There is an old cliché in football that says ‘when it is derby time, form is usually thrown out of the window’. Manchester United will make a short trip across town to take on the Blue half of the city in the 179th Manchester derby on Saturday. Can Ole Gunnar Solskjaer inspire his Red Devils to victory at the Etihad? In the Italian peninsula, we have a double header – new league leaders Inter Milan host an in-form AS Roma at the San Siro while high flying Lazio welcome defending champions Juventus to the Eternal City for what should be a cracking game on Saturday night.
Let us take a preview of some of the most exciting matches in this FESIG edition.
We begin in France;
MONTPELLIER v PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN – SAT. 07 DEC 2019, 17.30HRS
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Paris Saint-Germain restored the five-point lead over Marseille at the top of the table in the midweek victory over Nantes and will look to maintain the gap when they face Montpellier at Stade de la Mosson. La Paillade have been impressive at home of late, overcoming Toulouse and Amiens but are aware that the capital club will pose much bigger threat than their previous rivals. Neymar and Kylian Mbappé were on target for Thomas Tuchel’s team on Wednesday and are likely to form part of the attacking trident for this away trip.
VERDICT – Michel Der Zakarian has to rally his team for the visit of PSG after the disappointing draw at Dijon. Montpellier have failed to win their last nine away games in Ligue 1 but are much better at home (6W, 1D, 1L). The home team have held their own against PSG at de la Mosson; the visitors last victory was in August 2015. Expect an intriguing game, over 2.5 goals.
OLYMPIQUE MARSEILLE v GIRONDINS BORDEAUX – SUN. 08 DEC 2019, 21.00HRS
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Second play third when Olympique Marseille welcome Girondins de Bordeaux to the Orange Vélodrome on Sunday night, with both teams in intimidating form. Both teams have 16 French league titles between them and they look like the closest challengers to PSG at the moment. André Villas-Boas is beginning to find his feet on the Mediterranean coast; the Portuguese tactician has led Les Phocéens to five consecutive wins in the league. Bordeaux arrive in Marseille in buoyant mood after crushing Nimes 6-0 during the week and can move to within two points with a victory against their host.
VERDICT – Both teams are in good form heading into this game therefore we can expect a good match at the Velodrome. Nigerian international, Josh Maja is one player to look out for Bordeaux; the 20-year-old scored a hat-trick against Nimes and should keep his place in the team. Both teams should score on Sunday night.
To Germany;
RB LEIPZIG v TSG HOFFENHEIM – SAT. 07 DEC 2019, 15.30HRS
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RB Leipzig coach, Julian Nagelsmann faces former club Hoffenheim for the first time on Saturday and a victory could send his side top of the Bundesliga standings. Die Roten Bullen are on a four-game winning run in the German top division while Hoffenheim have four wins in the last six though they are without a league victory in the last two. Filling Nagelsmann boot at Hoffenheim was never going to be an easy feat but Alfred Schreuder is doing a shrewd job with his team sitting eight in the standings and are six points behind Leipzig.
VERDICT – Leipzig were unbeaten in three meetings with Hoffenheim last season. They are in a good moment, winning all four league matches in November – the only club to do so in the Bundesliga. However, they will need to treat their opponent with deserved respect. Hoffenheim have shown this season they can hurt the big teams having defeat defending champions Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena. Can Nagelsmann former assistant get one over his old boss? Over 2.5 goals at Red Bull Arena.
BORUSSIA MONCHENGLADBACH v BAYERN MUNICH – SAT. 07 DEC 2019, 15.30HRS
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League leaders Borussia Monchengladbach are in good form as they welcome defending champions Bayern Munich to Borussia Park. The Foals have won four of their last five league matches and are playing some of the best football in Deutschland. Following last weekend’s surprise home defeat, Hans-Dieter Flick and his team are very much aware of the implication of losing further ground in this crucial game against the leaders. Marco Rose’s team have been one of the revelations of the season with their brand of football that has seen them win nine of their 13 league matches so far. How will the Foals approach this?
VERDICT – Gladbach is only Bundesliga club to have earned most points against Bayern since 2014 (14 points from 10 games), and their total of 20 home wins against Bayern is a league best against the record champions. Can the Bavarians improve their record against Gladbach? With Marcus Thuram and Robert Lewandowski leading the lines for their respective clubs, we are guaranteed goals.
To Italy;
INTER MILAN v AS ROMA – FRI. 06 DEC 2019, 20.45HRS
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New Serie A leaders Inter Milan face a huge test when in-form AS Roma come calling at the Giuseppe Meazza, San Siro on Friday evening. Inter leapfrogged Juventus last weekend and will aim to maintain top spot after the visit of the Giallorossi. With an injury ravaged squad, Antonio Conte will have to manage playing time amongst his fit players while keeping an eye on next week’s Champions League game against Barcelona. Paulo Fonseca is enjoying a fine start to life in Italy and has got his Roma squad firing with his ultra-attacking style. Roma have their own injury crisis as well but the Portuguese should have enough players to call for this game.
VERDICT – Both teams are amongst the most prolific in the division but the last three meetings has ended in stalemates. Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez can’t seem to stop scoring at the moment while Roma striker Edin Dzeko can show Inter what they are missing having failed to sign him in the summer. Both teams will get on the scoresheet but Inter are slight favorites at home.
LAZIO v JUVENTUS – SAT. 07 DEC 2019, 20.45HRS
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High flying Lazio are on a spectacular run of six consecutive Serie A victories and sit in third place as they host Juventus at the Olimpico. The Bianconeri dropped into second place following a 2-2- draw at home against Sassuolo last time out. Maurizio Sarri’s team haven’t been playing particularly well but have managed to grind out wins and points but might run out of luck and character if performance don’t improve. It is the complete opposite for Le Aquile in recent weeks, Ciro Immobile is in fine form, scoring 17 goals in just 14 league matches and his goals have helped propel Simone Inzaghi’s team. Can the capital club hurt the champions in Rome before they meet later this month in the Italian Super Cup in Saudi Arabia?
VERDICT – This is a game between two of Serie A finest strikers – Immobile v Ronaldo. The former is in a rich vein of form while the latter has been struggling lately. Cristiano Ronaldo is a well-motivated player who relishes the big moment. Simone Inzaghi has never beaten Maurizio Sarri, while Lazio have not beaten Juventus in Serie A since 2003, managing three draws from 11 encounters. Will the tables turn? What we are guaranteed at the Olimpico is goals from both teams.
To Spain;
REAL MADRID v RCD ESPANYOL – SAT. 07 DEC 2019, 13.00HRS
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Zinedine Zidane looks to have recovered the old Real Madrid he walked out on in May 2018. Los Blancos are starting to play well and shown the ability to grind out results like they did last week at Alaves. Real Madrid head into this game level on point with arch rivals Barcelona and will be determined to keep it that way until both teams meet later this month. Pablo Machin’s arrival hasn’t done much to improve the fortunes of Espanyol. Los Periquitos are facing up to the prospect of a long, hard relegation battle and anything here would be a massive bonus.
VERDICT – Real Madrid have won five of the last six competitive meetings against Espanyol, winning the last five at home without the visitors scoring at the Bernabeu. Espanyol fans will find some sense of comfort having picked up eight of their nine points this season on the road. In spite of this decent form, it is difficult to fancy Espanyol considering Real Madrid impressive performances of late. Home win
BARCELONA v REAL MALLORCA – SAT. 07 DEC 2019, 21.00HRS
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It remains neck and neck between Barcelona and Real Madrid at the top of La Liga and Barcelona will look to maintain their spot at the top of the log when they host promoted Mallorca at the Camp Nou this weekend. This match pits the side with La Liga’s only remaining 100% home record against the only side yet to pick up a point away. On a paper, there should only be one result but football isn’t played on paper and it might not be plain sailing for the Catalans against a Mallorca side that has already defeated Real Madrid this season.
VERDICT – This is the first meeting between these two teams since the 2012-13 season; Barcelona did a league double over Mallorca. Barcelona have a perfect home record in La Liga this season, winning six from six at Camp Nou and scoring 25 goals in the process but have managed just one clean sheet. Mallorca last point away at Barcelona came in a 1-1 draw in October 2010. With Leo Messi gradually getting to top form, there is only one winner.
To England;
BOURNEMOUTH v LIVERPOOL – SAT. 07 DEC 2019, 16.00HRS
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Bournemouth lost to Crystal Palace on Tuesday – a result that compounds the Cherries misery of losing four straight Premier League games and their position on the standings drop down at an alarming rate. On the back of this poor run, the last team Bournemouth would want to entertain at the Vitality stadium is league leaders Liverpool. The Reds are on a roll, they dismantled Everton 5-2 in the Merseyside Derby on Wednesday, hitting the net from each of their five attempts on target during the derby. Without a doubt, Senegalese star Sadio Mane is Jurgen Klopp’s lethal weapon and he has been central to their success as the club set a new record of 32-league games unbeaten after their latest triumph.
VERDICT – Bournemouth have failed to score in their last four matches against Liverpool and have conceded 14 goals in that time, including successive 4-0 defeats at home. The Reds can go 14 points clear of Manchester City before the Manchester derby. Everything Jurgen Klopp does at Liverpool in the Premier League just keeps working at the moment.
MANCHESTER CITY v MANCHESTER UNITED – SAT. 07 DEC 2019, 18.30HRS
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Fresh from midweek victories over Burnley and Tottenham Hotspur, both Manchester clubs head into the derby looking for consistency and momentum. With Liverpool current form, City can only match them with perfect results while hoping for slip up from the leaders as they aim to keep their faint title hopes alive. United’s impressive performance and deserved victory over Tottenham Hotspur could be a launch pad for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Red Devils. United have impressed and frustrated in equal measure this season but in all the big games against members of the top six, they have competed.
VERDICT – The Manchester Derby rarely fails to thrill, and the last four encounters between City and United returned an average of 3.5 goals per 90 minutes. Manchester City has edged recent meetings including a league double over United last season. However, United are unbeaten against top-six opposition this season (4W, 2D) coupled with Marcus Rashford rich goalscoring form, there is a chance for an upset. Over 2.5 goals is on the cards at the Etihad.
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.