23/04 - 20:00
23/04 - 20:00
A look at the standout ties from across Europe this weekend...
It is the two teams that are expected to be battling it out for the Premier League title and the two contested the UEFA Champions League final of 2021.
Just like on that day in Porto, it has been Thomas Tuchel who has got the upper-hand in the three matches that Chelsea and City have played since his arrival. The FA Cup semi-final and a league fixture in May when City could’ve been crowned champions.
Jorge Sampaoli’s teams are always worth a watch. It has been no different since he arrived in the south of France to lead Marseille. They remain unbeaten in the league so far this season and have been impressive and entertaining since his appointment in March.
Lens have invested relatively heavily, for a club promoted just a couple of seasons ago, in recent seasons. The visitors spent nearly £15 million in the summer to back up their seventh-placed finish last season; this is second against fourth in the Ligue 1 table.
The Borussia derby pits Dortmund head coach, Marco Rose, against the club he left to join Dortmund just this summer.
Gladbach have started the season very poorly under new man Adi Hutter and they come into this game 16th in the table whilst Dortmund remain very, very Dortmund. High-scoring and regularly entertaining, especially with Erling Haaland, but lacking the bite and solidity necessary to mount a serious title challenge.
Inter Milan play Atalanta on Saturday so you know for that one to not be the Serie A game of the weekend, there must be a serious clash taking place.
You don’t have to look that far in Europe for a former Chelsea manager and this weekend’s Derby della Capitale features two of them. It is Maurizio Sarri vs Jose Mourinho at Stadio Olimpico. A clash of style, culture and background – and that is just the dugouts.
Both sides have started the season in entertaining form but a winless September for Sarri leaves him under pressure already whilst Mou’s Roma lost to strugglers Hellas Verona last weekend.
This match doesn’t involve any of the most glamorous of Portuguese sides (Guimarães hosting Benfica is the 'heavyweight' headliner!), but that doesn’t mean it is lacking in significance.
Bottom-of-the-table Tondela, led by former Valencia manager Rafa Benitez’s famous assistant at Valencia and Liverpool Pako Aysterian, have won just one of their opening five matches whilst Famalicao sit two places above them in the relegation playoff places.
One of the biggest clubs in the history of football, situated in the capital city of Spain; against the smallest town to ever win a major European trophy.
Real Madrid have been excellent and thrilling in Carlo Ancelotti’s second spell at the club. Pragmatism mixed with the relevant flair sees Los Blancos at the top-of-the-table whilst Unai Emery’s Villarreal remain unbeaten in the bottom-half. Emery and Villarreal’s troubles have stemmed from being overly cautious whereby too many drawn games hinder and halt legitimate top four aspirations and, in such an open league, an unlikely title challenge.
💪 THE MIGHTY DELTA | For Issue 5⃣ of our fanzine, we caught up with former #WBA technician @NabiAdil to find out his dream 7-a-side team...
— playmakerstats (@playmaker_EN) September 23, 2021
1⃣
2⃣
3⃣ Carlos 💥
4⃣ Sawyers ▶
5⃣
6⃣
7⃣ Anelka 💨
Check out Adil's full line-up here 👀https://t.co/yClhTxxtRV
