Weekend Bangers
Rennes vs Marseille (Ligue 1)
The teams sandwiching 2nd-place Marseille in the current standings have a match in hand, while Mariseill does not.
One of the teams is Rennes.
A defeat to Rennes will reduce Marsielle’s lead on Rennes down to two points, while creating a high probability that Paris St. Germain will widen the gap at the top of the league standings.
With Lille currently in fourth-place (2 points from Rennes), there isn’t room for poor results for Rennes in the opener.
Crystal Palace vs Arsenal (Premier League)
A London Derby for Crystal Palace and Arsenal.
A victory against Manchester United for Arsenal, and consecutive ‘1-1’ draw for Crystal Palace has closed the gap between the two teams to just a point.
Arsenal will leap above Crystal Palace with a win.
The last time these two met in the league, Arsenal blew a 2-goal lead at home to settle for a point.
How will Arsenal under new management perform on away against Palace?
Cagliari vs AC Milan (Serie A)
Cagliari will need to avoid a 5th winless match (or 4th-straight defeat) by going for the kill against an AC Milan team that is looking to revive their season after a poor start to their year.
Being winless in the last four league matches (including 3 straight defeats) has dragged Cagliari out of Champions League football contention for the coming season.
Bordeaux vs Lyon (Ligue 1)
Tied in points the bottom half of the league table and separated by goal-difference, both Bordeaux and Lyon will be looking to finish the round in the top-half of the league table with a win.
Lazio vs Napoli (Serie A)
Lazio is six points away from making it a three horse race in Serie A.
This might not be the best time for Napoli to travel to face Lazio.
Lazio with a match in hand will be looking forward to securing three points against a Napoli side that has been out of form for some weeks.
Tottenham vs Liverpool (Premier League)
Can Jose Mourinho make headlines by managing his side to be the first Premier League team to beat Liverpool in the league in over a year?
Liverpool are unbeaten in 20 league matches (winning 19), and 13 points clear at the top of the Premier League table with a match in hand.
Despite having home advantage here, recent form makes Tottenham a massive underdog in their own stadium.
Inter Milan vs Atalanta (Serie A)
After seeing off Napoli, Inter Milan has a new task in seeing off a potent Atalanta.
Atalanta has scored the most goals in the league (48).
Roma vs Juventus (Serie A)
After kicking the year off with a defeat on the road against Torino, Roma will be doing what it takes not to make it a consecutive defeat and start their opening match of the year at home with a defeat.
It is a lot to ask from Roma when they opponent is Juventus.
Paris St. Germain vs Monaco (Ligue 1)
The last two title winner in the Ligue 1 will meet in Paris for what should be another win for Paris St. Germain.
As a team, Monaco has scored 31 goals (second only to PSG), and they are the only side to win the league title in the last 7 years (aside from PSG)
