Friday is here, and depending on your definition of the weekend, we may be in it.
The Bundesliga, Eredivisie, and Ligue 1 are all resuming play after the winter break.
The fixtures include Bayern Munich vs. Hoffenheim to kick off the Bundesliga, Marseille vs. Strasbourg to start Ligue 1, and RKC Waalwijk vs.
Heracles to begin the Eredivisie.
🇮🇹 Inter Milan and Juventus are in a close battle for first place in the Serie A standings at the midway point of the season. Inter Milan has a two-point lead over Juventus (48-46). AC Milan is the team that is putting the most pressure on the top two, as they are only a point behind Juventus. AC Milan is on the verge of joining Inter Milan and Juventus in the 40-point club.
🇪🇸 Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, and Osasuna are competing in the Supercopa de España, leaving 16 clubs to play 8 La Liga matches this weekend. This gives Girona and Athletic Club the chance to pull ahead of Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid, respectively. Currently, Real Madrid and Girona are tied in points, but Real Madrid holds the top spot in the league standings.
🏴 The winter break for some Premier League clubs means a lighter schedule this weekend. Aston Villa will have a chance to match Liverpool on points, but Liverpool will remain top of the table with a game in hand. The 10 teams playing this weekend, in alphabetical order, are Aston Villa, Burnley, Chelsea, Everton, Fulham, Luton Town, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, and Tottenham.
🇩🇪 The German Bundesliga returns from its winter break. Bayer Leverkusen will seek to maintain or extend their four-point lead in the title race with a win against Augsburg, while Bayern Munich will look to do the same against Hoffenheim in the hopes that Leverkusen falters.
🇫🇷 The return of the French Ligue 1 from the winter break sees Nice, Monaco, and Brest attempting to put pressure on PSG in the title race, but neither side has been consistent enough. Paris St. Germain got off to a slow start at the beginning of the season, but now they have a five-point lead in the title race to build on when they travel to face Lens.
🇳🇱 After the winter break, the Dutch Eredivisie returns with PSV Eindhoven looking to maintain their 100% winning record with a home win against Excelsior. Feyenoord is the closest rival PSV has in the Eredivisie title race after 16 rounds, and they are 10 points behind.
🇵🇹 Benfica, the defending champions, are trailing Sporting CP by a point in the Primeira Liga title race. Sporting CP is likely to remain at the top of the table at the end of the round, as they will be playing away this weekend against Chaves, who are at the bottom of the league standings.
WEEKEND LEAGUE FOOTBALL:
January 12.
🇩🇪 Bayern Munich vs. Hoffenheim: Bayern Munich aims to apply pressure on Leverkusen in the Bundesliga title race by securing a home win against Hoffenheim.
January 13.
🇪🇸 Athletic Club vs. Real Sociedad: Athletic Club and Real Sociedad will face off in a Basque derby on Saturday. Athletic Club currently holds a six-point lead over Real Sociedad in the league, but that advantage will likely be of little consequence in a derby. Real Sociedad won the most recent meeting between the two sides by a score of 3-0, but Athletic Club won the last time this fixture was played by a score of 2-0.
🏴 Chelsea vs. Fulham: Chelsea is set to face Fulham in the West London Derby. Both teams experienced defeats in their midweek EFL Cup semifinal games against Middlesbrough and Liverpool, respectively. This derby presents an opportunity for both sides to bounce back. Currently, Chelsea holds a 4-point lead over Fulham in the standings. However, Fulham’s last league game resulted in a victory against Arsenal, a team actively involved in the title race. The reverse fixture was a ‘2-0’ win for Chelsea.
🏴 Newcastle United vs. Manchester City: The defending champions have a game in hand and are five points off the top of the league in the English Premier League. Manchester City will travel to face a Newcastle United side that has seen its form dip, playing below preseason expectations. Newcastle United is facing a fourth consecutive league defeat if it cannot stop Manchester City from securing a victory. Manchester City won the reverse fixture by a score of 1-0, but Newcastle United won the most recent meeting by a score of 1-0 at home to advance in the EFL Cup.
🇮🇹 Napoli vs. Salernitana : With two wins and a draw from their last three league games, Napoli’s title defense season has taken some hits after getting knocked out of the Coppa Italia at home in the Round of 16 stage by Frosinone. While defending the crown may be challenging, a respectable finish in the ‘top 4’ should be the target for Napoli. Coming from a ‘3-0’ defeat against Torino, they now face Salernitana. Fortunately for Napoli, Salernitana is the worst team in the standings, positioned at the bottom of the table. Despite Salernitana showing some fight against Juventus in the last round, Napoli will still be expected to come out of this game with a much-needed win for morale. On the other hand, Salernitana desperately needs the win for survival in the top flight.
🇮🇹 Monza vs. Inter Milan: At the midpoint of the Serie A season, Monza tops the bottom half of the table, while Inter Milan leads the title race, holding a two-point lead over Juventus. Inter Milan is not in a position to drop any points.
🇩🇪 Augsburg vs. Bayer Leverkusen: Leverkusen, sitting at the top of the table, aims to maintain their unbeaten start to the season by securing their 14th win from 17 league matches when they face an Augsburg side in the midtable.
🇳🇱 Twente vs. AZ Alkmaar: Twente is a point and a position ahead of AZ Alkmaar, setting the stage for a fight for third place finish at the end out the round.
🇳🇱 PSV Eindhoven vs. Excelsior: An opportunity for PSV Eindhoven to complete the first half of the Eredivisie season with a perfect winning record. PSV Eindhoven aims to make it 17 league wins in 17 matches as they return to league action. Conversely, Excelsior has an opportunity to become the first team to take points off PSV Eindhoven.
🇵🇹 Chaves vs. Sporting CP: Sporting CP guarantees top spot with an away win over bottom table Chaves.
January 14.
🇪🇸 Almería vs. Girona: Anything but a defeat will put Girona at the top of the league table at the end of the weekend. Ideally, Girona will want the win to open a 3-point lead on Real Madrid. Fortunately for Girona, they have bottom-tabled and winless Almería as their next league opponent. The expectation is a Girona victory to keep Almería without a league win this season. Girona were 5-2 winners in the reverse fixture, coming from two goals down to take a ‘3-2 lead into the halftime break.
🏴 Manchester United vs. Tottenham Hotspur: Tottenham will finish the round in the top four if they emerge victorious from Old Trafford against a Manchester United side that trails them by eight points. Tottenham had a hot start to the season that has cooled off a bit in recent weeks, but they are back on a good run, picking up 4 league wins from their last five matches. As for Manchester United, it has been a tough season for them in all competitions. Tottenham were ‘2-0’ winners in the reverse fixture, but Manchester United emerged as ‘2-0’ winners when they hosted Tottenham in the previous season.
🇮🇹 AC Milan vs. Roma: AC Milan and Roma will face each other in pursuit of league points following their midweek Coppa Italia exits at the quarterfinal stage: Roma was knocked out by Lazio, AC Milan was knocked out at home by atalanta. AC Milan holds a 10-point lead over Roma and aims to secure results to close in on or maintain the pace with the top two teams (Inter Milan and Juventus). Meanwhile, Roma is in search of points to propel them into the “top 6.”
🇫🇷 Le Havre vs. Lyon: Lyon faces a difficult away match against Le Havre, the best-performing promoted club in the league. Despite a tough season, Lyon has won their last three league games, bringing their total to four. A fourth consecutive league win would tie them with Le Havre in points.
🇳🇱 Go Ahead Eagles vs. Ajax: Ajax experienced a challenging start to the season but has now positioned themselves as the closest team to those in the top four. Go Ahead Eagles, two points and a position below Ajax in the standings, has the opportunity to leapfrog Ajax with a home win.
🇳🇱 Feyenoord vs. NEC Nijmegen: What is preventing Feyenoord from being at the top of the league in their title defense season is a PSV Eindhoven side that is having a perfect winning season. If PSV Eindhoven is taken out of the title race, Feyenoord would be 4 points clear in the lead. With PSV in the race, they are currently 10 points behind the leaders. Feyenoord will seek a win against NEC Nijmegen to maintain pace and keep their title hopes alive. NEC Nijmegen comes into this tie on the back of winning their last three league games.
🇵🇹 Benfica vs. Rio Ave: In Benfica’s title defense season, their next challenge is Rio Ave. With Sporting CP likely to secure a victory against bottom-tabled Chaves, Benfica must ensure they win against relegation-threatened Rio Ave to maintain their pace in the Primeira Liga title race.
🇵🇹 Porto vs. Braga: Porto currently sits five points off the top of the league, with Braga two points behind them. Both teams earned a point in their last league match, a 1-1 draw away from home. A win for Braga would move them above Porto in the standings, but it is unlikely that Porto will allow that to happen in their home stadium.
🇪🇸 Real Madrid vs. Barcelona: The 2024 Supercopa España final presents El Clásico: Real Madrid vs. Barcelona, this Sunday.
