After last weekend’s break for international matches, we are back to the usual routine with all domestic European leagues back in action. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest events this weekend!
The top divisions of France, Germany and Spain kick off on Friday night with the likes of PSG and Bayern Munich in action. Chelsea take on Leicester in the first PL match of the weekend, but it’s defending champions Manchester City’s match against Tottenham that is the most exciting match on offer this round. In Italy, Inter take on Verona while the match of the weekend will surely be AC Milan against Juventus, even if both teams are not in the top five. Naples, leader of the championship, faces an AS Roma team which is languishing in twelfth place. Barcelona and Real Madrid both play away matches this weekend. Manchester United will welcome new manager Ruben Amorim for his first match in charge, an away game at Ipswich on Sunday. Discover our selection of the best matches of the weekend here:
AC Milan vs. Juventus
AC Milan’s season so far has been inconsistent, as they have achieved some impressive results such as the victory against Real Madrid, but on the other hand, they have struggled to beat teams like Cagliari in the last championship round. They enter this match six points out of the top six in Serie A, an unacceptable position for them. Paulo Fonseca is therefore already under some pressure to improve his results. AC Milan’s last home game was a defeat against leaders Napoli, but before that they had won three in a row at their stadium and so they will be hoping to get back to winning ways in this important clash. That being said, AC Milan have a pretty poor home record against Juventus, having won just one of the last four matches at San Siro and failing to score in two of the last three meetings. Rafael Leao is the man in form for the home side, having scored twice against Cagliari. Milan tend to score more goals in the first half, with thirteen of the last twenty goals being scored before halftime.
Juventus are just one place above AC Milan heading into this match and two points behind league leaders Napoli. They are unbeaten in their first twelve Serie A matches, with six wins and six draws so far. Their success is down to a very well organized defense which has managed to keep an impressive nine clean sheets so far. Juventus’ last game was a 2-0 win over Torino and they head into this game with the best away record in Serie A so far. The only goal they have conceded so far on their trip was against Inter.
AC Milan have won four of the last ten meetings between the two and Juventus have won three, so there is very little to choose between the two in recent history.
Napoli vs AS Roma
Top-ranked Napoli will hope to return to winning ways when they face a struggling AS Roma side at home, having failed to win their last two matches. The lack of European action has certainly helped Napoli, as they have been able to focus all their energy on league matters and have won eight of their twelve matches so far. Their success has been down to a very solid defense, conceding only nine goals so far, but they have struggled at the other end of the pitch, only scoring nineteen goals themselves. This total is the lowest of any team in the top six, with second-placed Atalanta, in comparison, having already scored thirty-one goals. Napoli’s home defeat to Atalanta ended a run of seven wins at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, a record that included five clean sheets.
AS Roma have turned to Claudio Ranieri to try to salvage something from their season. They managed to bring him out of retirement in an attempt to salvage something from their 2024/25 season. Although they still have plenty of time left, their start has been nothing short of terrible and they are yet to win a single away game, making it five draws and three defeats so far. They have just one win in their last six Serie A matches and were beaten at home by Bologna before the international break.
Given the visiting team’s form, it’s difficult to envisage a home win here, even with the potential ‘new manager bounce’ that Ranieri could offer the visitors. The odds favor a home victory. Napoli have won five of the last ten meetings between the two while AS Roma have just two wins.
Man City vs. Tottenham
Neither team will be too happy with their season as City find themselves five points behind leaders Liverpool and Tottenham are in tenth position with just five wins in eleven matches so far this season. Manchester City’s chances of winning their fifth consecutive title took a major blow when they lost their final two matches before the international break. Of particular concern will be the fact that these defeats came against Brighton and Bournemouth and they were part of a four-match losing streak, a first for Guardiola in his managerial career. Next week the reigning champions face leaders Liverpool, so they’ll really want to go into this match off the back of a win against Tottenham. They will also want revenge after being knocked out of the EFL Cup by Spurs in the fourth round a few weeks ago. They are unbeaten at the Etihad, so they will be hoping the comfort of home can lead them to a much-needed victory that will keep them within touching distance of Liverpool. Matches involving Manchester City have certainly not been short of goals as eight of the last ten have seen over 2.5 goals scored.
Tottenham have a decent record at the Etihad, relatively speaking. They have left Manchester with points on five of the last nine visits and will very much be hoping to do the same, to ease the pressure on manager Ange Postecoglu. They will desperately need to get back to winning ways after losing to Ipswich before the international break, a poor result. They are certainly struggling with a long injury list, with Richarlison and Van de Ven the latest players to remain doubtful for this match. Keeping clean sheets has been a problem for Tottenham and it will likely be their biggest concern as they take on Manchester City. On the positive side, Son Heung-min scored in midweek, as he did in this match last season. Unfortunately, midfielder Rodrigo Bentancour was suspended for seven matches for comments he made to his own teammate, Son Heung-min. Tottenham won the last meeting between the two but it is Manchester City who have the slight head-to-head advantage, with five wins in the last ten meetings compared to four for Tottenham.
PS: The odds may have changed since this article was written and published.
Last updated: 11/22/24
