After an international break dominated by all sorts of stories including COVID, I am looking forward to watching some club football on the pitch again. Not withstanding any quarantines or postponements, these are the games I am looking forward to this weekend.
Saturday
Granada vs Sevilla — Regional rivalry between two excellently coached teams.
Everton vs Liverpool — Merseyside derby at the top end of the table, not joking.
Napoli vs Atalanta — 8 goals in 2 games welcomes 13 goals in 3 games.
Augsburg vs Leipzig — 2nd hosts 1st in Germany. Seriously, Augsburg are currently 2nd!
Hertha vs Stuttgart — Mid-table high scorers clash.
Hoffenheim vs Dortmund — Lots of firepower, lots of youngsters, what’s not to like.
Inter vs Milan — Milan derby with both teams undefeated and aiming for the top. Again, not joking.
City vs Arsenal — Pep vs Arteta, Partey’s debut and defences there to be exposed.
Getafe vs Barca — As if Koeman needed another early test, here comes Bordalas.
Marseille vs Bordeaux — Historic clash and AVB needs a win big time.
Sunday
Bologna vs Sassuolo — De Zerbi’s Sassuolo are must watch and it is a regional derby.
Monaco vs Montpellier — In form Ben Yedder against in form Savenier.
Villarreal vs Valencia — Derbi de la Comunitat with Emery and Gracia facing unique pressures.
St Etienne vs Nice — Puel’s exciting young team vs Vieira’s exciting young team.
Spurs vs West Ham — Maybe Bale, but really these two London teams are just unpredictable.
Schalke vs Union — Goal difference of -14 after 3 games. Can Baum halt the Schalke car crash?
Leicester vs Villa — The two Midlands rivals have combined to score 23 in 7 games. More please.
Betis vs La Real — Darlings of the neutrals, unexpectedly 2nd vs 3rd.
Lille vs Lens — Long-awaited Derby du Nord, again unexpectedly 2nd vs 3rd.
Monday
Verona vs Genoa — Sign me up for Juric getting more justice against his former employers.
Leeds vs Wolves — The two best promoted teams of recent times face off.