Predicting the Biggest EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundlesliga Matches This Weekend
Last weekend was without doubt one of the greatest seen all season, with the likes of Bayern Munich and Manchester City announcing their respective title credentials.
And having witnessed another sensational week of European football as well in the various UEFA competitions, it might seem a little tough for the weekend that's coming to be better than what's already been. However, one look at the slate for this week and it's clear that there's still a number of key matches involving some of the biggest teams in world football to look out for.
Who will emerge triumphant from this weekend? That's what we're here for, so read on for all the key details and predictions for the biggest matches in Europe.
Weekend Fixtures Guide
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Saturday, 30th November, 2013
FSV Mainz 05 vs. Borussia Dortmund — 2:30 p.m. BST
Sunday, 1st December, 2013
Tottenham Hotspur vs. Manchester United — 12:00 p.m. BST
Chelsea vs. Southampton — 4:10 p.m. BST
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Olympique Lyonnais — 7:00 p.m. BST
Athletic Bilbao vs. FC Barcelona — 8:00 p.m. BST
Monday, 2nd December, 2013
S.S. Lazio vs. S.S.C. Napoli — 8:00 p.m. BST
FSV Mainz 05 vs. Borussia Dortmund
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We kick off the weekend with the best that the Bundesliga has to offer, and it's a very intriguing matchup indeed between FSV Mainz 05 and Borussia Dortmund.
Jurgen Klopp's team will certainly come into this match as favourites, but that by no means suggests that the home team aren't capable of producing a result here. They pushed Bayern Munich (at least for the first 45 minutes) when they played them earlier in the season, have won three of their last four games in the Bundesliga and haven't been beaten at home since September.
Throw in the ongoing injury crisis at Borussia Dortmund and there's certainly reason to doubt the visitors in this one, but it is still hard to pick against them here.
Klopp made special mention to his makeshift defense as they beat Napoli 3-1 during the week, labeling them as "great" and the biggest reason behind their win (per Sky Deutschland, h/t Goal). And thus while their defense was left wanting at times against Bayern Munich last weekend, you have to think that even with limited numbers, they'll be too good for the home team.
They don't have Champions League football to worry about for the next week or so, which should allow them to completely concentrate on getting a result here.
Prediction: FSV Mainz 05 1-2 Borussia Dortmund
Tottenham Hotspur vs. Manchester United
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Having been embarrassed against Manchester City last week, Tottenham Hotspur will certainly be glad to be back at home in front of their fans at White Hart Lane.
However, they won't be thrilled about facing Manchester United.
Especially given that the defending champions are coming off a victory that David Moyes heralded as "the best we've played in my time here" (per BBC).
The Red Devils were both lucky and unlucky in their 2-2 draw away to Cardiff City last weekend and will know that these are the type of games that they must win if they are to contend for the Premier League title (or even challenge in the race for the top four).
David Moyes' men were ruthless against Bayer 04 Leverkusen during the week (winning 5-0 away from home) and given their ability to hang in there against teams this season, it stands to reason that they aren't going to be blown off the park by Tottenham. Especially given the Londoners' inability to score—and the fact they'll again be without Christian Eriksen.
The question will be as to what type of squad the Red Devils put out here. Wayne Rooney is due for a rest soon, while the likes of Rafael da Silva, Michael Carrick, Robin van Persie and Nemanja Vidic are all expected to be welcomed back in to the starting team at some point in the near future.
Van Persie is expected to be back right for this one, and with more than enough creativity in behind him to break down Spurs' defense, I think United will simply be too strong going forward for the Londoners.
But not before Spurs grab a goal or two of their own.
Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 2-3 Manchester United
Chelsea vs. Southampton
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Artur Boruc was left to rue a career-defining mistake on the weekend. His howler gifted Arsenal the lead and took the Saints' defense largely out of the equation.
Had Southampton not conceded the opening goal, they would have pressured Arsenal into more frustration and mistakes through the middle. The Londoners might still have scored one, two or even more goals, but the fact remains that conceding such a soft goal was perhaps more detrimental to the Saints' hopes at causing an upset than has been credited this week.
For me, that gives the Saints a big chance again this week against Chelsea.
Jose Mourinho's men are coming off a frustrating result in European football mid-week, where they actually played one of their stronger starting line-ups seen all year.
That could mean some tired legs come Sunday, and while they'll certainly benefit from the extra days' rest, Southampton will still be much fresher than their opponents. The Saints' defense will be able to set up stronger than what is perhaps being recognised and that'll make it very difficult for the Blues at home—particularly if the crowd starts to become frustrated and agitated.
Chelsea are good enough to grab a goal here—even against the best defense in the league—but I'm not thoroughly convinced they'll walk away with all three points.
A late, scrappy goal to Adam Lallana will split it.
Prediction: Chelsea 1-1 Southampton
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Olympique Lyonnais
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Paris Saint-Germain will welcome Lyon to town this weekend full of confidence from their 2-1 win over Olympiacos in the Champions League. The only question that remains to be answered is whether Laurent Blanc's side have a slight dip in their form here coming out of such an emotional win.
The capital club have been simply sensational throughout Ligue 1 this year—still yet to lose a game—and it's hard to see their first defeat coming this weekend.
Lyon have been much improved since their sluggish start, winning two of their last three including a victory at Saint-Etienne, but they simply don't have the talent right across the board to match PSG. And perhaps more importantly, they don't have the attacking firepower and clinical finishing needed to take advantage of the chance that PSG's sometimes-questionable defense might throw their way—scoring just nine goals on the road this year through six matches.
Look for PSG to make it 26 consecutive Ligue 1 matches without defeat.
Prediction: Paris Saint-Germain 4-0 Olympique Lyonnais
Athletic Bilbao vs. FC Barcelona
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Normally a trip to Athletic Bilbao in November wouldn't cause too many concerns for FC Barcelona. Then again, neither would a trip to Ajax in the Champions League.
With Lionel Messi on the sidelines, Barcelona strolled to victory over Granada last week in La Liga without really leaving second gear, and did a similar thing against Ajax during the week. The only problem for La Blaugrana is that their opponents offered slightly more resistance in the second instance, and that could potentially give Bilbao a sniff at a rare victory this weekend over the title favourites.
At the same time, the defeat to Ajax could well reinvigorate Barcelona back to their fearsome best, which could leave the home team facing another big loss.
Bilbao are yet to be beaten at home in La Liga, which will surely strengthen their preparations for their biggest test in recent times, but even then, it's hard to see them getting the better of Barcelona here. Alexis Sanchez has proven to be an absolute nuisance to defend in the Spanish competition this season, and against a defense that has kept just two clean sheets all year, I think he might prove the diference.
Prediction: Athletic Bilbao 1-2 FC Barcelona
S.S. Lazio vs. S.S.C. Napoli
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A match that always brings with it plenty of aggression and fire, Lazio's home match against Napoli is also an incredibly important match for both teams' aspirations of moving up the Serie A ladder.
With Roma sputtering in recent weeks, Napoli have missed out on a great opportunity to move up into top spot—losing back-to-back matches against Juventus and Parma. Perhaps more alarming is the fact that they were held scoreless in both of those matches.
Napoli have won away this season to the likes of Fiorentina, AC Milan and Genoa so the journey to Lazio won't intimidate them all too much, especially against the recent form of the hosts. Lazio have won just one domestic match since late September (beating Cagliari), but have also become very hard to completely dominate—drawing five of their past eight games.
The key here may well be the fact that Napoli don't have Champions League football to concentrate on next week, which means they can give full focus to this fixture.
Lazio's defense won't give too much away at the back, but Napoli will also know that the home team won't offer too much going forward at the same time—meaning that one goal may well be enough to win this one. Look for an early goal to come for the visitors, and then a stack of defending to follow that.
Prediction: S.S. Lazio 0-1 S.S.C. Napoli
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