The European club football season is well and truly underway and enticing fixtures are heading our way thick and fast.
Don’t blame us for calling this a Super Weekend for football fanatics as there are a plethora of heavyweight ties. Start off with the clash of the two modern-day football geniuses when Leeds United take on Manchester City. Followed by two huge games in Italy, while Sevilla visit the Camp Nou and two of France’s greatest rivals meet on Sunday.
Here are five European matches to watch this weekend:
1. Leeds United vs Manchester City (October 3, 10 pm IST)
It’s no secret the amount of mutual admiration and respect that Pep Guardiola and Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa share for each other. Come Saturday, the English Premier League fans, rather the football fans will be licking their lips as two of the most prominent ideologies in world football face-off.
City are coming on the back of a humbling 5-2 defeat against Leicester City in EPL. Add to that, injuries to both their star strikers Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero, the Sky Blues are in a bit of a fix, to say the least.
On the other hand, Leeds have been in exhilarating form, with two wins on the trot, after losing their first match in the league this season. They will look to add to the list of wins and keep climbing the points ladder.
2. Juventus v Napoli (October 5, 12.15 am IST)
Juventus had Cristiano Ronaldo to thank when they drew at Roma last weekend and the Serie A champions are set to face what looks like another major test when they entertain Napoli on Sunday.
Recently, the sides have developed quite a rivalry, with Napoli finishing runners-up to Juve in three of the previous four campaigns prior to last season, when Gennaro Gattuso’s side came seventh but beat the Turin giants in the Italian Cup final.
Napoli beat Juventus at home in their last Serie A meeting in January and lost a thriller 4-3 when they last went to Turin.
That suggests they should make life difficult for Juve and their novice coach, Andrea Pirlo. However, it all may hinge on Napoli avoiding a cluster of coronavirus cases after last week’s opponents Genoa revealed 15 positives and had their game against Torino on Saturday called off.
3. Lazio v Inter Milan (October 4, 6.30 pm IST)
Inter are another side hoping to end the Juventus stranglehold this season and Antonio Conte’s team have enjoyed quite a start, scoring nine goals in two games in beating Fiorentina (4-3) and Benevento (5-2). Romelu Lukaku has three goals to his name already.
A 2-1 defeat at Lazio was a hammer blow to Inter’s hopes last season, but they may fancy their chances of revenge on Sunday with their hosts on the rebound from a 4-1 hammering by Atalanta. Goals should be expected at the Stadio Olimpico.
4. Barcelona v Sevilla, (October 5, 12.30 am IST)
At the management level, Barcelona may be in crisis but they remain a formidable team on the ground. That was proven when they thumped Celta Vigo 3-0 midweek and Villarreal 4-0 last weekend under their new manager Ronald Koeman.
Nevertheless, Sevilla, last season’s Europa League winners, are hoping to fare better and show that they can close the gap to Spain’s giants. With neither Barcelona nor Real Madrid as strong as they once were, maybe this will be a rare year when someone else can pip them to the title?
Sevilla are seen as the most likely challengers after Atletico Madrid, and Sunday will give them an idea of where they really stand.
5. Lyon v Marseille (October 5, 12:30 am IST)
It’s fair to say there’s no love lost between the two teams and the presence of Rudi Garcia, the former Marseille coach, on the Lyon bench adds spice to the occasion. It is just a shame there won’t be a full house for the occasion, and that neither side is likely to challenge Paris Saint-Germain’s supremacy over the course of a French season.
Marseille were runners-up last season and Andre Villas-Boas’ side are hoping to build on that this time, while Lyon are at something of a crossroads, not in Europe for the first time in almost a quarter of a century and at risk of losing star players Houssem Aouar and Memphis Depay before Monday’s transfer deadline.
