Club football returns after the final international break of 2024 comes to an end.
There was plenty of action over the past 12 or so days, but now it’s time to shift focus back to club football. The teams for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations have been confirmed, the teams advancing to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Nations League are set, and the standings in the South American and Asian World Cup qualifiers are starting to take shape.
Before diving into the weekend’s league fixtures, we’ll take a look at the current index rankings of the clubs in Europe’s top seven domestic leagues, along with our highlighted fixtures for the upcoming weekend.
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Four teams remain unbeaten among the 132 clubs in Europe’s top seven domestic leagues, with three of the four leading their respective title races. Juventus is the only unbeaten side in Serie A and the only unbeaten team in the top seven leagues that isn’t at the top of their domestic league table. Juventus sits 6th in Serie A. Bayern Munich tops the German Bundesliga unbeaten, Paris Saint-Germain leads the French Ligue 1, and Sporting CP leads the Portuguese Primeira Liga.
Sporting CP is the only club with a perfect 100% win rate since the start of the domestic season, averaging 3.55 goals scored per game and conceding 0.45 goals per game in the Portuguese Primeira Liga. Their five league goals conceded this season is the fewest among the top seven leagues, only matched by RB Leipzig in the German Bundesliga.
Sporting CP, along with Barcelona and PSV Eindhoven, has the most league points (33 each), but it is Barcelona and PSV Eindhoven that have scored the most league goals (40 each).
Bochum is the only club without a league win. They have not won in the German Bundesliga, picking up just two points from 10 rounds, while conceding an average of three goals per game.
RKC Waalwijk’s 10 defeats in the Eredivisie is the highest out of the clubs in the top seven leagues, with 32 points dropped already in a 104-point league. Their 31 league goals conceded is matched only by Montpellier in the French Ligue 1.
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PERFORMANCE INDEX RATING
Paris Saint-Germain remains the highest-ranked of the defending champions. Sporting CP is next in 5th, followed by Inter Milan in 7th, Real Madrid in 8th, and Manchester City in 10th. PSV Eindhoven appears in 12th, while Bayer Leverkusen is the lowest-ranked of the defending champions, positioned in 19th.
At the top of the ranking are two teams aiming to reclaim the league titles they lost last season. Barcelona sits at the top, with Bayern Munich close behind in second place.
Liverpool, currently leading the Premier League, holds 4th. Two Serie A teams—Atalanta (6th) and Lazio (9th)—round out the top 10.
Auxerre is the best-ranked of the recently promoted clubs, coming in at 39th, while there is a notable gap before the next ranked promoted club, Parma, in 74th. Nacional, at 128th, is the lowest-ranked of the recently promoted clubs.
Farense occupies the bottom of the ranking in 132nd place, with Almere City and RKC Waalwijk as their closest neighbors.
THE TOP TEN POSITIONS
1st | Barcelona (Spanish La Liga) – 297.35 points
2nd | Bayern Munich (German Bundesliga) – 225.75 points
3rd | Paris Saint-Germain (French Ligue 1) – 191.7 points
4th | Liverpool (English Premier League) – 185.36 points
5th | Sporting CP (Portuguese Primeira Liga) – 172.39 points
6th | Atalanta (Italian Serie A) – 164.42 points
7th | Inter Milan (Italian Serie A) – 152.42 points
8th | Real Madrid (Spanish La Liga) – 152.08 points
9th | Lazio (Italian Serie A) – 147.3 points
10th | Manchester City (English Premier League) – 138.34 points
DEFENDING CHAMPIONS
3rd | Paris Saint-Germain (French Ligue 1) – 191.7 points
5th | Sporting CP (Portuguese Primeira Liga) – 172.39 points
7th | Inter Milan (Italian Serie A) – 152.42 points
8th | Real Madrid (Spanish La Liga) – 152.08 points
10th | Manchester City (English Premier League) – 138.34 points
12th | PSV Eindhoven (Dutch Eredivisie) – 137.04 points
19th | Bayer Leverkusen (German Bundesliga) – 100.25 points
RECENTLY PROMOTED
39th | Auxerre (French Ligue 1) – 64.64 points
74th | Parma (Italian Serie A) – 35.33 points
78th | Santa Clara (Portuguese Primeira Liga) – 32.45 points
82nd | Leganés (Spanish La Liga) – 31.08 points
84th | Leicester City (English Premier League) – 28.91 points
89th | Angers (French Ligue 1) – 26.45 points
91st | Como (Italian Serie A) – 24.42 points
95th | Espanyol (Spanish La Liga) – 21.42 points
96th | Saint-Étienne (French Ligue 1) – 21.18 points
99th | Ipswich Town (English Premier League) – 19.91 points
100th | Willem II (Dutch Eredivisie) – 18.42 points
101st | Holstein Kiel (German Bundesliga) – 17.9 points
104th | Venezia (Italian Serie A) – 17.42 points
108th | Valladolid (Spanish La Liga) – 15.92 points
114th | Groningen (Dutch Eredivisie) – 13.5 points
116th | St. Pauli (German Bundesliga) – 13.3 points
123rd | AVS Futebol SAD (Portuguese Primeira Liga) – 9.23 points
126th | Southampton (English Premier League) – 6.91 points
128th | Nacional (Portuguese Primeira Liga) – 6 points
THE BOTTOM TEN POSITIONS
123rd | AVS Futebol SAD (Portuguese Primeira Liga) – 9.23 points
123rd | Estrela da Amadora (Portuguese Primeira Liga) – 9.23 points
125th | Estoril (Portuguese Primeira Liga) – 8.45 points
126th | Southampton (English Premier League) – 6.91 points
126th | Boavista (Portuguese Primeira Liga) – 6.91 points
128th | Nacional (Portuguese Primeira Liga) – 6 points
129th | Arouca (Portuguese Primeira Liga) – 5.55 points
130th | RKC Waalwijk (Dutch Eredivisie) – 5.33 points
131st | Almere City (Dutch Eredivisie) – 3.5 points
132nd | Farense (Portuguese Primeira Liga) – 2.77 points
COMING UP THIS WEEKEND:
Four teams are without a league defeat in Europe’s top seven leagues: Bayern Munich in the German Bundesliga, Paris Saint-Germain in the French Ligue 1, Juventus in the Italian Serie A, and Sporting CP in the Portuguese Primeira Liga. There are no games in the Portuguese Primeira Liga this weekend, so Sporting CP will not be in action in the league but will play a Taça de Portugal fixture against Amarante on Friday. Bayern Munich will host Augsburg on the same day, while Paris Saint-Germain will host Toulouse.
On Saturday, Juventus will visit AC Milan, while Bochum, the only club without a league win, will travel to face Stuttgart in the Bundesliga.
Friday, November 22, 2024
Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain will both be looking for wins to maintain their position at the top of their respective domestic league tables, while also extending their unbeaten starts to the season. Bayern Munich will host Augsburg in the Bundesliga, while Paris Saint-Germain will face Toulouse in Ligue 1.
Monaco will also be seeking points in Ligue 1 against Brest as they aim to keep pace in the title race with Paris Saint-Germain.
🇩🇪 Bayern Munich vs. Augsburg (german bundesliga)
🇫🇷 Monaco vs. Brest (french ligue 1)
🇫🇷 Paris Saint-Germain vs. Toulouse (french ligue 1)
🇵🇹 Sporting CP vs. Amarante (taca de portugal)
Saturday, November 23, 2024
Barcelona remains in the driver’s seat, but their lead in La Liga took a hit following a defeat in the previous round. They will aim to bounce back with an away victory against Celta Vigo.
Eleven rounds into the Premier League season, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Nottingham Forest are level on points (19). Chelsea will travel to face Leicester City, looking to recover the points dropped in their draw with Arsenal in the previous round, while Arsenal and Nottingham Forest go head-to-head.
Manchester City’s last four games across all competitions have been away fixtures, all ending in defeat. Their poor run began with a 2-1 loss to Tottenham in the EFL Cup, resulting in elimination from the competition. This was followed by their first Premier League defeat of the season, a 2-1 loss to Bournemouth. The struggles continued in the UEFA Champions League, where they suffered a 4-1 defeat to Sporting CP, and they capped off this streak with another Premier League loss, a 2-1 defeat to Brighton.
Manchester City will be back home this weekend, facing Tottenham once again. The defending champions are determined to end their four-game losing streak. It started with Tottenham, so they will hope it can end with Tottenham.
Meanwhile, Tottenham is coming off a disappointing 2-1 home defeat to Ipswich Town, which marked Ipswich’s first league win of the season.
Defending champions Inter Milan are just a point off the top of the Serie A standings. A win in Verona this weekend will either keep them within a point of the summit or see them take the top spot, depending on other results.
An unbeaten Juventus sits two points off the top of the Serie A standings. A win against AC Milan in Milan would not only extend their unbeaten start to the season but could also see them claim the top spot, depending on other results.
Bayer Leverkusen is nine points off the top of the Bundesliga table in their title defense season, as their struggle for consistent wins continues. They will host Heidenheim in their next league match.
RB Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt are the two teams working hard to keep pace with Bayern Munich in the early stages of the Bundesliga title race. RB Leipzig followed their first league defeat of the season (2-1 against Dortmund) with a goalless draw against Borussia Mönchengladbach. They will aim to return to winning ways when they face Hoffenheim. Eintracht Frankfurt will host Werder Bremen.
Bochum’s search for their first Bundesliga win of the season will continue against Stuttgart.
🇪🇸 Atlético Madrid vs. Alavés (spanish la liga)
🇪🇸 Celta Vigo vs. Barcelona (spanish la liga)
🏴 Leicester City vs. Chelsea (english premier league)
🏴 Arsenal vs. Nottingham Forest (english premier league)
🏴 Manchester City vs. Tottenham Hotspur (english premier league)
🇮🇹 Hellas Verona vs. Inter Milan (italian serie a)
🇮🇹 AC Milan vs. Juventus (italian serie a)
🇩🇪 Bayer Leverkusen vs. Heidenheim (german bundesliga)
🇩🇪 Borussia Dortmund vs. Freiburg (german bundesliga)
🇩🇪 Hoffenheim vs. RB Leipzig (german bundesliga)
🇩🇪 Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Werder Bremen (german bundesliga)
🇩🇪 Stuttgart vs. Bochum (german bundesliga)
🇫🇷 Lens vs. Marseille (french ligue 1)
🇫🇷 Reims vs. Lyon (french ligue 1)
🇳🇱 Feyenoord vs. Heerenveen (dutch eredivisie)
🇳🇱 PSV Eindhoven vs. Groningen (dutch eredivisie)
🇵🇹 Leixões vs. Braga (taca de portugal)
🇵🇹 Benfica vs. Estrela da Amadora (taca de portugal)
Sunday, November 24, 2024
Villarreal, nine points off the top of the La Liga table, will look to maintain the value of their game in hand by securing an away win against Osasuna.
Real Madrid, six points off the top of the La Liga table, will look to make the most of their game in hand by seeking a win against Leganés.
Liverpool, top of the Premier Legaue table, will look to maintain their position with a win over Southampton, who sit at the bottom of the table.
Ipswich Town, coming off their first league win of the Premier League season, will host a Manchester United side fresh off a 3-0 home win and eager to impress under their new manager.
Napoli sits at the top of the Italian Serie A by just one point, with five teams positioned to overtake them if they fail to secure all three points at home against Roma, who have had a struggling start to the season. Atalanta, Fiorentina, Inter Milan, Lazio, and Juventus are all in a position to leap above Napoli with a win, should Napoli falter against Roma this weekend.
🇪🇸 Osasuna vs. Villarreal (spanish la liga)
🇪🇸 Sevilla vs. Rayo Vallecano (spanish la liga)
🇪🇸 Leganés vs. Real Madrid (spanish la liga)
🏴 Southampton vs. Liverpool (english premier league)
🏴 Ipswich Town vs. Manchester United (english premier league)
🇮🇹 Napoli vs. Roma (italian serie a)
🇮🇹 Lazio vs. Bologna (italian serie a)
🇫🇷 Lille vs. Rennes (french ligue 1)
🇳🇱 Ajax vs. PEC Zwolle (dutch eredivisie)
🇵🇹 Moreirense vs. Porto (taca de portugal)
Monday, November 25, 2024
League games from the English Premier League and Italian Serie A will spill into Monday. In the Premier League, Newcastle United will host West Ham, while in Serie A, Empoli and Venezia will host Udinese and Lecce, respectively.