Messi leads the way
Barcelona’s front three all made the team this week as they put five past Deportivo Alaves on Saturday (highlights).
Let us know who was your top performer this week in the comments on Twitter.
Whether you’re looking for a tasty looking tie to watch in one of Europe’s top leagues or fancy following something more obscure, we’re here every Friday, selecting the best games FotMob has to offer over the weekend.
?? With Bayern beating a hasty retreat from Qatar having become Club World Champions during the week, attention will be elsewhere in the Bundesliga during the next few days. And tonight, we’ll see how RB Leipzig, their nearest challengers on the domestic front get on at home to Augsburg. A win would cut Bayern’s lead in the table down to four points.
Elsewhere in Europe’s top leagues, La Liga gives us the game between Celta Vigo, who drew with Atlético last time out and struggling Elche whilst Bologna and Benevento will be going at it in Serie A.
??????? The WSL throws up a Manchester Derby, a rare treat for a Friday night. Going in to the game, United lead City by two points with the clubs sitting 2nd and 3rd in the league respectively. A win for United would take them level on points with Chelsea at the top, something City will want to avoid considering they have title ambitions of their own.
? And having just watched arch-rivals Al Ahly finish 3rd at the Club World Cup, Egyptian side Zamalek are in action as the group stages of the CAF Champions League get underway. The Cairo neighbours faced each other in the final last season and Zamalek are looking to go one better this time around.
??????? The Premier League leaders Manchester City will be headlining tomorrow’s action in England’s top league against Spurs, who’ve hopefully recovered from their epic 5-4 defeat in the FA Cup at Everton.
Also coming up on Saturday, 3rd placed Leicester City take on 4th placed Liverpool with the away side looking to salvage their season after a run of four defeats in their last six.
?? The big game in Italy is the grudge match between Napoli and Juventus. Direct title rivals in recent seasons, things are a little different this year with Napoli seemingly on the slide and Juve finding some form to challenge the Milan clubs at the top of the table. Just last month, Juve beat Napoli 2-0 in the Supercoppa thanks to goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Alvaro Morata.
?? Three of the current top 4 all play in La Liga with Atlético travelling to Granada looking to extend / protect their five point advantage over the sides below.
Sevilla, who triumphed over Barcelona in the 1st leg of their Copa Del Rey semi-final during the week host Huesca knowing that bettering Barcelona’s result again tomorrow will see them go above Barça in the league table. For their part, the Catalans welcome Alavés to Camp Nou.
?? As in Italy, France’s Ligue 1 title race is not exactly sticking to the script with both PSG and Lyon playing catch-up as Lille lead the way.
?? On Sunday, under pressure boss, Zinedine Zidane will be hoping that his Real Madrid side back up the recent wins over Huesca and Getafe when they face Valencia.
??????? There’s another four fixtures lined up in the Premier League – Manchester United are at strugglers West Bromwich Albion, Arsenal go up against Leeds United, Fulham travel to Everton and Southampton play Wolves, just a couple of days after dumping them out of the FA Cup.
?? Inter versus Lazio is the big Sunday night game in Serie A and having seen their Coppa Italia ambitions peter out in aggregate defeat at Juve in the week, Inter will be hoping that their challenge for the Scudetto doesn’t go the same way.
?? And in Argentina, yet another season format gets underway. After the last regular league season ended in March 2020 and the interim tournament finished in January – the Liga Profesional were left with a hole in the calendar, not wishing to squeeze in a league campaign before this summer’s Copa America. Instead, they’ve now come up with another league cup competition for the top division of 26 teams.
Champions Boca Juniors kickstart their latest title defence against Gimnasia La Plata.
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Three City players shine after 4-1 demolition of Liverpool
Each of Man City’s goalscorers in their 4-1 win over Liverpool feature in this week’s TOTW, with Ilkay Gündogan missing out on a higher rating because of his missed penalty (highlights).
The top two ratings went to the Newcastle pair of Miguel Almirón and Allan Saint-Maximin as the former scored twice while the latter had two assists.
Who caught your eye this week? Who was unlucky to miss out? Let us know in the comments on Instagram.
For once, no place for Messi!
Four players in our TOTW scored braces to earn ratings of 8.9 or higher.
23-year-old Mikel Oyarzabal earned the top rating with two goals in Real Sociedad’s 4-1 win over Cadiz, while his teammate Alexander Isak also bagged a brace for an 8.9 rating.
Elsewhere, Luis Suárez remains LaLiga’s top scorer with 16 goals this season, as he scored two against Celta Vigo, while Raphael Varane did the same for Real Madrid against Huesca.
Who caught your eye this week? Who was unlucky to miss out? Let us know in the comments on Instagram.
Whether you’re looking for a tasty looking tie to watch in one of Europe’s top leagues or fancy following something more obscure, we’re here every Friday, selecting the best games FotMob has to offer over the weekend.
?? 72 hours before Bayern are due to take their place as UEFA’s representatives in the FIFA Club World Cup, the European Champions have domestic matters to attend to – namely this evening’s game at Hertha. The Berlin club are on a 5-game winless run and Bayern will be keen to leave the country with their comfortable lead in the table in tact.
??????? The English Championship provides a top of the table clash, with leaders Norwich going up against 3rd placed Swansea at the Liberty Stadium. The Welsh side sit 5 points back but do have a game in hand on their promotion rivals.
?? There’s also a big game lined up in Italy, where Inter travel to Fiorentina knowing that a win would take them top of Serie A going into the weekend fixtures. The home side’s form has been a little patchy of late but they do of course boast Franck Ribéry, who was on the scoresheet against Torino last weekend.
??????? There’s 5 Premier League games to keep us on our toes tomorrow, with the day topped and tailed by the lunchtime kick-off at Villa Park, where Arsenal are the visitors and the late kick-off, which sees Manchester United take on Everton.
In between, we’ll get to see how Southampton recover from their midweek humiliation at Newcastle.
?? Fierce local rivals, Borussia Mönchengladbach and FC Köln’s meeting in the Rhine Derby is the pick of the Bundesliga fixtures this weekend. Elsewhere, Leverkusen face Stuttgart, still licking their wounds after defeat in the DFB Pokal and Borussia Dortmund play away at entertaining Freiburg.
?? Forth play third in Serie A as Juventus host Roma looking to overtake the side from the capital and close in on the two Milan clubs at the top. On paper Juve are in the middle of a crucial run of games – the two legged Derby d’Italia in the Coppa Italia sit either side of this fixture, then there’s an away trip to Napoli.
?? And returning to the derby day theme, tomorrow also sees the seismic clash between Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray in Turkey’s Intercontinental Derby. A certain Mesut Özil made his debut for the home side as a second half substitute earlier in the week, so it’ll be interesting to see what level of involvement he has in this massive game.
?? Marseille vs. PSG, the biggest game in Ligue 1 is one of Sunday’s obvious highlights. And it comes during a period of high stress for L’OM. After a poor first half of the season, angry fans staged a violent attack on the training ground last weekend, causing the cancellation of Marseille’s fixture. Then manager, André Villas-Boas offered his resignation following the club’s deadline day transfers dealings on Monday – stating he did not ask for the players that the club brought in. That led to his suspension by the board on Tuesday. After that, Marseille then threw away a 2-0 lead to draw at Lens in midweek, just when they could have done with a confidence building win.
??????? The Premier League also offers up a key fixture as Liverpool entertain Manchester City. You probably know all about the recent form of both sides by it bears repeating – Liverpool have lost back-to-back home games against Burnley and Brighton, but seemed to be recovering some form in-between with wins at Spurs and West Ham. Meanwhile, City are unbeaten in 20 and have won 13 straight games in all competitions. This is going to be a big one in terms of the title race!
? At the delayed 2020 FIFA Club World Cup, the first semi-final takes place with Palmerias, victorious in last weekend’s Copa Libertadores Final set to play Tigres, of Mexico. CONCACAF’s representatives in the competition have played in Qatar already this week, overcoming Asian champions Ulsan Hyandai thanks to a brace from their all-time record goalscorer, André-Pierre Gignac.
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!
Two-goal Salah leads the way.
The Liverpool trio of Mo Salah, Gini Wijnaldum and Thiago all earned ratings over 8.0 in Liverpool’s 3-1 win over West Ham.
A goal and two assists against Leicester led to an 8.9 rating for Patrick Bamford, while Callum Wilson’s double away to Everton earned him the third-highest rating of the week at 8.8.
Who caught your eye this week? Who was unlucky to miss out? Let us know in the replies on Twitter.
Whether you’re looking for a tasty looking tie to watch in one of Europe’s top leagues or fancy following something more obscure, we’re here every Friday, selecting the best games FotMob has to offer over the weekend.
?? There’s action in most of Europe’s top leagues this evening with the Ligue 1 tie between Lyon and Bordeaux being the most attractive.
Only PSG have scored more than Lyon in the French top flight so far this season and Rudi Garcia’s side should still be riding the high of last week’s big win over local rivals Saint-Étienne.
Moving on to the fixtures elsewhere – La Liga serves up the dubious delights of Valladolid vs. Huesca, two sides struggling at the bottom end of the table while in Germany, we get to see if Mainz can build on their shock win over RB Leipzig and rise up the Bundesliga as they go to mid-table Stuttgart.
??????? In England, Reading vs. Bournemouth could prove an interesting contest with both aiming to consolidate their position in the Championship play-off places.
??????? Six Premier League games are lined up for tomorrow, including one of the most famous fixtures of all – Arsenal vs. Manchester United. We’re not sure there will be a repeat of Pizzagate or any of the 22-man brawls we’ve seen in the past but it should be a heated contest never the less. Particularly with United having suffered that shock defeat to Sheffield United in midweek.
Speaking of which, the Blades will be out to upset a second Manchester club in a matter of days as Chris Wilder’s basement side go to current league leaders City.
Further down the English pyramid, in League One there’s another grudge match between AFC Wimbledon and MK Dons, the club who’s very existence they often refuse to acknowledge. This will be the first time the two clubs have met in Wimbledon since fan-owned AFC Wimbledon finally returned to the area, almost 30 years after the process begun that ultimately led to the original club’s forced move and rebrand in Milton Keynes.
? Elsewhere, one of the biggest games in world football takes place as two Brazilian sides from São Paulo state, Palmerias and Santos meet to decide who will become South American champions in the final of the 61st Copa Libertadores. Eternal glory is said to be bestowed upon the winners, but there’s also the added bonus of a place at next month’s FIFA Club World Cup!
CONMEBOL made the decision to break with tradition and move to a single-leg final in 2019 – tailoring the game to a more global audience by moving the showpiece to a primetime slot on a Saturday night in Europe. So there’s no excuses not to watch this one!
?? Tomorrow is also a big day in the Serie A title race with three of the top four all in action. Current leaders Milan need to bounce back at Bologna after a period of seven days that saw them lose just their second league game of the campaign and suffer defeat to rivals Inter in the Coppa Italia. For their part, Inter are at home to Benevento and will be watching out for any further slip-ups whilst Juventus, who sit five points further back play at Sampdoria.
?? You may be forgiven for thinking it’s Groundhog Day in La Liga where Barcelona face Athletic Club for what will be the third time this month! First there was Barça’s 3-2 league victory in Bilbao, then came Athletic’s revenge in the Supercopa Final – which again finished 3-2 after extra-time. So you could see Sunday’s meeting at Camp Nou as the decider?
Earlier in the day, Atlético continue their title charge at Cadíz, who are quite fond of causing the odd shock since their promotion back to the top flight.
Staying in Spain, there’s also the fledgling Clásico rivalry in the Primera Iberdrola – where Barcelona meet Real Madrid for only the second time since the top women’s side in Madrid assumed the Real identity. The two clubs, as you might expect are sitting first and second in the table.
??????? And finally, back in the Premier League – Sunday provides us with another four fixtures: In-form West Ham’s game against possibly back-in-form Liverpool is the pick of the action but there’s also Leicester City vs. Leeds United, Tottenham’s trip to Brighton and we’ll see if Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea can convert possession in to goals when they play Burnley.
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!
Whether you’re looking for a tasty looking tie to watch in one of Europe’s top leagues or fancy following something more obscure, we’re here every Friday, selecting the best games FotMob has to offer over the weekend.
?? There’s action in most of Europe’s top leagues this evening with the Ligue 1 tie between Lyon and Bordeaux being the most attractive.
Only PSG have scored more than Lyon in the French top flight so far this season and Rudi Garcia’s side should still be riding the high of last week’s big win over local rivals Saint-Étienne.
Moving on to the fixtures elsewhere – La Liga serves up the dubious delights of Valladolid vs. Huesca, two sides struggling at the bottom end of the table while in Germany, we get to see if Mainz can build on their shock win over RB Leipzig and rise up the Bundesliga as they go to mid-table Stuttgart.
??????? In England, Reading vs. Bournemouth could prove an interesting contest with both aiming to consolidate their position in the Championship play-off places.
??????? Six Premier League games are lined up for tomorrow, including one of the most famous fixtures of all – Arsenal vs. Manchester United. We’re not sure there will be a repeat of Pizzagate or any of the 22-man brawls we’ve seen in the past but it should be a heated contest never the less. Particularly with United having suffered that shock defeat to Sheffield United in midweek.
Speaking of which, the Blades will be out to upset a second Manchester club in a matter of days as Chris Wilder’s basement side go to current league leaders City.
Further down the English pyramid, in League One there’s another grudge match between AFC Wimbledon and MK Dons, the club who’s very existence they often refuse to acknowledge. This will be the first time the two clubs have met in Wimbledon since fan-owned AFC Wimbledon finally returned to the area, almost 30 years after the process begun that ultimately led to the original club’s forced move and rebrand in Milton Keynes.
? Elsewhere, one of the biggest games in world football takes place as two Brazilian sides from São Paulo state, Palmerias and Santos meet to decide who will become South American champions in the final of the 61st Copa Libertadores. Eternal glory is said to be bestowed upon the winners, but there’s also the added bonus of a place at next month’s FIFA Club World Cup!
CONMEBOL made the decision to break with tradition and move to a single-leg final in 2019 – tailoring the game to a more global audience by moving the showpiece to a primetime slot on a Saturday night in Europe. So there’s no excuses not to watch this one!
?? Tomorrow is also a big day in the Serie A title race with three of the top four all in action. Current leaders Milan need to bounce back at Bologna after a period of seven days that saw them lose just their second league game of the campaign and suffer defeat to rivals Inter in the Coppa Italia. For their part, Inter are at home to Benevento and will be watching out for any further slip-ups whilst Juventus, who sit five points further back play at Sampdoria.
?? You may be forgiven for thinking it’s Groundhog Day in La Liga where Barcelona face Athletic Club for what will be the third time this month! First there was Barça’s 3-2 league victory in Bilbao, then came Athletic’s revenge in the Supercopa Final – which again finished 3-2 after extra-time. So you could see Sunday’s meeting at Camp Nou as the decider?
Earlier in the day, Atlético continue their title charge at Cadíz, who are quite fond of causing the odd shock since their promotion back to the top flight.
Staying in Spain, there’s also the fledgling Clásico rivalry in the Primera Iberdrola – where Barcelona meet Real Madrid for only the second time since the top women’s side in Madrid assumed the Real identity. The two clubs, as you might expect are sitting first and second in the table.
??????? And finally, back in the Premier League – Sunday provides us with another four fixtures: In-form West Ham’s game against possibly back-in-form Liverpool is the pick of the action but there’s also Leicester City vs. Leeds United, Tottenham’s trip to Brighton and we’ll see if Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea can convert possession in to goals when they play Burnley.
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!
Whether you’re looking for a tasty looking tie to watch in one of Europe’s top leagues or fancy following something more obscure, we’re here every Friday, selecting the best games FotMob has to offer over the weekend.
?? There’s a big one in the Bundesliga as namesakes, Mönchengladbach and Dortmund meet in the so-called Borussen Derby. The away side could do with a result after failing to win their last two whilst a victory for Gladbach would take them above Dortmund in to fourth.
??????? The FA Cup Fourth Round kicks-off with the last remaining non-league side, Chorley FC taking on Premier League Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Magpies have seen off EFL opposition – Wigan, Peterborough AND Derby County to reach this stage but still might be more famous for their renditions of Adele songs in the dressing room!
?? PSG play Montpellier in Ligue 1 as Mauricio Pochettino’s side look to go clear of Lille in the table. They will have to do it without their new manager though, as Pochettino rests at home following a positive COVID-19 test.
?? And look out for the only game in Austria tonight as surprise package Sturm Graz go to Rapid Vienna. Graz have conceded just five in 12 games so far this season, boasting one of the best defensive records anywhere in Europe.
?? Serie A looks lively tomorrow, with the top two both in action – Milan entertain Atalanta at home whilst Inter are on the road at Udinese.
?? There’s silverware up for grabs in Portugal with the final of the Taça da Liga. The semi-finals were played in midweek so it’s been a quick turnaround for both sides to make the final – Sporting and Braga, who came through big games against Porto and Benfica respectively.
??????? As you would imagine at this stage in the competition, there are a few interesting games in the FA Cup pitting sides at the top against those much further down the football pyramid. For instance, tomorrow we have Manchester City’s trip to Cheltenham Town, who are currently 6th in League Two. It’s the first ever meeting between the sides and with strict COVID-19 procedures in place, the Away dressing room is out of bounds – Pep Guardiola’s side will therefore be changing in the club bar!
? In South America, it’s time for the final of the Copa Sudamericana, the CONMEBOL equivalent of the Europa League. Two Argentine sides clash and you may well recognise one of the coaches – with Hernán Crespo taking charge of his first major final with Defensa y Justicia, who go up against Lanús. It will be the latter who start as favourites, led by 40-year-old talisman Pepe Sand and featuring Pedro De la Vega, one of the most exciting prospects on the continent.
??????? Here we go again! After the much hyped (including in this column) Premier League meeting between Manchester United and Liverpool ended in a 0-0 draw last weekend, the arch-rivals meet a week later in the FA Cup. At least this time, we’re guaranteed a result one way or the other!
?? Bottom meets top in the Bundesliga as struggling Schalke take on Bayern. The home side, famously have won just once this season but have shown more fight in recent weeks having unearthed 19-year-old striker Matthew Hoppe from within their own youth ranks. The American has 5 goals in his last 3 so we’ll be looking out for him against the might of the reigning European Champions.
?? Lastly, we focus on the title race in La Liga where in midweek, with Real Madrid and Barcelona mired in tough Copa Del Rey ties against third tier opposition, Atlético quietly stole in to a 7-point lead at the top, thanks to a 2-1 win at Eibar.
On Sunday, Atlético Madrid will look to extend that lead against Valencia whilst for Barcelona, who missed two penalties and needed extra-time to get past Cornellà in the cup now travel to Elche.
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!
Welcome to our weekly round-up of all the best action that the world of football has to offer over the next few days. We usually use this section to hype what’s to come but really, this weekend we don’t need to – there are so many massive matches!
?? There’s nothing like a game between classical rivals to start the weekend in style and The Rome Derby – Lazio vs. Roma more than ticks that box.
It’s might not have been a vintage campaign for Lazio, but they do go into this game unbeaten in three whilst Roma are beginning to mount a genuine title challenge – a win at their shared Stadio Olimpico home would keep them third, but take them level on points with Inter.
?? It’s Clássico time in Portugal where Porto and Benfica, the country’s two most successful clubs meet in a league where the championship is usually decided by these games.
Last season, Porto won the title with Benfica finishing as runners-up, the season before it was the other way round. The season before that, the roles were reversed again, and 4 seasons ago? Yep, you get the idea! This time, the sides start 2nd and 3rd with Sporting currently muscling in on the action at the top.
?? In the Bundesliga, 5th meets 3rd as Union Berlin, who don’t seem to respect the supposed curse of second season syndrome take on Bayer Leverkusen, the pre-Christmas league leaders who are now without a win in three.
??????? With this week’s Premier League games being moved around or postponed we’ve ended up with five fixtures scheduled for tomorrow.
Fulham vs. Chelsea, the biggest or at least the most frequently played top flight rivalry in West London sits in the prime time spot whilst the more intense, Black Country Derby between Wolves and West Bromwich Albion kicks off the day. This is the side’s first meeting in the Premier League for nine years following a combination of promotions and relegations that has meant they’ve always seemed to miss each other.
?? After Borussia Dortmund overcame RB Leipzig in the big Bundesliga fixture last weekend, it’s time for both to refocus on chasing down Bayern, who seem to be stuttering slightly at the top of the table. For their part, Dortmund entertain basement club Mainz whilst Leipzig face a stiffer test away at Wolfsburg, another team fighting for position in the top six.
?? And it’s a double Derby Day in Sydney! If you want to see a game between two clubs with no love lost between them that actually features a packed crowd – how about two back-to-back!? The A-League and W-League have combined to give us both versions of Sydney FC vs. Western Sydney Wanderers in one stadium, one game played after the other.
??????? The high-ticket games just keep coming on Sunday, the supposed day of rest. And in the Premier League, that means Liverpool’s meeting with Manchester United. And for the first time in a while, it’s actually United who start the day above their near rivals, in terms of league position. There’s usually an edge to this one and we’re sure that will still be the case, crowd or no crowd.
Elsewhere, after seeing United go top of the table earlier in the week, Manchester City quietly moved up to third with victory over Brighton. On Sunday, they go again – this time against Crystal Palace. And Spurs will face Sheffield United, who should be up for it having finally won their first game of the season in midweek.
? There’s a feeling that the four-team Supercopa tournament taking place in Spain for just the second time this week is nothing more than a glorified attempt to ensure an extra El Clásico gets squeezed in to the calendar year. But if that’s the case, Athletic Club Bilbao have crashed the party by beating Real Madrid in Thursday night’s semi-final!
Now, Sunday’s final will feature Bilbao against Barcelona, who themselves only made it through after a penalty shoot-out against Real Sociedad on Wednesday. The sides last met in this game back in 2015, with Bilbao shocking Luis Enrique’s Barça squad 5-1 on aggregate.
?? Last weekend, following the Christmas break in the Eredivisie, Ajax rescued a point against fellow giants PSV having trailed 2-0 early on. Their reward is perhaps an even more important game against Feyenoord in De Klassieker, the biggest fixture in Dutch football.
?? Serie A is a league that likes to spread the pleasure over the weekend, starting with tonight’s Rome Derby and then ending Sunday with the heavyweight clash between Inter vs. Juventus.
Both sides progressed to the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia in midweek, with their respective ties going to extra-time so it will be interesting to see how they cope with player recovery and rotation.
?? And finally, after spectacularly bowing out of the Copa Libertadores at the Semi-Final stage having lost 3-0 to Santos in Brazil just a few days ago – Boca Juniors have the opportunity to redeem themselves back home. And their fans will demand that of them, as they go up against Banfield in the final of the league cup tournament that was renamed in honour of one of Boca’s finest, the Copa Diego Armando Maradona.
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!