The five football fixtures you must watch this weekend, including a classic Premier League rivalry and clashes between title rivals in Italy and Portugal.
Five spicy fixtures you must watch this weekend:
Eintracht Frankfurt vs Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich will be heavily favoured to beat Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday evening, but this promises to be an entertaining contest nonetheless.
Vincent Kompany’s men have been on a tear in the early months of the campaign, winning every single game while racking up the goals; they are the top scorers in the Bundesliga with 22.
Frankfurt, meanwhile, are coming off the back of a 5-1 drubbing at the hands of Atletico Madrid. But they have been involved in the most goals in the German top flight, scoring 17 while conceding 13, the second-most in the division.
They have scored 16 goals in their last five games in all competitions and came out the winning side of a ten-goal thriller against Borussia Monchengladbach last weekend. Literally anything could happen here, making it such an enticing watch.
Spice Rating: Mild 🌶
Read – Premier League talking points ahead of the weekend’s action
Real Madrid vs Villarreal
After suffering such a devastating defeat to neighbours Atletico Madrid last week, Real Madrid will want to get their LaLiga campaign back on track with a win this Saturday.
They welcome Villarreal to the Bernabeu for a meeting between second and third in the table. The Yellow Submarine have been in good form, but have begun the season with a kind fixture list.
Having secured a creditable draw against Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday, this will be the first real test for them in the league and an early signal of whether or not they can hang with the top two.
Spice Rating: Medium 🌶🌶
Read – Tuchel explains Bellingham omission and key England squad selections
FC Porto vs Benfica
For the second time in the space of a few days, Jose Mourinho returns to a former club he managed following his recent appointment as Benfica manager.
The Special One will be hurting after Chelsea inflicted a 1-0 defeat on his side at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday. The perfect way to bounce back would be to beat Porto, with whom he famously won the Champions League in 2004.
This is a massive tie beyond just Mourinho, though, as it could have a huge say in the destination of the title. Benfica are unbeaten in the Primeira Liga, but are already four points adrift of Porto, who have won nine out of nine games in all competitions.
Reigning champions Sporting CP, who occupy second place, will be watching on hoping for a draw this Sunday night.
Spice Rating: Hot 🌶🌶🌶
Read – Power Rankings: Atleti ascend as Liverpool slide
Chelsea vs Liverpool
There’s every chance that this game plays out like two drunks having a punchup outside the pub at 2am; neither side have been all that impressive so far this season, or particularly fun to watch.
But Chelsea and Liverpool is one of the Premier League’s marquee matchups and tends to throw up some classic encounters. The Reds are still trying to find their rhythm and look vulnerable right now, which could open up an opportunity for Enzo Maresca to mastermind a huge victory for the Blues on Saturday.
Spice Rating: Fire 🌶🌶🌶🌶
Read – Chelsea boss makes Liverpool claim ahead of Premier League clash
Juventus vs AC Milan
This is the match of the week for me. AC Milan have been on a terrific run ever since their disappointing opening day defeat to Cremonese, winning four consecutive matches to go top of the Serie A table.
They leapfrogged Napoli last week with a win over Antonio Conte’s side and will be looking to burnish their Scudetto credentials by following it up with a victory over fourth-placed Juve.
Only one point separates the two clubs in the standings, but the Bianconeri’s momentum has stalled in recent weeks thanks to four successive draws in all competitions. The stakes are big in this one, even at this early juncture.
Spice Rating: Insane 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶
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See Also – Four takeaways from Tuesday’s Champions League action
