10 Players to Watch in World Football This Weekend of April 17-19
Midweek was full of continental action in football, with the Champions League games among those taking fans' attentions—but with the weekend comes domestic football, with titles, points and prizes to play for.
We have taken a look around the entire globe, selected some of the most important or intriguing matches and chosen who we think will be the pivotal player around whom the outcome could be decided—in either a positive or negative sense.
Here are the 10 players to watch around the world this weekend.
Bas Dost, Wolfsburg
1 of 10
Bas Dost hit the headlines in the early part of 2015 with his tremendous goal return, but things have dried up for him of late.
In his nine appearances since a two-goal showing against Werder Bremen at the start of March, he hasn't scored a single goal in any competition. He was left on the bench for the entirety of Wolfsburg's 1-1 draw against Mainz at the end of March. Dost assisted both goals in the win over Hamburg last time out, but Die Wolfe want him back on the goal trail to aid their end-of-season push.
A crunch game on Sunday sees Wolfsburg play at home to Schalke.
Miroslav Klose, Lazio
2 of 10
In Serie A, Juventus' surprise defeat to Parma last weekend didn't make much of a difference in the title race, given their lead at the top was only cut to 12 points. But this time around, it's first against second and the stakes are that little higher.
Lazio travel to Turin knowing that a win will keep them in the automatic Champions League spots, as well as perhaps keep the title race interesting. In Miroslav Klose, they have a striker who has done it against the best for a long time.
The German could trouble the Juve back line with his physical approach, movement and aerial ability.
Nicolas Otamendi, Valencia
3 of 10
The big game in Spain this weekend is easy to pick: first against fourth, Barcelona versus Valencia.
This fixture was a tremendous affair last time out, as Barca constantly attacked, probed and tried to force the issue, while Valencia was excellent in putting their bodies on the line, defending in numbers and frustrating the Catalans—until the last minute, when Barcelona won it.
Nicolas Otamendi has been a leader among men this season, marshalling the back line superbly and looking like a genuinely top-class centre-back. He'll have to be at his very best again to keep out Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Neymar.
Branislav Ivanovic, Chelsea
4 of 10
In the Premier League, Chelsea against Manchester United sees the title favourites take on one of the most in-form sides. It will be an interesting matchup to see which team is prepared to gamble for the win rather than be happy with a draw that might see rivals draw closer or pull away.
United's success of late has been all about their left side, consisting of Daley Blind roving forward into space, Ashley Young's pace against defenders and Marouane Fellaini taking down diagonal balls and overloading opponents down the channel.
Tottenham Hotspur couldn't deal with it. Nor could Liverpool or Manchester City. Will Chelsea right-back Branislav Ivanovic have any more luck?
Philippe Coutinho, Liverpool
5 of 10
The Premier League isn't the only football worth watching in England this weekend: FA Cup semi-finals are set to take place too.
We'll focus on the all-top-flight half of the draw, which sees Aston Villa take on Liverpool. Both teams are looking to end difficult campaigns with a second trip to Wembley—where the semis also take place.
Philippe Coutinho has been the standout for the Reds in 2015, and his display against Newcastle United on Monday night was one of his best of the campaign. In top form, he's a creative demon who can provide and score goals, and he will be the one to find the spaces between Villa's lines at Wembley. If the Villa defenders don't stick tight to him, he could wreck their silverware hopes.
In discussing Philippe Coutinho's recent nomination for PFA Player of the Year, Kristian Walsh of the Liverpool Echo sings the praises of the Brazilian:
"There have been fewer players so enjoyable to watch as Coutinho in recent months. His touch is supreme, caressing the ball at his feet before venturing forward with a real intent. His feet dance and his shoulders drop as his brain assesses the options ahead. He usually picks the right one.
Coutinho offers everything that is good about the game. He is a delight to watch and will often provide a moment of genius, one which belies a career still in its formative years.
"
Moussa Sow, Fenerbahce
6 of 10
Turkish football returns this weekend after the most recent round of games was suspended. Fenerbahce will face a tough game on Monday against Bursaspor—that's second versus fourth in the Super Lig, and both have plenty to play for.
As the home side and the title challengers, Fenerbahce will be expected to go all out for the win.
Star striker Moussa Sow will lead the line and need to provide the firepower to breach Bursaspor's defence, which is one of the better back lines in Turkey. With 11 league goals to his name this year, Sow certainly has the capacity to fire Fenerbahce toward a title fight in the final weeks of the season.
Ahmed Musa, CSKA Moscow
7 of 10
In the Russian Premier League, CSKA Moscow host Krasnodar in what is a battle for second place, currently held by the away side after three defeats in a row for CSKA.
Forward Ahmed Musa hasn't scored in five league games, and CSKA need him to start firing again if the reigning champions are to avoid being outside the top two come the end of the season—and thus outside of the Champions League places.
Krasnodar have won four in a row and have a better defensive record than CSKA, so Musa must be on top form to impact.
Clint Dempsey, Seattle Sounders
8 of 10
Heading stateside now, the Colorado Rapids play host to the Seattle Sounders on Saturday in MLS play.
The Sounders were one of the more impressive sides last year but have made a laborious start to the 2015 season. They've won only two of their opening five games and sit outside the playoff spots in the fledgling Western Conference table.
Seattle will be looking to their key figures to snap them out of this tough run, with Clint Dempsey obviously one of the go-to men. Despite his team's position, he has scored three in three so far this season, along with one assist, so he's certainly a man in form who could help see off the Rapids.
Eric Bicfalvi, Volyn
9 of 10
Bear with me on the left-field choice here—a strange selection, admittedly.
The Ukrainian Premier League has three standout teams—Shakhtar Donetsk, Dynamo Kyiv and Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk—but in the next group down is Volyn, a club from Lutsk that currently counts the league's top scorer, Eric Bicfalvi, among its ranks.
Bicfalvi—pictured playing for his national side, Romania—will lead the line against league leaders Dynamo Kyiv on Sunday. Continuing his scoring run will not only help his team but also shows the sort of form that can act as a career springboard, particularly in the Eastern European leagues, where the jump in both salary and quality can be enticing.
With 11 goals so far, he has the same tally as weekend opponent Andriy Yarmolenko; whichever fares better in front of goal on Sunday should dictate where the points go.
Memphis Depay, PSV
10 of 10
And finally we head to Netherlands and the Eredivisie, where PSV can tie up their first league title triumph since 2008 with a victory over Heerenveen on Saturday night.
The spotlight has to be on the league's best and most in-demand player, Memphis Depay. The wide forward is the league's current top goalscorer, a star of the national team and a likely target for big clubs in the transfer window this summer.
He'll doubtless want to sign off in style—a goal or two in the title-winning match would be a great way to go about it. Netherlands coach Guus Hiddink believes he can be a major star, per NOS (h/t Sky Sports).
"Depay has the potential to become Netherlands' best player," Hiddink said. "I've noticed that he has even more potential than I first thought now that I'm working with him. He is incredibly interested and keen to learn.”
His club boss, Phillip Cocu, also believes, per the same source, that Depay will be off in the summer, saying he is ready for "the next step."
With that in mind, Depay will want to go out with a bang.
