10 Players to Watch in World Football This Weekend of March 13-15
A heavy round of midweek action in the world of football is coming to a close, but just as fast, the weekend will be upon us with game after game of domestic action around the globe.
We've taken a look at all the major fixtures coming up over the next few days and identified which players, either through form, tactical deployment or simply a need to bounce back from recent displays, can impact the games in the biggest way.
Here is our selection of players to watch over the coming weekend.
BBC, Real Madrid
1 of 10
Real Madrid's misfiring front line failed to net or even really create too many clear-cut chances at Athletic Bilbao in their most recent league game, losing 1-0 in the process.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema both found the net against Schalke in midweek, but Real still lost that game 4-3. Despite progressing to the Champions League quarter-finals on aggregate, there is an undeniable air of disappointment and displeasure around the club at the moment.
The attackers, those two plus Gareth Bale, have come in for criticism of late, but Carlo Ancelotti says that they will always start when fit, per Sky Sports.
"Everyone must do their bit," Ancelotti said. "I don't think Bale is happy with how he is playing and he understands that he has to improve."
On Sunday, at home to struggling Levante, Ronaldo, Benzema and Bale need to show their capabilities and fire Real to three points.
Luis Suarez, Barcelona
2 of 10
One man who isn't struggling in the slightest in the final third right now is Barcelona's Luis Suarez, whose goals and endeavour sent his team to the top of La Liga at Real Madrid's expense last time out.
The Uruguayan is hitting top form at a great time for Barça, as they challenge on all three fronts and approach El Clasico in style. Suarez netted twice against Rayo Vallecano and faces even more vulnerable opposition on Saturday in Eibar, who have lost seven on the spin and are plummeting down the table.
Neymar will be back from suspension, meaning the Basque side could face one of the world's best attacking trios. However, the main focus will be on Suarez and whether he can continue his excellent form into a potentially title-deciding Clasico.
Michy Batshuayi, Marseille...
3 of 10
A couple of vital matches are being played in Ligue 1 this weekend, with surely the most entertaining and exciting being the matchup between third and first, Marseille against Lyon.
At the beginning of the campaign, this would have been a showdown between Andre-Pierre Gignac and Alexandre Lacazette, but the season is long and things have changed somewhat in the meantime.
Michy Batshuayi came on as sub two games ago and had a point-saving impact, hitting a brace. Marcelo Bielsa has rewarded him with two starts since. Two goals at Toulouse last time out should keep him in the team, and the Belgian looks high in confidence right now.
His running in behind the Lyon defence will be critical for Marseille's plans, but they'll have to be wary at the other end of the pitch.
....vs. Nabil Fekir, Lyon
4 of 10
Though Lacazette remains Ligue 1's top scorer, his partner in crime, Nabil Fekir, has been similarly superb, netting goals during his team-mate's recent injury absence and doing lots of impressive creative work to link play and create space.
Fekir has 11 goals of his own this term, including two in the recent rout of Montpellier, while he also assisted Lyon's goal at Lille and netted the winner at Nantes the week before.
The homegrown attacker could really thrive if the game is as open, end-to-end and fast-paced as is expected. His instincts in the final third and technique allow him to carve open opposition defences.
Julio Cesar Furch, Veracruz
5 of 10
Quick as a flash, we're headed across the seas to the Liga MX in Mexico, where we have a top-two clash to keep an eye on as Tijuana host Veracruz. The away team are one point behind the leaders but are the last remaining unbeaten team in the Clausura—and also have the best defensive record.
While the obvious matchup to look at is between a defence that has conceded just four goals in nine games and Mexico's highest-scoring attack—Tijuana have netted 18 in nine—Veracruz have a potent offensive weapon of their own in Julio Cesar Furch.
Furch is joint-top scorer in the Liga MX with six, and he is the team's great outlet with his constant running and pressurising of opposition defences. If he can continue that scoring run against Tijuana we could see a change at the top.
Youri Tielemans, Anderlecht
6 of 10
Back to Europe and a couple of the less celebrated leagues now, starting with Belgium's Jupiler Pro League.
The two most in-form teams in the top flight face off on Sunday, with second-placed Anderlecht hosting third-placed Gent. Both teams have title aspirations, and there are only three points between them after identical runs of four wins and one draw in their last five games—they have even scored and conceded exactly the same number of goals and drawn the same games this season.
Key to Anderlecht's game plan and hopes for a title tilt is the immensely talented youngster Youri Tielemans, a midfield playmaker who has shown great ability running into space, beating defenders and picking out key passes.
The 17-year-old has already played close to 60 top-flight league games in his career, and his influence on the team is impressive. If he plays well, so do Anderlecht.
Matheus, Sporting Braga
7 of 10
To Portugal now and the Primeira Liga, where the big game of the weekend sees leaders Benfica host fourth-placed Sporting Braga. Benfica will be favourites and will likely take the points—there's a reason they have won 20 of 24 games this season.
Trying to stop them, though, will be Braga's young Brazilian goalkeeper Matheus, a capable shot-stopper with quick distribution. He has the best defensive record in the league this season outside the top two.
Braga have fought back to fourth after a fairly slow start this season, but the gap between themselves and the top three still looks huge in terms of both points and ability. They lost 1-0 at home to Porto in their most recent game, and while this is another massive challenge, they must show an ability to compete if the Liga NOS is not to be once again written off as three clubs and the rest.
Mohamed Salah, Fiorentina
8 of 10
Plenty of games are worthy of attention in Serie A this weekend, but we'll focus on Fiorentina's attempts to get back into European football as they host AC Milan on Monday night.
A heavy defeat at Lazio was a setback for La Viola, but with Napoli also dropping points, they're still just four points off third place and a Champions League berth for next season. Fiorentina have to go all-out over the final weeks of the season if they want that spot, starting with a win against a wholly unconvincing Milan side.
Mohamed Salah has been an instant hit after arriving in January, and his pace, running with the ball and current eye for goal could be altogether too much for Milan to cope with.
Writing about Salah for The Guardian, Conrad Leach noted:
"The praise in the Italian media has verged on the hysterical for the winger who has settled at Fiorentina in a way that Juan Cuadrado, who moved in the opposite direction, has not at Chelsea.
…
Salah, 22, was the supposedly lesser talent in the protracted swap that took Cuadrado, the Colombia winger, to Chelsea for a fee that could rise to £27m, but he does not deserve the status of makeweight.
"
Dame N'Doye, Hull City
9 of 10
We'll finish up with a couple of selections from the Premier League in England, starting with a fierce battle at the bottom.
Leicester City, bottom, face Hull City, 15th, with the Tigers having shown at least a bit of fight and aggression in the past few weeks after a dreadful season all round. Two wins and two draws in their last five have come largely thanks to the arrival and goals of Dame N'Doye, who has three in five since joining in January.
He can again be the difference-maker and leave Leicester in real trouble, especially with their own January striker signing, Andrej Kramaric, only having scored one goal in six league games since arriving for a club-record fee.
Wayne Rooney, Manchester United
10 of 10
Finally, it's probably time for Louis van Gaal to acknowledge that Wayne Rooney is the best striker he has, and his team are far more likely to score with him in attack than with any other combination of their £800,000-per-week strike force right now.
Radamel Falcao lacks fitness, sharpness and confidence, while Robin van Persie has endured a severe dip this term. Rooney leads, makes the runs the midfield need, works hard and can find the net, as he has done four times in his last five games since moving further forward.
United need a win from a tough game against Tottenham Hotspur to maintain their position in the top four. That means Rooney in attack and providing him with the chances he needs to seal the points.
