It is another weekend for derbies in Italy, Germany and Spain but before we get into them, there is a top-four clash in the Premier League between defending champions Manchester City who will put their unbeaten start to the season on the line when they travel to London to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. It is called the mother of all derbies in Italy, Derby d’Italia sees Inter Milan travel to Turin to face Juventus at the Allianz Stadium. In the Bundesliga, The Ruhr derby also known as “Derby of the Area” is between Schalke 04 and league leaders Borussia Dortmund at the Veltins Arena and in Spain, Espanyol host city rivals Barcelona at the RCDE Stadium in derbi Barceloni.
Here is our preview of matches across top five European Leagues.
We begin in England;
BOURNEMOUTH v LIVERPOOL – SAT. 08 DEC 2018, 13.30HRS
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Liverpool had to dig deep in their last two league games to earn victories over Everton and Burnley to keep tabs with league leaders Manchester City in the Premier League title race. Bournemouth beat Huddersfield Town midweek to end a four game losing streak in the league and Eddie Howe will hope the victory can inspire his team as they target a win against one of the big Premier League teams at the Vitality stadium at lunch time on Saturday. Jurgen Klopp and his team face a big week with the crucial Champions League game against Napoli on the horizon but the German tactician knows that a victory will see his team move to the top of the pile before City play.
VERDICT – The Reds have a better head-to-head record including 7-0 aggregate score in the two Premier League matches against Bournemouth last season. The Cheeries have been quite strong at home losing twice to Manchester United and Arsenal only, neither found it easy so we expect the home team to give the visiting team a run for their money. It would be interesting to see how both managers approach the game but the Reds have a bigger squad with more quality compared to Bournemouth lean resources which would have been stretched with three games in seven days.
CHELSEA v MANCHESTER CITY – SAT. 08 DEC 2018, 18.30HRS
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Chelsea made a fabulous start to the season but things have slowed down considerably lately. Maurizio Sarri will be under more pressure if the Blues lose to Manchester City on Saturday evening as their Premier League title hopes seem to be fading away. The Blues have lost their last two Premier League away games but the halfhearted performance at the Molineux against Wolves should be a cause for concern for the former Napoli coach. League leaders Manchester City have found a way to grind out wins; either playing at their imperious best or just getting across the line like they did at Watford on Tuesday night.
VERDICT – Pep Guardiola’s team have won their last three meetings against Chelsea including a 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League last season. Chelsea have not lost at home under Sarri but that record is under threat this weekend with Guardiola winning all three previous encounters against Sarri. On current form, can Sarri put a halt to his poor record against Pep? We believe the Spaniard will keep his current run against the Italian on Saturday evening.
To France;
LILLE OSC v STADE DE REIMS – SUN. 09 DEC 2018, 18.30HRS
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Lille managed to brush off relegation with the skin of the teeth by winning three of their last four games last season to stay alive in a tumultuous campaign that kicked off under Marcelo Bielsa before Christophe Galtier guided them to safety and has keep them going with a remarkable start to this season. Nicolas Pepe’s sixth minute winner saw LOSC pick up three points at Montpellier and return to second on the table. Reims lost surprisingly to struggling Toulouse on Wednesday night to halt their decent form. The Grand East region club won three of their last five games before the midweek loss but will need to be at their very best when they travel to Stade Pierre-Mauroy and hope Lille have not found their magic wand back.
VERDICT – LOSC returned to winning ways in Ligue 1 after two defeats and draws in their last four league matches. Christophe Gatllier’s men have been excellent at home but failed to win the last two against Strasbourg and Lyon. Reims have been quite decent on the road lately, they beat Rennes at home, lost to Saint Etienne and forced Marseille to a draw at the Velodrome. Reims have the slight edge in the recent head-to-head meetings (4W, 1D, 3L) in the last eight. We expect a very close game with either side not giving much away; it has the making of a low scoring game.
To Germany;
SCHALKE 04 v BORUSSIA DORTMUND – SAT. 08 DEC 2018, 15.30HRS
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Borussia Dortmund will put their beaten record in this season’s Bundesliga on the line when they travel to Veltins Arena to face rivals Schalke. Dortmund were under the shadows of their neighbors last season as the Royal Blues finished second beyond Bayern Munich in the league but are struggling having lost seven league matches in 13 Bundesliga games this season. On the other hand, Dortmund are flying high, they are top of the pile, seven points better than the chasing pack, nine points better than fierce rival Bayern Munich and 19 points better than their neighbors – Schalke going into the derby. Lucien Favre’s team are the league leading scorers with 37 goals with Paco Alcacer with 10 and skipper Marco Reus with nine. Confidence is sky high for the Yellow and Black army and their fans can be pretty confident as they march into Veltins Arena on Saturday afternoon.
VERDICT – Schalke can still boast of a healthy record against their city rivals having not lost the last five derbies including the last four at home. With that in mind, Domenico Tedesco team are struggling for goals, their leading scorer is Nabil Bentaleb with three league goals which have all come from the penalty spot. Dortmund know they can be autumn champions (Herbstmeisterschaft) with a victory over their city rivals if the chasing pack (Borussia Moenchengladbach and RBLeipzig) lose. Can there be a greater incentive for Dortmund to end their winless run at the Veltins Arena? I think Favre’s team will be extra motivated for a derby victory.
HERTHA BERLIN v EINTRACHT FRANKFURT – SAT. 08 DEC 2018, 18.30HRS
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Hertha Berlin will be looking to build on a 2-0 win over Hannover whenthey host Eintracht Frankfurt at their Olympiastadion Berlin this weekend. Pal Dardai’s troops secured their first win in six league matches, they sit in seventh place in the standings and a win over The Eagles could see them move into the Europa League spot. Frankfurt suffered a surprise home defeat last time out against Wolfsburg and dropped out of the top four. They would be aiming to bounce back in Berlin with the belief that last weekend’s defeat was a blip. Adi Hutter is building a strong unit at the Commerzbank Arena with the Eagles terrific attack that has scored 30 league goals already – they are the second joint top scorers in the division.
VERDICT – Hertha are well known to be tough to beat at home so Eintracht Frankfurt will need to produce a scintillating performance on the day if they aim for all three points. This is a game between two outstanding forwards in the league; experienced Vedad Ibisevic for Hertha and prodigious talent Luka Jovic for Eintracht. We anticipate a very lively contest in Berlin with both teams going for victory. Goals will be guaranteed but it is likely that both teams will share the spoils in an exciting contest.
To Italy;
JUVENTUS v INTER MILAN – FRI. 07 DEC 2018, 20.30HRS
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Derby d’Italia needs no introduction; it is the mother of all derbies in the Serie A with two of the greatest clubs in Italian football locking horns at the Allianz Stadium in Turin. Juventus will be out to sink any little hope left in Inter’s Scudetto dream by extending the 11 points difference between them to 14 by the end of preceding on Friday night. Max Allegri’s team are in superior form and could set another record with a win on Friday – they would have 43 points from their first 15 league games, matching the tally set by PSG last week in the three-point era in any of Europe’s top five leagues. Alex Sandro is the major injury concern for Juve while Inter have no injury concerns as they make the short trip to Turin.
VERDICT – Luciano Spalletti’s team are in search of three points at a ground where they haven’t won since 2012.Inter should be worried about their defensive issues having conceded six goals in their last two Serie A away games. The Bianconeri fans have become accustomed to conquering their Milan counterparts. Juve have racked up more wins over Inter in Serie A than against any other side, a total of 81 but the Beneamata fans still have fond memories of breaking the Old Lady 49-game unbeaten run in their stadium in 2012. Inter need to win to keep the Serie A title chase alive and Juve will want to keep plugging away from the pack. Mauro Icardi will lead his team from the front while Cristiano Ronaldo is no stranger to big games. An away victory is very unlikely at the Allianz Stadium.
AC MILAN v TORINO – SUN. 09 DEC 2018, 20.30HRS
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Milan welcome Walter Mazzarri’s Torino to the Giuseppe Meazza, SanSiro on Sunday evening for the final game of round 15. Only four points separate both teams who have been performing quite well lately with the Rossoneris sitting fourth and the Granatas sixth. In spite of the injury list, Gennaro Gattuso has been able to manage his team well stir them in the right direction. The Milan giant capitalized on Lazio slip up last weekend and will aim to retain their spot in the Champions League zone as the winter break draws closer.Milan’s home form has been solid, with seven wins and two defeats, scoring an average two goals a game at the San Siro. Torino have lost twice in their last ten Serie A matches. However, since losing to Napoli in September, AC Milan will be their biggest test and with the in-form AC Milan at home, it will be a tough proposition.
VERDICT – Milan have always been a tricky opposition for Torino. The Bulls have just one win in 32 head-to-head encounters with Rossoneri. Milan have a ruthless record in head-to-head games with Torino at San Siro where they won 12 and drew five of 17. Regardless of this poor record against Milan, Torino are unbeaten away from home this term. They won two and drew as many as five of seven league matches on the road shipping in only six goals along the way. Gonzalo Higuain returns from suspension to lead Milan attack while Andrea Belotti is showing signs of his supreme form of 2016/17 campaign. Milan might have the edge but this could goeither way. Goals are guaranteed on Sunday evening at the San Siro
To Spain;
VALENCIA v SEVILLA – SAT. 08 DEC 2018, 16.15HRS
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Los Che aim to bounce back from a 2-0 loss to Real Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu last weekend, whilst Los Rojiblancos would hope to return to winning ways in LaLiga after sharing the spoils with Deportivo Alaves last time out in the league. Marcelino’s men have been struggling in LaLiga this season, they sit 14th on the log but remarkably, they have only lost three league games but they are the draw specialist in Spain’s top division with eight in 14 league games. Sevilla are enjoying life under Pablo Machin, he has turned the Andalusian outfit into serious title contenders this campaign thus far and a victory at Mestalla will see them return to the top of the table.
VERDICT – Mestalla has not been a good hunting ground for Sevilla; Valencia won a double in the LaLiga meetings against Sevilla last season (4-0 home; 2-0 away). Sevilla haven’t scored in their last three games against Valencia. At home, Valencia won six of the last seven games against Sevilla while one game end in stalemate. Regardless of this poor record, Sevilla under Machin Sevilla are unbeaten in their last five La Liga games, but last won on away from home in week 7. Valencia have won three home wins on the bounce and will want to keep the run going. A victory against Sevilla will help improve their confidence and morale but can Valencia buy a win right now?
ESPANYOL v BARCELONA – SAT. 08 DEC 2018, 20.45HRS
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Espanyol host city rivals Barcelona in derbi Barceloni at the RCDE stadium where the home team will hope to turn around their recent poor run having lost their last 3 league games including a 3-0 loss at Getafe last weekend. Barcelona returned to the top of the table thanks to a 2-0 home win over Villarreal and will aim to retain top spot when they travel across town to face Rubi’s team. Los Periquitos started the season brightly, but lost at RCDE stadium a fortnight ago putting an end to their five match winning start at home.It has not been a perfect start to the season for their illustrious neighbors as well. Los Cules have not been able to dominate the league as comfortable as last season. Valverde’s team are eight points less than last season after 14 games.
VERDICT – Espanyol have managed just one win from the last 24 head-to-head meetings in all competitions against Barcelona at their home turf. Though Ernesto Valverde’s team have failed to win on their last two visits to the RCDE Stadium. Espanyol are going through a poor run of form but Barcelona are not at their best either. Their defense has become too easy to break down and they have managed just three clean sheets from 14 league games this season. Barca are favorites for the derby but both teams getting on the scoresheet is a top tip.
This wraps us our weekend preview. Predict and win big by visiting our Sports shop Babaijebu.ng for mouthwatering offers.