10 Players to Watch in World Football for Weekend of September 26-28
Midweek football is always a welcome distraction, but the weekend is a full-on 48-hour festival of matches and magic, with several players looking as though they could stand out among the excitement.
With local derbies taking place in England and Germany and top-of-the-table clashes elsewhere, there is no shortage of important viewing in the world of football this weekend.
Here are our Top 10 players to watch this weekend—catch as many as you can.
Nolito, Celta Vigo
1 of 10
First of all, one player from Friday night's games for us to consider is Celta Vigo's Nolito.
Celta aren't the most glamorous name in La Liga, but they have started the season extremely impressively and look set to build on their good work last campaign. They're facing Elche away from home on Friday, a game they will be expected to win if they have hopes of a top-half finish.
Key to much of their success is the energetic and skilful forward Nolito, who in addition to being a penalty-box threat, makes great runs off the ball from the inside channels, looks to latch on to diagonal balls behind the defence and links well with others. He's been well worth watching at the start of this season.
Marcelo Moreno, Cruzeiro
2 of 10
Swiftly crossing the ocean to South America, the Brazilian Serie A sees Cruzeiro flying high at the top of the table after 24 matches.
With an eight-point lead over their nearest rivals, Internacional, they are getting closer to lifting another title and take on Sport Recife this coming weekend.
It will be a tough test, with Recife only having lost once at home this season so far, but in Marcelo Moreno, Cruzeiro have an in-form striker who is the division's top scorer. Dating back to the end of August, Moreno has nine goals in his last 10 games and will be vital to his side's hopes of winning the league.
Mario Balotelli, Liverpool
3 of 10
When isn't Mario Balotelli worth watching? So far, he has made a good, if unspectacular, start to life at Liverpool, leading the line in a faltering attack and looking the most likely forward to score most of the time.
Liverpool face Everton in the Merseyside derby this weekend—a tense occasion at the best of times, and one that will test the mental fortitude of Balotelli as much as his technical prowess.
If the away side opt to target him in the way some already have, his reactions—on and off the ball—could be key to deciding the outcome of the game between two sides who have not hit the heights expected of them yet this season.
Kaan Ayhan, Schalke 04
4 of 10
Over in Germany, the Revierderby is set to take place this weekend when Borussia Dortmund visit Schalke 04.
Last season's second- and third-placed sides already have a bit of catching up to do, so they dare not lose more ground on Bayern with a defeat in this clash.
Kaan Ayhan will be the one to watch in the match having started every league game for S04 so far, with the teenage centre-back likely to be charged with stopping BVB's varied attack. How he comes though the challenge, with Schalke's defence a little leaky so far, will be key to the outcome.
Pierre-Andre Gignac, Marseille
5 of 10
In Ligue 1, Marseille are top and flying high under the leadership of Marcelo Bielsa, with five wins on the spin—the most recent of which being a 5-0 away thrashing of Reims during the week.
This weekend, they face an old enemy in Saint-Etienne, who are just three points behind them in the table—though they could go level on points if they beat Bordeaux before the weekend.
As well as Bielsa, though, Marseille have a striker in great form, with Pierre-Andre Gignac seeming to have his powers restored this season, hitting eight goals in just seven games. If he can keep that up, Marseille will be seen as a genuine threat for the league title.
Mateo Kovacic, Inter Milan
6 of 10
To Serie A in Italy now, where unbeaten Inter Milan have started the new season in largely impressive attacking form, though they have only converted that into two wins from four.
Mateo Kovacic has been an important part of their midfield, adding creativity and dynamism to the power of Hernanes and Co. His technique and invention will be key for Inter as they take on Cagliari, a team sat at the bottom of the table with just one point so far.
Playing at home, Inter will likely be given the ball and tasked with breaking down their opponents—making Kovacic vital if they are to pick up three points.
Mesut Ozil, Arsenal
7 of 10
Mesut Ozil seems to have come back to form for Arsenal just at the right time, as they head into another big game at the weekend—the north London derby against Tottenham Hotspur.
The Gunners saw a markedly different performance from him in a central role as opposed to out on the flanks in the win over Aston Villa, so where he starts and the role he is given in the derby could determine the flow of the match.
Arsenal are unbeaten so far but are only two points ahead of Spurs, having drawn three of their five games.
Miranda, Atletico Madrid
8 of 10
To La Liga now, where we're looking outside Real and Barça.
Atletico Madrid face Sevilla in an early clash between two of the top three, with the Andalucian side having started the campaign very well indeed. Both teams are unbeaten and have decent defensive records, but Sevilla's success is built around the pace of Carlos Bacca in attack and those behind him constantly playing through passes.
Centre-back Miranda has been excellent for Atletico early on—at both ends of the pitch—so him keeping Bacca quiet could see Atletico take a big step toward a vital three points.
Ronaldinho, Queretaro
9 of 10
Our second trip to the Americas takes us to the Liga MX, where global star Ronaldinho is now playing for Queretaro.
The Brazilian has stated he joined the Mexican side to win titles (and girls), so this weekend presents a big opportunity. Queretaro face Toluca, who are third in the table, have won three in a row and are three places and three points ahead of Queretaro, so a chance to catch up is there for the taking.
Ronaldinho has already grabbed some headlines for a couple of penalties and a delicious through-pass assist last time out, but this will be a chance to see if he can affect big games that really matter for his team.
Yacine Brahimi, Porto
10 of 10
Finally, we visit the Liga Sagres for our final player to watch: Porto's Yacine Brahimi.
The Algerian has been in exciting form for Porto at the start of this season and looks a very good addition to the front line, claiming a couple of assists already.
One of the big fixtures of any season, Porto take on Sporting Lisbon this weekend, with both teams so far undefeated and yet still trailing Benfica, who are top having won four from five. The match takes place on Friday night and could set the tone for the season ahead.
