2019-20 FESIG League Preview – (Battle of the Blues edition)

High flying Chelsea will make a trip north to Manchester to face City with last season six nil drubbing at the Etihad Stadium fresh in mind as they face Pep Guardiola’s team. The Champions will be looking to rebound and overtake the Blues on the standings after their defeat to Liverpool last time out. Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid entertain Real Sociedad in the biggest game of week 13 in the Spanish top flight as Los Blancos aim to keep tabs with Barcelona at the top of the table. Can Juventus scale another difficult hurdle in Bergamo when they face Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta? 

Let us take a preview of some of the most exciting matches in this FESIG edition.

We begin in France;

PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN v LILLE OSC – FRI. 22 NOV 2019, 20.45HRS
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The last time both sides met, Lille put five goals past PSG in a 5-1 thrashing of the champions but we are unlikely to witness a repeat the feat on Friday night at the Parc des Princes, where the capital club tend to score a lot in front of their fans. PSG is starting to pull away from the chasing pack; they are eight points better than second place Marseille and will look to keep momentum going. Lille have stuttered recently, managing one win in the last six in the league.

VERDICT – Lille are finding it hard to reproduce the form of last season this time. Les Dogues have been poor travelers and have no league wins on the road this season (2D, 4L). Against one of the best home teams in the league and with revenge for last season humiliation in mind, PSG are favorites for all three points.

TOULOUSE v OLYMPIQUE MARSEILLE – SUN. 24 NOV 2019, 21.00HRS
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VS

Marseille travel to the Pink city to face Toulouse after the international break. Les Violets are in terrible form; they have lost four of their last six league matches and currently sit in the relegation zone. Newly appointed coach Antoine Kombouaré has not been able to revive the fortunes of his new club; Toulouse have been poor at both ends of the pitch. Andre Villas-Boas team won their last two matches against Lyon and Lille; those results has seen them move to second on the table but Marseille are winless in their last four games on the road (1D, 3L). Without the services of Spanish defender Alvaro Gonzalez, it would be interesting to see how Les Phocéens set up at Stadium de Toulouse.

VERDICT – Toulouse find themselves in a terrible position despite with a third of the league campaign gone. The home team have been conceding goals for fun but the visitors haven’t impressed on their travels either. However, it has to be stated that in nine Ligue 1 matches away at Toulouse, Marseille haven’t suffered defeat. AVB’s team has proven to be a bit inconsistent but their host are in worse shape therefore we believe Marseille will leave Toulouse Stadium with at least a point on Sunday evening.

To Germany;

FORTUNA DUSSELDORF v BAYERN MUNICH – SAT. 23 NOV 2019, 15.30HRS
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Bayern Munich travel to Merkur Spielarena to face Fortuna Düsseldorf with Hansi Flick aiming to continue his perfect start to life in charge of the German giants. Bayern Munich will be tested by an in-form Fortuna side in Saturday’s fixture. It is a game between two of the Bundesliga’s in-form strikers. Bayern’s Robert Lewandowski has enjoyed an inspired start to the season in front of goal and Fortuna’s Rouwen Hennings has also been enjoying an exceptional run of form in recent weeks. Hennings is the league’s third-highest goalscorer at present with nine Bundesliga goals. Hennings has scored eight goals in Fortuna’s last seven games in all competitions, including his hat-trick versus Schalke before the international break.

VERDICT – Düsseldorf have not beaten Bayern in their last eight attempts since a 3-1 triumph in the DFB Cup second round back in September 1995. Bayern’s caretaker coach Hansi Flick seems to have transformed Bayern into a strong, cohesive unit on the back on their performance in the Der Klassiker. Düsseldorf are a hardworking unit but they are limited in quality therefore Bayern have the edge.

UNION BERLIN v BORUSSIA MONCHENGLADBACH – SAT. 23 NOV 2019, 15.30HRS
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VS

New boys Union Berlin look to have adapted to the Bundesliga winning three of their last four games in the top division but they are up against leaders Gladbach this weekend. The leaders are having one of their best seasons ever in the German top-flight, winning eight of 11. The last time they had similar run was in 1976 and it ended with the Foals winning the title. Marco Rose’s team plays football that is pleasing to the eye and they will aim to continue exciting their fans when they travel to the capital to play Die Eisernen.

VERDICT – Union Berlin can face Gladbach with no pressure having won the last two games and should not be worried about relegation battle at the moment. The visitors will aim to impose their impressive style on their host at Stadion An der Alten Försterei but will be aware that Union can be giant killers having beaten Dortmund on home patch. Union will give solid resistance but Gladbach have enough quality to win.

To Italy;

ATALANTA v JUVENTUS – SAT. 23 NOV 2019, 15.00HRS
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Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta hosts the best team in the country; Juventus are on a great run at the moment. The Bianconeri have scaled all hurdles placed in front of them this seaon but Atalanta will offer a different challenge; they have the best attack in Serie A and will give Juve a run for their money. Maurizio Sarri’s team has found a way to win regardless of their performance; they are undefeated in 16 matches across all competition – the hallmark of a great side.

VERDICT – Both teams will be missing personnel; Atalanta have Josip Ilicic and Ruslan Malinovskyi suspended while Blaise Matuidi is unavailable for Juventus. Duvan Zapata returns for Atalanta and he will be expected to lead the attack with Cristiano Ronaldo at the opposite end. Juventus are unbeaten against Atalanta in Serie A since February 2001. On current form, the visitors look good but Atalanta have the qualities to hurt Juve. Both Teams should score at the Gewiss Stadium. 

TORINO v INTER MILAN – SAT. 23 NOV 2019, 20.45HRS
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Inter Milan take on inconsistent Torino as they aim to keep their Serie A title aspiration on the front burner with Juventus setting the pace. The Granata kicked off the season with back to back wins – victories that raised expectations – but those early wins were followed with poor results. With one win in the last six, Toro find themselves sitting in a mid-table position. Inter have won four of the last five as they prepare for this trip to Turin but with an eye on a crucial Champions League game in Prague next week. Antonio Conte is likely to shuffle his already stretched squad as he tries to find the right balance for the Nerazzurri.

VERDICT – Inter arrive at Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino with 10 wins in 12; they have an 100% record from away trips so far, which has helped them to their second-best start to a Serie A season. Torino earned a 4-0 win against Brescia last time out and despite this brilliant victory, they still are yet to really convince going forward. Inter have failed to win on their last three matches away to Torino but Antonio Conte has reconstructed a team that should at least avoid defeat on Saturday.

To Spain;

GRANADA v ATLETICO MADRID – SAT. 23 NOV 2019, 18.30HRS
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Atletico Madrid have been as solid as ever so far this season with just one defeat suffered from 13 league outings, but Los Colchoneros have not been able to close out games and that has seen them draw six of their games as they play catch up with title rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid who are both a point clear with a game in hand. Three straight defeats have seen Granada drop rapidly in standings but the Nazaríes have had the international break to reset ahead of the final run-in for the calendar year. Granada are quite strong at home and they have posted four wins including a 2-0 win against Barcelona in late September.

VERDICT – Atletico Madrid’s attacking options are limited with Diego Costa long term absence but Alvaro Morata has shown his ability to lead the line. Half of Atleti’s wins this season have been by a single goal but this game will likely produce more than a single goal for either side to win. Over 1.5 goals at Nuevo Los Cármenes.

REAL MADRID v REAL SOCIEDAD – SAT. 23 NOV 2019, 21.00HRS
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With 67 goals scored in the last 15 encounters between these two teams, it is clear to see why this would be the most anticipated game in the Iberian Peninsula this weekend. Two in-form teams collide at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday evening with just two points and three positions separating them at the top end of the LaLiga standings. Real Madrid appear to have shaken off the early season wobbles but they are facing a team that is performing admirably under the guidance of Imanol Alguacil.

VERDICT – Real Sociedad provided Real Madrid with real problems last season; La Real won both league fixtures and will look to make it three wins in a row against their illustrious opponent. Real Madrid cannot afford slip ups in this moment as they go head on with rivals Barcelona at the top of the table. Both teams are motivated for this game we anticipated a game filled with goals. Over 2.5 goals

To England;

MANCHESTER CITY v CHELSEA – SAT. 23 NOV 2019, 18.30HRS
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VS

Fourth-placed Manchester City will look to displace third place Chelsea in what should be an epic attacking game at the Etihad. Frank Lampard’s Chelsea is targeting a seventh consecutive Premier League win at the home of the champions but will still have memories of last season six nil crushing defeat there. City will look to bounce back after the disappointing defeat to Liverpool last time out as Pep Guardiola rallies his troops ahead of another tough test.

VERDICT – This is a game between the highest scoring home team and the most prolific on the road. City have scored 19 league goals at home to Chelsea’s 18 away from home. Both teams have glaring defensive problems and this might just be a case of who outscores the other. Both teams should get on the score sheet.

SHEFFIELD UNITED v MANCHESTER UNITED – SUN. 24 NOV 2019, 17.30HRS
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VS

No one has given Sheffield United in this league but Chris Wilder and the Blades have taken to life in the Premier League like duck to water. The Blades entertain another member of the top six at Bramall Lane; they are targeting a third straight win and clean sheet at home after beating Arsenal and Burnley recently. On the other side, Manchester United are just a point behind their host as they look to record back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time this season. The Red Devils have lost one of their last seven away games in all competitions as they try to move closer to the top of the table.

VERDICT – Sheffield have lost their last four meetings against Manchester United but the last defeat was in 2006. The Blades have been very competitive this season, having already played Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool and only lost to the latter. The Red Devils were showing signs of form just before the international break and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will hope his side pick-up from where they stopped. It will be a tough afternoon for both sides and this might just end with in a score draw.

This wraps up our FESIG preview for the week. Predict and win big by visiting our Sports shop Babaijebu.ng for mouthwatering offers in all matches available in the French, German, Italian, Spanish and English leagues and more for the weekend.