Five Games to See in January

With no UEFA Cup or Champions League games in January, it is a month for domestic football. Looking ahead to January, I think these are the five best games on the schedule.

Jan 11: Manchester United v Chelsea

With an FA Cup game this weekend, the press has almost two weeks to build up this one, and I am sure that they will, especially after Chelsea’s stumble against Fulham. A United win will put them one point behind Chelsea with two games in hand, making this a must-win game for the Blues.

Jan 11: Roma v AC Milan
Potentially this game will see David Beckham make his Serie A debut. More importantly for AC Milan, this game begins a run that sees Milan play Roma, Fiorentina and Genoa in back to back to back weeks. Three wins and Milan will be back in the title race. A couple of loses will leave Roma looking at the UEFA Cup for some silverware this season.

Jan 19: Liverpool v Everton
This Merseyside derby is one of the best derbies in Europe, and is always a volatile one with 17 players sent off in the last 33 meetings in the Premier League.

This is by far Liverpool’s toughest game in January, a month that should see them pick up nine points and retain their spot at the top of the Premiership.

Jan 3 and Jan 4: Valencia v Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid v Villarreal
Barcelona was by far the best team in Spain, and probably in Europe, in the first half of the season. The first weekend in January sees the teams in second through fifth place playing each other. Will any of them be able to mount a challenge to Barcelona?

What games are you looking forward to watching in January?