The best action to follow this weekend

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Saturday

?? We start in Germany where the latest Berlin Derby falls on Saturday evening. Union, who sit seventh travel across town to face a Hertha side mired in relegation trouble. One win in their last 10 league games sees them 17th but level on points with Arminia, who currently sit in the relegation play-off place and a point below Stuttgart, who sit above the drop zone.

Since Union’s promotion in 2019 both sides have won two derbies a piece and there’s been one draw but Union did also beat Hertha in a 5-goal thriller in the DFB Pokal back in January.

Elsewhere, league leaders Bayern face fellow Bavarians Augsburg at the Allianz Arena. The visitors are in good form with three wins in their last four and they’ll be looking to complete an unlikely double having beaten Die Roten at home in November.

There’s also a big game in the 2. Bundesliga with leaders Werder Bremen going to third-placed St. Pauli. The title race in Germany’s second tier is always hotly disputed and at the time of writing the top four are separated by just two points!

??????? The Premier League has five games lined up for Saturday and they include a massive lunchtime kick-off for relegation-threatened Everton, at home to Manchester United. The defeat at Burnley in the week left Frank Lampard’s side one point above the relegation zone and he’ll be desperate for an upturn in results if he’s to maintain the club’s proud record – Only Arsenal have spent more consecutive seasons in the England’s top tier, 96 to Everton’s 68.

Chelsea must pick themselves up from defeat to Real Madrid by going to Southampton before they then look to rescue their Champions League title defence, in Madrid next Tuesday. Fourth-placed Tottenham visit Aston Villa whilst Arsenal entertain goal-shy Brighton and the day’s big six-pointer comes as Watford and Leeds United clash at the Hornets’ Vicarage Road.

?? All three of Spain’s Champions League quarter-finalists are in domestic action on Saturday. The aforementioned Madrid, led by mercurial top scorer Karim Benzema will be looking for revenge against Getafe who beat them in the away fixture at the turn of the year.

Villarreal, who lost to Cadíz and Levante between their famous wins over Champions League heavyweights Juventus and Bayern play Athletic Club who sit eighth, directly below them in the race to qualify for another European adventure next season!

Atlético Madrid face the long trip to Mallorca before returning to the capital ahead of their second leg against Manchester City.

?? In Serie A and after facing each other last weekend, both Inter and Juventus will be looking to close the gap on the top two with Milan and Napoli not playing until Sunday. Inter host Hellas Verona, a side they’ve not lost to in their last 14 meetings whilst Juve go to Cagliari, who haven’t kept a clean sheet in 18 games.

??????? The Scottish Premiership gave us an exciting Old Firm Derby last weekend but now it’s time for two more classic rivalries from the same division. Dundee United host near-neighbours Dundee – literally, their grounds are situated on the same street, and playing at the same time, Hearts meet Hibs in the big Edinburgh Derby.

?? Chronologically speaking, the last big Derby of the day to kick-off comes in MLS where LA Galaxy play LAFC. Although it’s a rivalry that dates back only as far as 2018, ‘El Tráfico’ has become a mainstay in the league and it almost always guarantees goals. In fact, there’s been at least two goals in all 13 meetings between the two and both sides have scored in all but three of those.

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Sunday

??????? Despite there being seven rounds still to play after this weekend, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the Premier League season comes to a head on Sunday when Manchester City clash with Liverpool. The league’s two dominate forces of the current era, managed by two of the world’s most revered coaches are separated by just a point in their battle for the title. There’s a lot riding on this one, something that’s only further complicated by the fact that it falls between the first and second legs of Champions League quarter-finals, for both sides.

There are three other Premier League games to warm you up before the day’s main event. Brentford host West Ham, in-form Crystal Palace go to Leicester City and in a really key battle at the bottom, Norwich City take on Burnley.

?? In La Liga, second-placed Barcelona head to Valencia where they’ll play Levante, a side capable of surprising some of the league’s best with wins against Atlético Madrid and Villarreal against their name in recent months.

Xavi’s side though are on a 14-game unbeaten run in all competitions, Thursday’s Europa League draw at Eintracht Frankfurt something of a comedown after back-to-back wins against Madrid and Sevilla.

?? The Serie A title race appears to be another one that’ll go down to the wire with Milan leading the way by a single point. They have seven games left to play, starting with Sunday’s trip to Torino, who haven’t won at home in their last four matches. This may be an ideal time for Milan to find their shooting boots after failing to score more than once in a game since mid-February.

Chasers Napoli are also in action, at home to Vincenzo Italiano’s Fiorentina and Roma, still smarting from their latest defeat to Norwegian champions Bodø/Glimt are at home against bottom side Salernitana.

?? The Bundesliga’s chasing pack are the main draw in Germany on Sunday with Leverkusen (3rd) looking to sure up their Champions League qualification place at Bochum, Freiburg (5th) also playing away at Eintracht and RB Leipzig (4th) facing off against Hoffenheim (6th).

?? After the state championships that fill the early part of the year in Brazil it’s now time for the new Serie A season to start. Defending champions Atlético Mineiro, fresh from adding a 47th Campeonato Mineiro to their list of honours thanks to a Hulk-inspired win over Cruzeiro begin with a tough assignment, at home to Internacional.

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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!

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The best action to follow this weekend

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Saturday

??????? After a crucial, but extensive international break it’s time to get back to the bread and butter of domestic top flight action and where better to start than the Premier League. Particularly with the Champions League quarter-finals coming up in the week meaning that England’s three representatives all play on Saturday.

Liverpool warm up for their trip to Benfica in the early kick-off against Watford before later in the day, Manchester City prepare for the visit of Diego Simeone’s Atlético by playing at Sean Dyche’s Burnley. Chelsea meanwhile face West London rivals Brentford before then welcoming Real Madrid to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday. Manchester United are also in action as they come up against Europa Conference quarter-finalists Leicester City.

In case you needed a reminder, here’s the current picture at the top of the English table.

Staying in England, and specifically West London there’s also an important game in the second tier as runaway Championship leaders Fulham go to near neighbours Queens Park Rangers, themselves looking to break in to the play-off places in pursuit of promotion.

?? Real Madrid, who currently sit nine points clear in La Liga are also on their travels. They visit Celta Vigo, a side they’ve not lost to in any competition since 2017 and at who’s ground they’re unbeaten for the best part of eight years.

Fourth-placed Atlético will be looking to extend their good run of form with a win at home to Deportivo Alavés potentially giving them their sixth straight victory.

?? There’s intrigue in the Bundesliga fixture list where the biggest game of the day pits Borussia Dortmund against fellow perennial challengers, RB Leipzig. Sitting second and fourth in the table respectively, the win is probably more important for the visitors as Leipzig are embroiled in a battle for a Champions League spot.

Just four points separates Leverkusen in third to Hoffenheim in sixth with seven rounds to play – meaning any dropped points could now be costly. Freiburg are the other side involved in that mini-league within a league but they’ve drawn the short straw this weekend. They play Bayern München.

?? From Australia, we get the third instalment of the Sydney Derby in the current season. In truth, both Sydney and Western Sydney Wanderers are way off the pace in the A-League Men’s table but these games always bring some top Derby-day action. With Western Sydney holding the bragging rights having won one, drawn one from the previous two clashes, the blue half of the city will be out for revenge.

?? With not even PSG fans seemingly enjoying their own club’s table topping form this season, Saturday gives us a chance to watch two Ligue 1 sides that have entertained, fourth placed Nice against third placed Rennes. The Breton club have outgunned everyone, including PSG by scoring 63 goals across their 29 games but in Nice, they will come up against the league’s meanest defence – The Eaglets have conceded an average of just 0.8 goals per game.

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Sunday

??????? There’s nothing like scheduling a potential title decider that also happens to be the league’s most talked about fixture (and that’s an understatement) on the first weekend after the international break. Rangers vs. Celtic is exactly that game and with the visitors unbeaten in 25 but only leading Rangers by three points in the table, this is Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s best chance of stopping their arch-rivals from taking back the Scottish title.

?? In Spain too, there’s another massive game lined up for Sunday evening with Barcelona hosting Sevilla at the Camp Nou. A stadium probably still recovering from Barcelona Femini’s Champions League quarter-final in the week when the attendance of 91,553 broke the world record for women’s football.

A win for the men’s team would put them level on points with their second-placed opponents but also leapfrog them on goal difference, all whilst having a game in hand. That’s some motivation for Xavi’s in-form side.

?? Serie A have followed the Scottish Premiership’s lead and arranged for one of their biggest rivalries to headline the weekend in Italy. Juventus vs. Inter, aka the Derby d’Italia isn’t quite a title decider but with just a point between them, the result should indicate who is best placed to chase down the only two sides above them, Napoli and Milan.

For their part, Napoli could go above Milan, again on goal difference should they win their fixture at fifth placed Atalanta earlier in the day.

??????? There’s just two games in the Premier League but both are relevant to the various battles going on as sides jostle for the European qualification spots or attempt to stay clear of the dreaded relegation zone. West Ham host Everton, who sit perilously close to the bottom three and Spurs entertain Newcastle United.

☀️ Closer to FotMob’s heart, this weekend marks the season start in two of Europe’s summer leagues – Norway’s Eliteserien and Sweden’s Allsvenskan.

Here in Norway, we’re going big with Molde playing Vålerenga on Saturday before Sunday brings the clash between defending champions and current darlings of the Europa Conference League, Bodø/Glimt, and giants Rosenborg. In Sweden, Malmö kick-off their title defence with a trip to Kalmer in the South East of the country.

? Elsewhere in Europe, there’s the usual scattering of big local derbies and important match ups. In Switzerland, after runaway leaders FC Zürich play city rivals Grasshoppers on Saturday, the country’s biggest game between FC Basel and Young Boys takes place on Sunday. In Austria too, there’s Salzburg vs. Rapid Wien and in Turkey, outgoing champions Beşiktaş go to this season’s most likely winners, Trabzonspor.

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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!

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With their home opener approaching, we spoke to the familiar faces building a squad set to compete for the Championship in the second tier of US soccer.

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Based in Irvine, a town in the Californian region that lends it’s name to the club, Orange County SC is the current home of two ex-pros hardened in the Premier League and EFL; Head Coach Richard Chaplow and his newly appointed assistant, the former Welsh international striker and hat-trick specialist Robert Earnshaw.

Speaking to FotMob.com whilst flanked by the club’s first USL Championship trophy (won in 2021) and in front of a stunning backdrop looking out across a sun-kissed skyline, Earnshaw describes his decision to join Chaplow’s staff. Almost, but failing to keep a straight face.

“As you can see it’s horrible here.”

“But listen, the USL is a very good league, it’s always progressing every year and the standard of the players is getting better. It’s always been competitive and it continues to be. And this is what we’re here for, we’re here for that challenge.”

Chaplow, who played over 300 games for the likes of Burnley, West Brom and Southampton made the same call much earlier in the club’s rise, joining first as a player in 2016 before working as assistant coach and then stepping up to Head Coach after the dismissal of Braeden Cloutier last August.

Orange County never looked back, losing just three games from September onwards as they finished second in their division before going on to win the Western Conference in a post-season campaign that culminated with victory in the Championship Final, away at the much-fancied Tampa Bay Rowdies.

“Obviously last year was a difficult season for many reasons off and on the field due to the situation everyone’s been through with the pandemic, but I think to go through that, it really built a tight-knit group within the locker room and that served us very well. Going in to the play-offs we had a mindset and a mentality about the group that we felt that we could overcome what was in front of us.”

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The club formed in 1998 under the original name of Los Angeles Blues but following a change of ownership in 2017 rebranded to better represent the community they seek to represent, moving to their current home in the same year. As part of their continued growth, Orange County agreed a partnership with Glasgow Rangers in 2020 with a focus on player development and opportunities to move between the clubs.

Chaplow’s affection for the place that he’s come to call home is clear.

“I’ve been on some journey with this club, coming over six years ago. It was somewhere where first and foremost I could see myself settling with my family and then the project was really the thing that interested me the most, because what we see here today wasn’t here, but that was the vision.”

“Obviously what we achieved last season was something special, we know that having been in the game for many years. So to achieve that so early on in our existence, to achieve that as a coach so early on in my Head Coach tenure, it was a special moment and something I’ll cherish and look to build on this season.”

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One of the success stories from the side that won the title last year was 17-year-old centre-back Kobi Henry. Having broken in to the side at 16, he has already gone on to captain the USMNT at under-20 level and even spent time at a training camp for the full national side in December – the first player in USL history to receive that call-up.

“It’s been unreal to be honest, it’s been so great to move up the ranks and establish myself at a club level and on a national level. Playing next to the same guys I’ve grown up seeing on TV was a great personal moment for me.”

Also in defence last year was the experienced head of Michael Orozco, himself a former USMNT international. Now 36, Orozco played almost every minute of every game in Orange County’s run to the title and alongside Henry, was another player Chaplow was keen on retaining for the new season.

“Ultimately those guys worked fantastically well for us last season, we still have a lot of faith and belief in those players. We’ve tried to recruit wisely but also bring a lot of the old players back from last season on the roster because it’s important to have that continuity.”

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Chaplow’s intention to recruit well appears to be paying off, a task presumably made easier with the club’s status as defending champions.

Amongst the players coming in are Erick ‘Cubo’ Torres – a former Mexican international who’s previous clubs include Chivas and Atlanta United, Albi Skendi who’s moved from English football, and midfielder Daniel Pedersen. After a career spent in the Danish and Norwegian top flights, Pedersen has swapped Brann, the club based in FotMob’s home city of Bergen and famed for its annual rainfall, for the Californian sun.

With Chaplow and Earnshaw at the helm and Orange County’s ambitious project it’s easy to see why, as Earnshaw concludes.

“The aim for us is to be the best that we can and keep pressing forward. We have good players and with Rich as Head Coach we’ll continue to progress where we are. It’s great for me to be sat here next to him, to help support him, to help support the club. We’re going for the Championship.”

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To keep track of OCSC’s progress this season, follow the club on FotMob. And if you want to learn more about the USL Championship, add the league to your match feed here.

Images provided, with thanks to the Orange County Soccer Club

The best action to follow this weekend

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Saturday

??????? The headline games mostly fall on Sunday this time around but as far as the FA Cup is concerned, that’s all about your personal allegiances.

The quarter-finals in the World’s oldest Cup competition begin with Championship side Middlesbrough up against World Club Champions, Chelsea – who famously will be slumming it on the coach to the game rather than enjoying the usual luxury of their private jet.

Boro have already knocked out Manchester United and Spurs (and Mansfield!) in previous rounds so the home side will be confident of causing another giant-killing.

There’s just one game in the Premier League to take note of and that comes between Aston Villa and Arsenal, with the Gunners looking to consolidate their hold on fourth place in the table.

?? The top three in Serie A are all in action on Saturday and leaders Milan are the only ones on their travels. They’ve been somewhat goal-shy of late but a trip to struggling Cagliari might be just the tonic.

Napoli face Udinese who are unbeaten in four and proving themselves to be capable of taking points off the big sides. Inter meanwhile, play Fiorentina, a side they’ve not lost to in their last 11 meetings.

?? Atlético Madrid, riding the high of their Champions League win at Manchester United will be back in their home city on Saturday but playing away to Rayo, situated in the proudly working class district of Vallecas. Here, Diego Simeone’s side will look to extend their four-match winning run in La Liga.

?? The biggest game in the Bundesliga sees Bayern München host Union Berlin, a side they put five past earlier on in the season. With Dortmund winning their game in hand during the week, Bayern could extend their lead at the top of the table back out to seven points – at least until Dortmund play again on Sunday.

?? The Brazilian state championships provide us with just a taste of what’s to come on Sunday, serving up the classic Gre-nal rivalry between Internacional and Grêmio. The two Porto Alegre giants meet in the semi-finals of the Gaucho championship.

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Sunday

?? We’re in for some real treats on Sunday as a selection of the world’s biggest club games all take place on the same day. And obviously, they don’t get much bigger than El Clásico, the eternal battle for supremacy between Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Madrid come in to the game with a 15 point advantage in the standings and have beaten their rivals in each of their last five meetings across all competitions. Barca though, are unbeaten in 11 and probably in their best form all season.

?? In Italy, there’s also the Rome Derby between Roma (7th) and Lazio (5th) to look forward to. José Mourinho was up to his old tricks in the week claiming Lazio were just sat around smoking cigarettes whilst his side were busy competing in European competition but we’ll see whether those mind games have any bearing on proceedings at the Stadio Olimpico.

?? De Klassieker, the biggest game in Dutch football is another top class fixture on the schedule – Ajax (1st) vs. Feyenoord (3rd). Both sides have been relatively free-scoring in the Eredivisie this season but it’s been Ajax’s defence that has been the stand-out factor. Will their old rivals from Rotterdam be able break down a team that’s conceded just 11 goals in 26 games?

??????? The three remaining FA Cup quarter-finals dominate the day in England with the all-Premier League clashes between Crystal Palace and Everton, and Southampton and Manchester City taking us through the afternoon. That’s before another clash between a Championship side who’ve sprung a few upsets (Arsenal, Leicester) and Premier League royalty – Nottingham Forest vs. Liverpool.

Back in the Premier League itself, there’s the fixture between London neighbours Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham – important not only for local pride but also because these sides are locked together on 48 points just outside the European qualification places.

?? Ligue 1 provides a couple of high level games as the out-of-form but still 15 points clear in the table PSG visit Monaco and second meets third as Marseille play fellow Mediterraneans Nice.

?? We’ve spoken a lot about big derbies and old classic match-ups in this preview but if that’s your thing, you’ll be interested to here that this weekend is a special one in Argentina.

EVERY fixture in the Copa de la Liga Profesional pits one fierce rival against another, or in the absence of a historic foe – a designated opponent deemed local enough to provoke animosity! That means we get the big daddy of them all – River Plate vs. Boca Juniors as a headliner on Sunday night.

Before that we will already have had San Lorenzo vs. Huracán (Saturday), Independiente vs. Racing (Saturday), who’s grounds almost back on to each other AND perhaps the most heated – Rosario Central vs. Newell’s Old Boys, a game where there’s definitely no love lost (Sunday).

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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!

Cover Image from IMAGO

The best action to follow this weekend

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Saturday

?? We start this week with two Bundesliga games that should guarantee plenty of goals. The leaders, and top scorers Bayern take on third placed Leverkusen whilst Leipzig (4th) face Freiburg (5th) in a clash between two sides who won their respective DFB Pokal quarter-finals on Wednesday night.

Second only to Bayern in terms of away form, Leverkusen also have the third highest number of goals to their name and boast exciting talents to watch out for like Moussa Diaby (12 goals, 7 assists) and Florian Wirtz (7 goals, 10 assists).

?? There’s a top of the table clash in France too where Nice (3rd) welcome PSG (1st) to the Mediterranean coast. In truth, PSG are coasting to the title in Ligue 1 and sit 16 points above Nice but with Christophe Galtier at the helm, the man who beat the Parisians to top spot with Lille last season they’re a strong proposition. The sides have met twice already during the campaign with both games ending goalless – Nice going on to knock PSG out of the Coupe de France on penalties in the latter.

??????? In England, a busy Saturday schedule sees a total of seven games lined up for us. Among them, Chelsea visit a Burnley side who were seemingly on the up until a midweek setback against Leicester City saw their three game unbeaten run come to an end. The Club World Cup champions survived a scare of their own at Championship side Luton Town in the week and are facing a particularly turbulent time off the field with owner Roman Abramovich set to sell the club.

Elsewhere, Liverpool can halve the six point gap to leaders Manchester City with a win over Champions League chasing West Ham and watch out for Jesse Marsch as the US coach takes charge of his first Premier League game when Leeds United visit Leicester.

?? Real Sociedad, the early season pacesetters in La Liga travel to Real Madrid on Saturday, the side who took over from them at the top in Round 14 and haven’t looked back since. The Basque club now sit down in sixth but with just two points separating them and Betis in third, a top level European birth looks achievable for them come the end of the campaign.

The league’s form side Villarreal (nine goals in their last two) go to Osasuna where a win would add their name to the increasingly intense battle for position in the top six.

?? The big game in Serie A comes as sixth play fifth, with Roma welcoming Atalanta to the Olimpico. Fresh from a 4-0 win over Sampdoria on Monday night, Atalanta look to be playing themselves in to form just at the right time whilst José Mourinho’s side have lost only one of their last eight games, in all competitions.

?? The new MLS season kicked off in style last weekend so we’re looking forward to the second round of games coming up over the next few days. Last season’s MLS Cup winners New York City go to Vancouver Whitecaps, who suffered a heavy defeat at Columbus in their first game and reigning Supporter’s Shield holders New England Revolution host Dallas.

All eyes though, will be on new expansion side Charlotte who play their first ever home game, against LA Galaxy in front of what will be a MLS-record crowd of over 73,500 fans.

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Sunday

??????? Sunday is Derby Day in Manchester as the blue and red halves of the city meet at the Etihad. The home side do, of course sit top of the table, 22 points better off than United and with the best defensive record in the Premier League. But looking at the last five meetings between the two sides, the results have been a lot more even with United winning two, City winning two and the other game ending in a goalless draw. All four of those games with goals have ended in a 2-0 scoreline so if you’re looking for a prediction, there’s your starting point!

?? There’s yet more top of the table action to come in La Liga on Sunday with Atlético Madrid (5th) due to visit Real Betis (3rd). The home side were celebrating long in to the night on Thursday after securing their place in the final of the Copa del Rey so we’ll have to see how well they’ve recovered for this one!

Fourth placed Barcelona are also on their travels as they go to Elche. The reverse fixture was an exciting one with Barça amazingly conceding twice in the space of a minute to let slip a two goal lead before 17-year-old Gavi spared their blushes with a late winner.

?? With Borussia Dortmund’s game against Mainz postponed due to a coronavirus outbreak in the Mainz camp, there’s just one Bundesliga fixture to look forward to as FC Köln (8th) play in-form Hoffenheim (6th). The visitors have a particularly strong record against Köln and are unbeaten in their last nine meetings.

?? This weekend’s headline game in Serie A couldn’t get much bigger as Napoli and Milan, the two sides level on points at the top of the standings go head-to-head on Sunday evening. The only difference between them is Napoli’s superior goal difference, and the fact they won at the San Siro back in December.

Milan drew a blank with rivals Inter in the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final during the week, their third draw on the trot but that did extend their unbeaten run to seven games. For their part, Napoli haven’t lost a league game since December with defeat to Fiorentina in the Coppa and Barcelona in the Europa League the only blots on their copy book so far in 2022.

? Lastly, we’ll round off with two more derby games from world football as we know you always enjoy these. In Europe, Slavia and Sparta Prague meet in the Czech Republic’s most historic rivalry – a game that’s been played since 1896. And in Chile, where we’re just four games in to the current season, Santiago giants Colo-Colo and Universidad de Chile will be looking to kickstart their campaign with a win in the country’s fierce Superclásico.

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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!

Cover Image from IMAGO

The best action to follow this weekend

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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.

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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!

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Cover Image from IMAGO