HIGHLIGHTED FIXTURES
The international break is behind us as the footballing weekend approaches with a plethora of captivating matches across Europe’s top seven leagues. These include clashes between Milan and Turin teams, a Merseyside derby, and London derbies. Interestingly, none of the defending champions currently hold the top spot in the league standings, so the current leaders are keen to consolidate their position.
October 20:
Borussia Dortmund vs. Werder Bremen (German Bundesliga): Dortmund is looking to stay undefeated and secure their fifth consecutive league victory when they host Werder Bremen. Based on the league standings, the result should be one-sided, with Werder Bremen having lost three of their last four games, including 4-1 defeats against both newly promoted teams. Dortmund is only two points behind the top of the Bundesliga.
October 21:
AZ Alkmaar vs. SC Heerenveen (Dutch Eredivisie): AZ Alkmaar will look to extend their unbeaten start to the Eredivisie season when they take on Heerenveen. Heerenveen have only won once in their last six games, losing five.
Chelsea vs. Arsenal (English Premier League): Arsenal, who are still unbeaten this season, are looking to build on their victory over Manchester City by beating Chelsea, who are starting to find form after a difficult start to the season. Arsenal come into the game on the back of a 1-0 win over the defending champions, while Chelsea beat newly-promoted Burnley 4-1, but that was against a team that is struggling. Chelsea have home advantage, but Arsenal won both league meetings between the sides last season.
Darmstadt vs. RB Leipzig (German Bundesliga): RB Leipzig has drawn their last two league games and will next face newly-promoted Darmstadt, who have won their last two games after a poor start to the season.
Feyenoord vs. Vitesse (Dutch Eredivisie): Feyenoord’s title defense season is progressing admirably. They are still unbeaten, but a few draws have them sitting outside the top three after eight games. Feyenoord’s next opponent is Vitesse, who just ended a five-game losing streak with their last two victories.
Hellas Verona vs. Napoli (Italian Serie A): Napoli’s title defense season has been less than stellar, but they are only three points outside of the top four. They are coming off a home loss to Fiorentina and will look to rebound with a win in Verona against a Hellas Verona side that has not won in their last six games, losing four.
Liverpool vs. Everton (English Premier League): Merseyside derby: Liverpool is 10 points ahead of Everton in the league table after 8 rounds. A win for Everton, though unlikely in this derby, would help them move further away from the relegation zone. Liverpool is just 3 points behind the top spot, and a win could close the gap if other results go their way.
Mainz vs. Bayern Munich (German Bundesliga): The defending champions, Bayern Munich, are looking to climb to the top of the league table when they take on winless Mainz. Bayern Munich is just one point away from the top, while Mainz is one point away from the bottom. It is a mismatch on paper, but anything can happen in football.
Manchester City vs. Brighton (English Premier League): Manchester City and Brighton, both known for their attacking prowess, have not won in their last two league games. Brighton lost 6-1 to Aston Villa before drawing with Liverpool, while Manchester City’s unbeaten run came to an end with a 2-1 loss to Wolves and then a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal. The two teams will meet this weekend.
Nice vs. Marseille (French Ligue 1): The only unbeaten side left in Ligue 1 after eight rounds is Nice. Can Marseille change that? The last time this exact fixture was played, Marseille won 3-0, but in their most recent meeting, Nice emerged victorious with a 3-1 scoreline.
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Strasbourg (French Ligue 1): Paris St. Germain is two points away from the top of the league table. A home win against Strasbourg should help PSG get closer to their goal of defending their title. Strasbourg have suffered defeats in their last two games.
PSV Eindhoven vs. Fortuna Sittard (Dutch Eredivisie): PSV Eindhoven is the only team in the top seven European leagues with a perfect winning record. They will look to make it nine wins in a row when they host Fortuna Sittard, who have lost three in a row.
Sevilla vs. Real Madrid (Spanish La Liga): The most successful club in the Europa League will host the most successful club in the Champions League. Real Madrid needs a win in Seville, against Sevilla, to guarantee they stay at the top of the league table. Their record against Sevilla has been good enough to predict that Real Madrid will achieve the right result against a Sevilla side that has had a challenging start to the season.
Union Berlin vs. Stuttgart (German Bundesliga): The impressive season Union Berlin had last year has them playing Champions League football this season, but they’ve lost their last seven games, including five in the league. Union Berlin will host Stuttagart this weekend. Stuttgart, second in the league after seven rounds and just one point behind the leaders, will travel to Berlin in search of a win that could potentially see them take top spot if Leverkusen fail to beat Wolfsburg.
Wolfsburg vs. Bayer Leverkusen (German Bundesliga): Leverkusen needs a win in Wolfsburg to guarantee their top spot. Wolfsburg’s season has been inconsistent. Their last six league games have alternated between wins and defeats. Should this streak continue, they are due for another win because they lost against Stuttgart in the last round.
Torino vs. Inter Milan (Italian Serie A): Inter Milan let slip a two-goal lead at home to Bologna in their last match, drawing 2-2. They now travel to Turin to face Torino, who have not won in their last four games and lost their last match against Juventus in the Derby della Mole.
October 22:
AC Milan vs. Juventus (Italian Serie A): If Inter Milan wins their game in Turin, AC Milan will need to win their match against Juventus to stay at the top of the Serie A table. Juventus will be aware that a win will move them just one point behind AC Milan. This top-of-the-table clash will see league leaders AC Milan take on the most successful club in Serie A, Juventus.
Barcelona vs. Athletic Club (Spanish La Liga): Barcelona remains unbeaten but they come to this game after dropping points in a goalless draw with Granada. They will look to try and make amends by securing the maximum points at home against Athletic Club. There are four points separating the two sides, so the incentive to avoid defeat is high for both clubs.
Girona vs. Almería (Spanish La Liga): Girona is having an amazing start to their season. They are not at the top of the league because they lost to the current leaders. Their only league loss this season was at home to Real Madrid. Almería, on the other hand, are bottom of the table and are looking for their first league win of the season.
Lille vs. Brest (French Ligue 1): A home win for Lille would level them with Brest in points, while a win for Brest could potentially put them at the top of the standings after this round.
Lyon vs. Clermont (French Ligue 1): As it stands, Lyon and Clermont are the only two teams in Ligue 1 without a win this season. They will meet for the opportunity to change that. Clermont was losing 4-2 in their match in Montpellier when the match was abandoned in the dying moments after a spectator threw a firecracker onto the pitch. We will have to wait and see if the findings could benefit them.
Monaco vs. Metz (French Ligue 1): With three teams chasing them (Nice, PSG, and Brest), Monaco can only ensure they keep their position at the top of the Ligue 1 standings with a win against Metz.
Salernitana vs. Cagliari (Italian Serie A): Salernitana and Cagliari are both in search of their first league win of the season after eight rounds. These two teams will have an opportunity against each other.
Utrecht vs. Ajax (Dutch Eredivisie): Ajax is currently in the relegation playoff spot. They have a great opportunity at home against the bottom-tabled Utrecht.
October 23:
Tottenham vs. Fulham (English Premier League): Fulham may not seem like a threat at the moment, but football has its way, and Tottenham also has its own. Tottenham will aim to extend their unbeaten start with a win against Fulham.
