical W9 D6 L7 records in the league.
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!
If you would like to receive this weekly preview direct to your inbox, sign up to our FREE mailing list by clicking here.
Saturday
??????? Make the most of the games played in the Premier League over the next couple of days as that’ll be it until the league reconvenes in two weeks time. It doesn’t sound like a long break but the absence of the familiar routine might just surprise you!
There’s five fixtures this Saturday, including a trip to managerless Everton for Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa and a home game for Manchester United against West Ham, seemingly a direct challenger for the fourth Champions League spot come the end of the season.
Runaway leaders Manchester City round off the day with a game on the South Coast as they visit Southampton.
Away from the top flight, there’s something of a Derby Day feel in the EFL Championship with Cardiff City crossing the Severn Bridge into England to face Bristol City and arch-enemies Nottingham Forest and Derby County meeting in the East Midlands. Both games could be ‘fun.’
?? No need to worry about about any mid-season breaks in Serie A as it’s business as usual in Italy (COVID outbreaks not withstanding). Here, Inter will be back at the San Siro and hoping to extend their seven-game unbeaten run against Venezia.
Despite being held to a goalless draw at Atalanta last weekend, Inter actually increased their narrow advantage at the top of the table thanks to the dramatic injury-time winner Spezia scored at rivals Milan.
?? The big game of the day in the Bundesliga sees fourth take on second as Hoffenheim play Borussia Dortmund. Both sides suffered midweek defeats in the DFB Pokal – Hoffenheim losing to fellow high-flyers Freiburg whilst Dortmund went down 2-1 at St. Pauli of the 2. Bundesliga.
?? Sevilla are now well established at the head of the chasing pack in La Liga, four points down on leaders Real Madrid but with a clear gap to city-rivals Real Betis below them. Every point is therefore vital for Julen Lopetegui’s outside title bid, and they’ll be hoping to take all three against Celta Vigo on Saturday.
The other headline fixture sees Atlético Madrid go up against Valencia as Diego Simeone desperately tries to rescue something from their season.
In reality, with Atleti now 16 points back in the league and following consecutive defeats in the Supercopa and Copa Del Rey over the last ten days, next month’s Champions League knockout game against Manchester United might be the club’s main focus.
?? The new Clausura season is now underway in Liga MX and there’s a couple of big games that may be of interest here – Apertura champions Atlas play Club América whilst the side Atlas beat to that title, Club León host Pachuca.
Sunday
?? La Liga’s big two both feature on Sunday with Real Madrid facing Elche for the second time in just 72 hours after they also met in the Copa Del Rey on Thursday night.
Elche held Madrid in that encounter, and even took the lead in extra-time before Madrid substitutes Isco and Eden Hazard turned it around late on.
Barcelona were defeated in their cup tie at Athletic Club on Thursday, going down 3-2 (after extra-time) to the side they beat convincingly in last season’s Copa Del Rey Final. On Sunday, Xavi’s inconsistent side make another trip to the Basque Country, this time hoping to get more out of the game at Deportivo Alavés.
??????? Before going on their winter break, the Premier League will serve up a few last minute treats for us. First up, Arsenal need to shake off their recent disappointments as Burnley visit the Emirates.
Kicking off at the same time, Liverpool follow Thursday’s League Cup triumph at Arsenal with another trip to London, where they face Crystal Palace. And Leicester City look to close the four point gap between themselves and opponents Brighton as both sides look to climb the table.
Last, but not least there’s another fiery London Derby between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur as the rivals clash for the third time this month. Chelsea did of course win both legs in that League Cup semi-final but Spurs will be boosted by their injury-time heroics against Leicester in midweek.
?? The Eredivisie’s top two, PSV and Ajax go head-to-head in a fixture that has more riding on it than the ordinary run-of-the-mill meeting between the league’s two biggest teams. Defending champions Ajax trail their domestic rivals by a point despite conceding just four goals across 19 games this season and boasting a goal difference of +55.
That is essentially down to Roger Schmidt’s side matching Ajax for consistency, with PSV now unbeaten in 11 league and KNVB Cup games since the sides last met back in October. Ajax won that first De Topper of the campaign by five unanswered goals but whoever comes out on top in this one will then undoubtably be favourites to take the title this year.
?? Bayern are back in Bundesliga action on Sunday as they visit a Hertha side who could be particularly vulnerable after their midweek defeat to city-rivals Union. The Champions were back to their usual goal-hungry selves last time out, sticking four past FC Köln to make it 61 goals in 19 games this season but if you really fancy a home win, Bayern’s three league defeats have all finished 2-1.
?? The biggest game of the Serie A weekend, as always comes last in the schedule with title-chasing Milan playing fellow giants Juventus. The Old Lady are unbeaten in eight league games and progressed to the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia after beating Sampdoria, with ease on Tuesday.
For their part Milan have stuttered of late, particularly last Monday when they missed out on the chance to go top of the table thanks to that shock defeat to Spezia.
? Lastly, and after an action-packed week of drama in the group stages, the Round of 16 kicks off at the Africa Cup of Nations.
There will be two games played on Sunday, the first coming between the Stallions of Burkina Faso, finalists back in 2013 and Gabon, who went through their three group games unbeaten.
Later in the day, there’s a chance to see Nigeria, now the bookie’s favourites after three wins saw them top Group D come up against Tunisia. Usually amongst the favourites themselves, Tunisia have struggled so far with a solitary win against Mauritania enough for them to qualify for this stage as one of the best third placed teams.
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!
