10 Key Battles in World Football for Weekend of September 19-21
Another weekend, another round of matches to look forward to.
The world of football is relentless, revolving and regular in its spewing forth of games that could, might, must affect the optimism of players, fans and all those involved who hope that relegation can be avoided, titles can be won and rivals can be overhauled.
Here are our 10 must-see games of the weekend ahead, taking in everything from the Premier League to MLS and as much in between as we can fit.
Hamburger SV vs. Bayern Munich, Bundesliga
1 of 10
We start our roundup with a bottom-versus-top clash in the Bundesliga.
HSV really struggled to avoid the drop last term and this season hasn't started a whole lot better, with the side taking just one point from their first three games. The smart money has to be on that extending to one from four after they take on reigning champions Bayern Munich.
Bayern are away and had a tough Champions League game midweek against Manchester City, but Pep Guardiola has a deep squad to call upon and should be confident of another three points. Hamburg have yet to score a goal this season.
AC Milan vs. Juventus, Serie A
2 of 10
In Serie A, managers, old faces and good starts present several subplots to one of the age-old rival clashes of the league, when AC Milan host Juventus on Saturday.
Milan were awful last season but have spent the summer trying to rebuild, with Filippo Inzaghi installed as the new boss in place of Clarence Seedorf. He might have ended up a Milan legend as a player, but he grew his reputation with Juve beforehand. In the opposite dugout is Mass Allegri, who won the league title with Milan before being sacked last season and taking charge of Juve in the summer.
Both teams have won their two opening fixtures, and this could make for one of the most interesting games of the campaign.
Aston Villa vs. Arsenal, Premier League
3 of 10
In the Premier League, two of the league's final three unbeaten teams face off when Aston Villa take on Arsenal.
Villa have been the surprise early package, winning three of their four opening games and only conceding one goal, with manager Paul Lambert being handed a new contract this week in recognition of his work.
The Gunners were soundly beaten by Borussia Dortmund during the week and have only won once in the Premier League so far, but they will be expected to put on a performance against Villa.
Atletico Madrid vs. Celta Vigo, La Liga
4 of 10
Atletico Madrid are unbeaten in the defence of their La Liga title so far and beat city rivals Real Madrid last time out.
They face another difficult test when they host Celta Vigo, an impressive and resilient outfit who attack with skill and numbers and have had a good start to this season themselves—Os Celestes are also unbeaten thus far.
Atleti may be without starting striker Mario Mandzukic, who needs surgery on a broken nose, presenting Raul Jimenez with a chance to prove he can lead the line for the team.
PSG vs. Lyon, Ligue 1
5 of 10
In Ligue 1, Paris Saint-Germain vs. Lyon pits the current dominant force of the French top flight against that of the last decade.
Lyon overpowered Monaco last week, and it looks like their home form will be key to them improving on last year's fifth-place finish, while PSG haven't yet hit top form despite remaining unbeaten after five games.
With all the stars and prospects on show on either side, it should be an entertaining game—one that could kick-start the season for either team.
Feyenoord vs. Ajax, Eredivisie
6 of 10
Last season's Eredivisie top two face off in De Klassieker this weekend, with runners-up Feyenoord playing host to four-time consecutive champions Ajax.
Neither side have started this term in great form, with Feyenoord's sale of stars such as Stefan de Vrij and Daryl Janmaat seeming to be costing them in the short term. They have won just one of five games this season and need a positive result this weekend.
Ajax won last time out following back-to-back defeats, but they have had defensive concerns so far this term and will expect to hit a good run of form sooner rather than later. This is a game not to be missed.
CSKA Moscow vs. Lokomotiv Moscow, Russian Premier League
7 of 10
A Moscow derby is a pretty common theme this season in the Russian Premier League, with five teams hailing from the city.
CSKA are the reigning champions but have stuttered somewhat in their start to this term, losing two of their first five games and scraping victory over bottom-placed Arsenal Tula last time out.
Lokomotiv have some (relatively) household names in their squad, such as Vedran Corluka, Roman Pavlyuchenko and Manuel Fernandes, but they have also struggled at the start of this season, following on from a title challenge that saw them finish third last time out.
Manchester City vs. Chelsea, Premier League
8 of 10
Back into the Premier League, the big game of the weekend sees the two favourites for the title do battle at the Etihad Stadium.
Manchester City won the league last season, with Chelsea finishing third, and both have recruited fairly heavily over the summer to increase competition, depth and quality.
It could be a tremendous battle of power, technique and attacking invention—or a cagey, tight affair in which neither wants to surrender an early advantage. Either way, it's a match that could shape the next few months of the season.
Flamengo vs. Fluminense, Brazilian Serie A
9 of 10
One of the great historical derby matches of world football is the Fla-Flu occasion in Brazil, which just so happens to be this weekend.
Flamengo sit 10th in the Brazilian Serie A, an improvement on last season when both were battling against being in the bottom four, though the biggest jump has come from rivals Fluminense.
They sit fifth in the table after 22 games played, just a point off the Copa Libertadores play-off place, giving the match even more of an edge.
Portland Timbers vs. Vancouver Whitecaps, MLS
10 of 10
We finish up in MLS where—while teams at the top are going well and could pick up more points this weekend—the focus has to be on teams just around the dotted line separating fifth from sixth in each Conference, which determines which teams make the cut for the MLS Cup.
In the Western Conference, the Whitecaps have hold of fifth place at the moment but only by a single point. They also have an inferior goal difference to sixth-place Portland Timbers.
The two clash at the weekend in Portland, and with just five more rounds of games to play after this one, every defeat could be enormously costly, while victory could bring not just three points but a meteoric, all-telling rise in the table.
It's all to play for.
