10 Players to Watch in World Football This Weekend of October 17-19
As domestic action clicks back into gear this weekend, it's time to cast our eyes and minds forward to see which individual players bear close attention in the upcoming matches.
Some might be returning from injury and some have evolved to take a key role for their side in recent weeks. They might be chasing a landmark, participating in a big game or simply be in incredible form of late—but they all have one thing in common: We're focusing purely on the attackers this time around.
Here are our 10 players to watch this weekend, all of whom could impact the final third in a big way.
Carlos Tevez, Juventus
1 of 10
We begin with Carlos Tevez, the top scorer in Serie A so far, and his side, Juventus (6-0), the last team with a 100 percent record in Italy.
Juve, top of the table, play Sassuolo, bottom of the table, in their fixture on Saturday. With Tevez in good goalscoring form over the past few matches and fresh after a fortnight's break—he isn't involved with Argentina on the international scene—he should be raring to go and confident of dispatching one of the league's leakiest defences.
With eight goals in his last seven games in all competitions, he's a man in form and has plenty of service behind him.
Luc Castaignos, Twente
2 of 10
Over to the Netherlands now and the Dutch Eredivisie, where FC Twente host Ajax in one of the weekend's big games.
Twente finished third in the table last term and will be eager to show they can achieve similar this time out, so they'll need to be at their best to see off reigning champions Ajax.
That's where Luc Castaignos comes in; leading the line for Twente, he has notched five goals already this season and will be the side's key to victory this weekend.
The 22-year-old hit 14 last season and is well on course to better that this time around.
Daniel Sturridge, Liverpool
3 of 10
Liverpool have been without key striker Daniel Sturridge from one international break to the next, but he is expected to be fit and ready to take part once more this weekend, when the Reds travel to Queens Park Rangers.
The match on Sunday marks the eighth game week of the new season, and Liverpool are playing catchup with the top four, having struggled for consistency this term—no great surprise, being without their main two attackers of last year.
Sturridge's pace and ability in front of goal is crucial for Liverpool, and they'll hope he can hit the ground running once back on the pitch.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has already told the club's official website that he expects Sturridge to be fit for QPR after missing out on the win over West Brom two weeks ago.
Rodgers said: "I was hoping he would be (fit to face West Brom), but he wasn't. But certainly from now, he'll have the course of the international break to get ready, and he'll be fine for QPR."
Robert Lewandowski, Bayern Munich
4 of 10
Robert Lewandowski returns to Bayern Munich duty fresh from an impressive international break with Poland, as the side picked up good results to sit top of their qualification group—including a 2-0 victory over Germany, the nation he plays in, of course.
Lewandowski was in prime form before the break too, scoring a brace against Hannover and really looking the part in this Bayern attack.
This time out he faces somewhat lesser opposition, at least by form: Werder Bremen, the league's bottom club and with the worst defence.
He could run riot if Arjen Robben and Co. are able to create chances as they did last time out.
Lucas Moura, PSG
5 of 10
With Zlatan Ibrahimovic still out injured, Paris Saint-Germain have had to look elsewhere for inspiration, goals and leadership. It hasn't really come from Edinson Cavani, but Lucas Moura has been in decent scoring form of late, netting against Stade Malherbe Caen and Monaco in recent matches.
The Brazilian will be aware that he not only needs to find his top form to secure regular game time at club level but also to resume his place among the national team under new manager Dunga.
PSG play Lens on Friday night, where a win will help them close the seven-point gap to first-place Marseille.
Dorlan Pabon, Monterrey
6 of 10
We don't just check out Europe, of course.
Over in Mexico's Liga MX, the top four all face off this weekend, with first vs. third seeing America host Monterrey. The away side could go joint-top with a game in hand if they taste victory, but for that they'll need someone with goals on their side.
Lucky, then, that they have Dorlan Pabon to call upon, the league's top scorer with nine so far, more than half the team's total heading into their 12th match.
It should be an epic encounter, and Pabon has the form to make the match fall in his team's favour, especially if the tight defence maintains its recent record.
Neymar, Barcelona
7 of 10
Another South American now in Brazilian forward Neymar, who hit the headlines with a four-goal haul for his national side against Japan in the week.
He has also been on the goal trail for club side Barcelona, scoring seven times this season to be the league's second-highest scorer, behind the irrepressible Cristiano Ronaldo (13). Goals aside, Neymar has been a little hit and miss with his form over the opening weeks—but his most recent outings show signs that his all-round game is ready to explode again.
Barcelona face tiny Eibar this weekend, who have acquitted themselves well in the league but face by far their biggest test at the Camp Nou.
Don't be surprised to see Neymar add significantly to his tally during the 90 minutes.
Thierry Henry, New York Red Bulls
8 of 10
Over to USA now and MLS, where one of the key fixtures of the weekend is New York Red Bulls against Columbus Crew, the fourth- and fifth-ranked teams in the Eastern Conference.
While New York are safely into the playoffs now, seven points clear of Toronto, Crew still need to pick up another point to be absolutely certain. After that, it's all about who finishes higher to avoid the difficult draw in the playoff, so points are all-important in these final weeks.
When you want a big player for the big occasion, you don't need to look much further than a man who has won it all in his career: New York's Thierry Henry. Whether scoring himself or creating for top scorer Bradley Wright-Phillips, Henry remains a class act who can turn a game in his team's favour in an instant.
Radamel Falcao, Manchester United
9 of 10
Back to the Premier League now, and Manchester United striker Radamel Falcao is looking for his first away goal in the English league.
His side face West Bromwich Albion on Monday night, a fixture which gives him the chance to do just that. With Wayne Rooney suspended, there is more expectation on the other attackers to provide the goods, and Falcao has already shown good signs of linking well with Robin van Persie and Co.
He has the capacity to bully West Brom completely and put an end to their relative recent improvement, keeping United in the top four in the process.
Carlos Bacca, Sevilla
10 of 10
Our final striker is actually our third Colombian and sixth South American overall, Sevilla forward Carlos Bacca.
The pacy hit man has been in good form at the beginning of the new La Liga season, leading the line for the Andalucian side and being a big example of their togetherness, work rate and good collective performances. Bacca already has five goals and faces likely relegation battlers Elche this weekend.
With Sevilla's counter-attacking style and good spirits likely to mean he gets plenty more chances to add to that tally in the Valencian region on Sunday, Sevilla can rightly expect to remain in the top three once the weekend fixtures are all wrapped up.
