Ladies and gentlemen, this may be the deepest week of interesting European match-ups since World Soccer Digest started early this year. As such, the ten matches to watch segment will expand, lest I undersell the depth of footy available to you over the next four days (including a match-up that will likely be over by the time you read this). With more matches, less space. Let’s do this, counting backwards from …. number 20? I doubt this will work, but let’s give it a try. We’ll keep them quick:#20. Málaga versus Real Valladolid, Sunday, Spain’s Primera Division – Last year Málaga, newly promoted to La Liga, challenged for Europe and were a dark horse contenders to do the same this year. Now they find themselves three points above eighteenth place Tenerife with Real Valladolid only one more point back.
Valladolid beat Sevilla on Tuesday and has four points in their last two matches, perhaps the start of a climb out of the depths to which many are surprised to see they’ve sunk.
Where this year Málaga has lost more at home than they’ve won, three points from Real Valladolid would not shock.
#19. Basel versus Luzern, Sunday, Switzerland’s Super League – Second versus fourth woith Basel gaining on league leaders Young Boys while Luzern is losing ground in their chase for third, Europe, and Grasshopper (who beat Young Boys last week). Basel’s leading scorer (Marco Streller, 19 goals in 26 starts, second in the league) likely misses this match and has not played since March.
#18. Club Brugge versus Anderlecht, Sunday, Belgium’s Championship Playoff – No surprise Anderlecht is running away with the playoff (just as they ran away with the regular season). They are five points up on Club Brugge after five rounds, and with as many matches left in the season, Club Brugge needs a win on Sunday to have a realistic shot at the title.
Problem: Anderlecht has not lost in the playoff (3-2-0) and has not lost in league since the first week of February. Oh, and they’re the better team, with Moroccan attacker Mbark Moussoufa leading the playoffs in goals (4).
#17. Real Madrid versus Valencia, Sunday, Spain’s Primera Division – How is this match so low? Because it likely does not mean much.
This is second versus third, but there are 21 points between them, and with Los Che seven up on fourth place Mallorca, they look entrenched in third.
Both teams won midweek, though Real Madrid had a bit of a scare after falling behind early to Al mería. They need to win to keep their slim title hopes alive.
#16. CSKA Moscow versus Lokomotiv Moscow, Saturday, Russian Premier Liga – CSKA (along with Zenit St. Petersburg) has the best point ratio in the league, and while many thought Loko would be able to keep pace, they have lost three of their season’s five matches. Granted, all three loses were to title contenders (Zenit, Spartak Moscow, and Rubin Kazan) but their need to win and show their contender’s chops underscores this minor derby.
#15. Parma versus Genoa, Sunday, Italian Serie A – A derby loss last weekend to Sampdoria has Ganoa tenth and on their last legs as it concerns re-qualifying for Europe. Parma is ninth, only one point better, three points behind seventh place Napoli.
The winner of this match stays in the fight for Europa while the loser can shift focus, disappointing given each club, at some point this season, had valid European hopes.
#14: Villareal versus Atlético Madrid, Saturday, Spain’s Primera Division – Emulating each other all season, both expected Europe contenders got off to slow starts, fought back to mid-table, lost momentum and fired their coaches. Now each are back in the discussion for Europe with one major caveat: Atlético appears qualified, should Sevilla (5th) stay in the top six. Even if Sevilla slides, winning the Copa del Rey (where they are finalists) gets the Atleti back into Europe. They have said they’re concentrating more on the Copa and Europa, so expect Villareal to recover from their unexpected mod-week trouncing at the hands of Getafe.
Then again, you never know with Atlético.
#13. Rapid Bucuresti versus Steaua Bucuresti, Sunday, Romanian Liga – Four points in five matches has Rapid fading from European contention. Eight back from sixth place Dinamo sees them unlikely to track down one of their rivals.
Their other rival, however, comes to the Giulesti-Valentin trailing league-leading CFR Cluj by three. with league leading scorer Pantelis Kapetanos ready to exploit a Rapid defense that has not kept a clean sheet in six matches.
#12. Porto versus Vitoria Guimarães, Sunday, Portuguese Liga – Porto is five back of second place Braga for second and the league’s final Champions League birth. With only four matches left in the season, they need maximum points from a Guimaraes side trying to track Sporting Lisbon down for fourth. Guimaraes is now four points back and, with Lisbon playing a suddenly decent Vitoria Setubal side on Monday, may be able to make-up critical points with an upset at the Dragão.
#11. VfL Wolfsburg versus Werder Bremen, Saturday, German Bundesliga – Winners of four of their last five, Bremen have regained the form that made them title contenders at the beginning of the season. With those dreams long faded, the benefits of Bremen’s surge are limited to a Champions League spot, now only three points back of third place Bayer Leverkusen.
Their Saturday opponents, Wolfsburg, have renewed hopes of their own, winning three in a row to pull within two points of sixth place Hamburg.
While Bremen has Dortmund and Wolfsburg has Stuttgart standing in the way of their desired table place, neither are likely to transcend the clubs that stand in their way without three Saturday points.
We are, after all, down to four matches left in the Bundesliga.
#10. Dynamo Kyiv versus Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, Sunday, Ukrainian Premier League – At various points this winter (and spring) we’ve talked about Ukraine’s big two. While Dynamo and Shakhtar have run away and hidden (with 62 points each, 13 more than third place Metalist Kharkiv), fourth place Dnipro can play a spoilers’ role.
With five matches left in a season where each of Dynamo and Shakhtar have lost one time, Dnipro represents a rare place where a leader could drop points, and while Dynamo is 11-1-0 at home this season, Dnipro has a solid 5-3-4 road record (allowing only nine goals).
#9. Timisoara versus CFR Cluj, Monday, Romanian Liga – CFR Cluj has won five in a row, threatening to go Marseille on what was the other remarkably competitive battle in Europe. Worse (for their opposition): Cluj has not allowed a league goal since March 13, though Dinamo managed a goal in the mid-week Romanian Cup match.
That goal was scored by Andrea Cristea, one of the league’s elite players, for whom Timisoara has an analog: Dorin Goga, responsible for 11 goals in 18 starts.
The teams (who have the two best defenses in the league) played to a 0-0 in October at Cluj.
Five points back of the leaders, Timisoara will need better than a draw to stay viable in the title race.
#8 . VfB Stuttgart versus Bayer Leverkusen, Saturday, German Bundesliga – Leverkusen has looked better since star striker Stefan Kießling returned two weeks ago, but they are winless in four and now have their Champions League spot threatened by Dortmund (-2) and Bremen (-3).
They go to Stuttgart on Sunday to face the hottest team in the league, winners of four in a row, including a win three weeks ago at the Allianz against the league’s leaders.
Stuttgart is one back of a fading Hamburg for the last Europa spot, but with Wolfsburg on their heels (-1), Die Roten needs a win.
#7. Sampdoria versus Milan, Sunday, Italian Serie A – Sampdoria’s win over Genoa last week keeps them tied for fourth with Palermo, and facing the Eagles on match day 37, Luigi Del Nieri’s men control their Champions League destiny.
Milan is firmly entrenched in an automatic UCL qualifying position but holds out hope of catching Roma, ahead by four points at the top of the table.
Sampdoria won this fixture last season and has yet to lose a home match this campaign. In his comments mid-week, Del Nieri was convinced that streak will continue.
#6. Fenerbahce versus Besiktas, Sunday, Turkcell SüperLig – First place Bursaspor has dropped four points in the last three weeks, opening the door for Fenerbahçe, who are now within one point thanks for four consecutive victories.
Besiktas, on the other hand, have had their quest to defend their title derailed by three draws in four matches. They go to the Sürkü Sa racoglu having lost their last five league matches at their rivals. However, they have won two Cup matches in that time and carry a eight match unbeaten streak into Sunday’s match.
But this match is about more than two teams vying for position atop their league. Fenerbehce and Besiktas is a huge derby within Istanbul, and while it is not the marque league rivalry, it is still must-follow football.
#5. Internazionale versus Juventus, Friday, Italian Serie A – A match-up which under only rare occasions would be ranked this low. This version of the Derby D’Italia is one of those occasions, as Juve’s struggles portend to an uneven match.
Inter must win to keep up with a surging Roma, but in a rivalry match like this … insert cliché here.
I don’t detect enough confidence in Juve to threaten Inter at the San Siro. If he plays, I expect Wesley Sneijder to pick apart the Old Lady’s defense.
#4. Tottenham Hotspur versus Chelsea, Saturday, English Premier League – Tottenham is coming off their huge, mid-week win over Arsenal and have revitalized hopes of qualifying for Champions League. Chelsea, however, is a much tougher match-up for them and carry better form into this version of a London derby.
Chelsea is four points clear in England and, given their run-in, would take a huge step toward the title with a draw at White Hart Lane. Spurs should want more, but given their proximity to fourth place Manchester City and an impending match with the Citizens, Tottenham likely smiles at a draw, too.
#3. Lazio versus Roma, Sunday, Italy – A true derby that looked even more important weeks ago when Lazio was in the middle of a relegation scrap. Now undefeated in five, they have breathing room above eighteenth place Atalanta and the confidence to derail their rival’s title hopes.
Last week, the Giallorossi became the first team in four years to knock Inter off the table’s top this late in the season, but that’s all for naught should they allow Lazio to deny them points.
The health of Mirko Vucin ic could be decisive.
#2. Bordeaux versus Lyon, Saturday, France’s Ligue 1 – Is it possible that this is the most important meeting of the season for these teams? Seems a stretch, given they met in the Champions League quarterfinals (with Lyon advancing), but this match could decide if either returns to Champions League next season.
Lyon currently sit third, in the last UCL spot, with Bordeaux two back and holding a match in hand. Bordeaux also holds a three match losing streak, a newfound willingness to leak goals while maintaining a perpetual inability to create them.
So what’s to save Laurent Blanc’s side? Desperation, talent, and 1-0 wins the last two times these teams have met in Ligue 1.
#1. Manchester City versus Manchester United, Saturday, English Premier League – The match that could thrust Manchester City into the Premier League stratosphere.
To this point, it’s all been potential legitimized by the bankroll of their backers, but if they are able to knock United out of the title race while simultaneously taking a step toward Champions League, there will be an undeniable shift of power in Manchester.
There is a psychological element to being the top team in your community (see Liverpool, Roma, Real Madrid), and if City can start to upset that balance, it will do wonders to accelerate their growth.
