PREMIER LEAGUE
SATURDAY - CHELSEA V LIVERPOOL 17:30
The pick of this weekend's fixtures sees a mammoth clash between top of the table rivals Chelsea and Liverpool at Saturday teatime. Chelsea will enter Saturday buoyed undoubtedly by their late comeback win against the Reds in Wednesday's Carabao Cup fixture aided by none other than the mercurial Eden Hazard. Hazard along with several of his colleagues including Alonso, Kante and Jorginho will return to the Chelsea starting XI on Saturday in where they hope to inflict Liverpool's first league defeat of the season. Sunday's borefest away to West Ham aside, Maurizio Sarri's Chelsea have enjoyed a near perfect start to the season. In each game they have resembled a team certain of the football their boss aims to bring to SW6 in a near clone to that of his former Napoli side. A frequent attribute of Chelsea this season is their ability to retain possession spearheaded by Sarri's lieutenant, Jorginho. Thus far the Brazilian-Italian has proved to be a shrewd acquisition and one is curious given Cesc Fabregas return to fitness how the Italian aims to fill the remaining two places from the likes of Kante, Barkley, Kovacic and Fabregas. Eden Hazard meanwhile has been deployed in his favoured free role operating between the left hand space and centre of the opposition goal. A position in which he has contributed no less than five of Chelsea's league goals this season. What was noticeable in Wednesday's fixture were the pressing triggers Sarri and his side implemented to combat the thrust of Liverpool. Without possession Chelsea switched to a more conventional 4-4-2 formation with Victor Moses dropping back and being the extra midfielder from his listed position of front of the forward three. This allowed Liverpool to switch the play freely to left back, Alberto Moreno who then was subject to intense Chelsea pressure before overturning the ball on multiple occasions. It will be interesting to see if Chelsea adopt a similar tactic come Saturday.
Wednesday's defeat aside, Liverpool enter the game top of the pile. They look every bit like a Championship winning side. The failings of many a transfer committee have been rectified with their shrewd recruitment policy. Allison, Virgil Van Dijk and the recently arrived Naby Keita have all joined and added a spine and backbone which Liverpool have arguably lacked since the 2008/2009 runner up side with the likes of Reina, Gerrard, Mascherano and Torres. Joe Gomez and Trent Alexander-Arnold are improving each week and given their age have potential for so much more much to the delight of Liverpool and English fans. This season one cannot help but notice the increased sense of purpose and aggressiveness Liverpool take to the field each week. What has been most admiring about the slight tweak in play this season with their added need of midfield dominance has been the fact this has not compromised the front three of Mane, Salah and Firmino. If anything it only adds to the unpredictability of the trio and is a further reason as to why all opposition defences should be worries. The strength in depth available to Klopp this season is only rivaled by rivals, Manchester City. The one worry for the Reds is the amount of energy that Klopp extracts from his team. In recent campaigns at both Liverpool and Dortmund he has been accused of overworking his group of players. The facts are there as evidenced in the 2nd leg of their Champions League quarter final clash against Manchester City last April, where four Liverpool players ran more than the nearest City player with James Milner amassing a staggering 13.53km. However Klopp has seemed to empathize with his group of players thus far this season as shown in the past two games against Southampton and Chelsea which featured 18 different starters. When teams change so do the questions asked. Although Liverpool had most of the answers last season the test format has changed this season. Expectations must be fulfilled and moral victories are irrelevant. If the Reds are to emerge from the pack as champions all roads point to new markers being set this Saturday at Stamford Bridge.
PREDICTION - 2-2 draw
BUNDESLIGA
SATURDAY - HOFFENHEIM V RB LEIPZIG 14:30
Julian Nagelsmann once again is the forefront of attention on Saturday when his current and future clubs pair off in n a clash which although whets the appetite of many of European's football hipsters fails to appeal to many of the hardcore German faithful for various reasons. The Dietmarr Hopp backed Hoffenheim have endured a mixed start to the season with two wins, one draw and two defeats. Their league form has largely been compromised by their top 4 finish last season which saw them enter the Champions League group stages for the first time in the club's history. Conspicuously prior to the funding of SAP and Dietmar Hopp Hoffenheim was merely a small village consisting of just over 3,300 inhabitants. They host English champions, Manchester City next week in their first ever group stage game at home. Returning to the present and the clash against Leipzig promises to be full of goals given the attacking nature of both sides. It is key to note that all nine of "Die Kraichgauer's" goals this season have come from open play. Having defeated lowly Hannover 3-1 this past week, several of Nagelsmann's key players are set to earn a recall to the side having enjoyed a rest. Oliver Baumann, Stefan Posch and Andrej Kramaric all look certain to start. RB Leipzig too have enjoyed an indifferent start to their Bundesliga campaign entering Saturday's clash just one point and position above their foes. Worrying news emanating from the organization implicating that they owe 82+million euros to their backers, Red Bull cannot have helped earlier proceedings either. RB Leipzig technical director Ralf Rangnick assumed the role as first team coach along with his current duties as technical director earlier this summer following the departure of Austrian Ralph Hassenhuttl last May. Rangnick merely will maintain the position in a caretaker role until the 31 year old Nagelsmann makes the move to "Die Rotten Bullen". Rangnick himself is a firm favourite in Hoffenheim parts having taking them all the way from the third division to the top flight in his four and a half years as coach. Rangnick's side are regularly deployed in the peculiar 4-2-2-2 formation spearheaded by the pace of Germany's Timo Werner and Yussuf Poulsen. Kevin Augustin is pushing hard for a start given his recent form which has seen him score six goals in his last five league appearances. Emil Forsberg and Kevin Kampl both play the role of playmaker expertly well just in behind. One to watch out for is 19 year old French centre half, Dayot Upamecano who has been tipped for a maiden senior call up. Upamecano arrived in the winter transfer window of 2016/2017 from sister club RB Salzburg and has gone from strength to strength. Many of Europe's elite have been watching the Frenchman and one suspects that could be the first job for Nagellsmann to sort out when he takes the reigns at the Red Bull franchise. But for now he takes to the blue corner and plots the demise of "Die Rotten Bullen"
PREDICTION - 2-2 draw
SERIE A
SATURDAY - ROMA V LAZIO 14:00
The "Derby Delle Capitale" is the forefront of Serie A action this weekend with "hosts" Roma and Lazio battling for the 171st time in their history. Although Roma enjoyed a fine 4-0 victory over lowly Frosinone on Wednesday night they enter Saturday's game with scrutiny surrounding their boss' future. Eusebio De Franceso and co have endured a difficult start to the season given the huge summer upheaval at the Stadio Olympico with key personalities such as Alisson, Kevin Strootman and Radja Nainggolan departing for new pastures. There have been no fewer than thirteen arrivals with Javier Pastore being the standout so far. The Argentine's Roma career has been disrupted by injuries to date but he has contributed two backheel goals one of which came on Wednesday in the playmaker's very own bid to secure this coming year's Puskas gong. However De Francesco is till uncertain of his best XI, as evidenced in Roma's last five games the midfield has been changed on each occasion and has varied between a 3-4-1-2 to a 4-3-3 to the latest 4-2-3-1. The three front players in Pastore, Under and El Sharawaay all enjoyed great success Wednesday but derby day's in Italy are always fraught affairs and Saturday will prove no different. How quickly club captain, Daniele De Rossi and summer recruit, Steven N'Zonzi settle into Saturday's proceedings will offer a huge indictment as to the result. Key goalscorer Edin Dzeko will look to return also to the starting fold and look to return to the form of past seasons. Simone Inzaghi took the step of resting both Ciro Immbolie and Sergji Milinkovic-Savic in Wednesday's 2-1 away win at Udinese ahead of their crunch clash on Saturday. The one thing "Le Aquile" did not have in recent years was strength in depth however they have seemed to have rectified that this season. Joaquin Correa the summer transfer from Sevilla proved the difference in this game and got the deciding goal with a goal best summarizing the abilities the Argentine has to offer. Correa is a ready made solution to the former Brazilian star Felipe Anderson who departed for West Ham earlier this summer. He provides another dimension to the Lazio attack and gives boss, Inzaghi another option with his flair and creativity in comparison to the playmaking abilities of Spaniard, Luis Alberto and midfield general supreme, Sergej Milinkovic Savic who continues to arrouse Europe's elite. Despite an unusual start to the season goalscorer Ciro Immobile is up and running and his goal ratio of one every 121 minutes is unrivalled on either side. If "The Biancoceleste" are to ever appease the adorning faithful at the Curva Nord and evoke dreams of a top 4 finish after lasts season's final day miss Saturday's clash against their weakened arch rivals provide them with no better opportunity than to do so. In recent years, these games have proven to be tense, tight affairs I expect Saturday to be no different.
PREDICTION - 1-1 draw
SATURDAY - JUVENTUS V NAPOLI 17:00
Following the Rome derby we turn our attention north to Turin where the two best teams of previous years go head to head in what promises to be a great game at the Allianz Stadium. Juventus enter the tie on the back of their best ever start to a league season since 1930 with seven straight league wins. Without doubt the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo has cemented their tags as firm favorites for the Serie A crown and boosted their Champions League chances. Given the most recent Douglas Costa incident coupled with the out of form Paulo Dybala one could have forgiven the "Bianconeri" for a few poor results, however the strength in depth available to Max Allegri is possibly the best in Europe. Bernardeschi has looked every bit the player he showed in his Fiorentina days this season while Mario Mandzukic is selfless as ever and his commitment to the cause is unwavering. New signings such as Emre Can and Joao Cancelo have proved apt additions with the latter in flying form. On the other hand Juve will be expecting more from Leonardo Bonucci who has looked a shadow of himself since his return. Allegri however naturally is unsure of his favoured eleven given the pool of talent he has available to him and has deviated between a 4-3-3 and 3-5-1-1 in recent weeks no doubt looking to get the best out of his star man. One is unsure of the approach he will take to combat a tricky Napoli side this Saturday who have looked a completely different proposition to the "Sarriball" equivalent of last season. It is fair to suggest the team from the south have enjoyed an evolution under their new boss. Napoli themselves have enjoyed a fine start to the league, aside from a 3-0 humbling at the hands of Sampdoria they have looked like a side capable of challenging Juve once more. Given the exit of Maurizio Sarri it was tough to see how the Naples side would evolve however given the variety of player and football being played to date, Napoli fans can rest assured that with Carlo Ancelotti they lie in good hands. In the six league games thus far Ancelotti has handed starts to seventeen different players and the side has been rotated in all six league fixtures, statistics totally unaligned with the Sarri years. Lorenzo Insigne has flourished in a role further forward and in Wednesday's humbling of Parma combined so well with Arkadiusz Milik. A key feature of Ancelotti's coaching career has always been his flexibility and ability to adapt given whatever situation. There has been no better illustration than Napoli's past four fixtures where they have changed formation's each time. Arguably the most successful was that used in the dismantling of Parma where they set up in a 4-4-2. The midfield quartet of Allan, Diawara, Zielinski and Fabian Ruiz were instrumental and possesed the right mixture of experience, youth, dynamism and creativity. Napoli's boss might adopt a similar approach against the Bianconeri where control of the midfield areas will go a long way in determining the game's outcome. Carlo Ancelotti has a track record of stringing together big results given the occasion and one would be unwise to doubt his team come Saturday. However this Juventus side do have the potential to be more than mere league champions this season.
PREDICTION - Juventus 2-1
LA LIGA
SATURDAY - REAL V ATLETICO MADRID
Saturday's festival of football concludes with the Madrid derby. Real enter the game on the back of a quite frankly embarrassing defeat at the hands of Sevilla on Wednesday night. Although the scoreline showed 3-0 upon further reflection it could have been six or seven. Many factors have been attributed to the lacklustre nature of Madrid's performance but the huge Madrid entourage at Fifa's best awards could not have aided proceedings. Courtois, Ramos, Marcelo and Modric , all of whom attended the event in London were all subpar at the Ramon Sanchez Pijuan. The gaping left halfspace between Ramos and Marcelo was a particular factor in Sevilla's dominance with Premier League flop Jesus Navas and ex Madrid youth player, Pablo Sarabia reaping the rewards. Marcelo picked up a calf strain taboot and may miss Saturday's fixture. The midfield trio of Casemiro, Kroos and Modric each looked fatigued, mundane and insipid in their approach. They did little to contain the continuous Sevilla onslaught leaving their back four and Belgian keeper, Courtois particularly vulnerable. In recent weeks, Julen Lopetegui's side have showed many signs of a team emerging from the shadows of the CR7 era nevertheless Wednesday's collapse will give further credence to the claims of their doubters. Having witnessed Barcelona's earlier capitulation to bottom side, Leganes Wednesday night provided the "Galacticos" with the best chance possible yet thus far to gain a hold of the title race. They will need to up their performance levels accordingly if they are even going to trouble Cholo's Atleti side on Saturday night. They will set up in Lopetegui's preferred 4-3-3 formation with an emphasis on retaining possession and sucking the life out of their Madrid neighbors. They have averaged over 66% possession per league game this season which is expected. However what was even more interesting was how the statistics also reflected the ever changing group identity of "Los Blancos" post CR7. Madrid are averaging 1p7.2 shots per La Liga game this season with a staggering 10.3 of those coming form inside the penalty box. Such a stat reflects their newfound all inclusive approach to the game with players such as Benzema, Bale and Isco benefiting from a more team orientated setup. I for one would not be surprised if one of the jaded midfield trio of Casemiro, Kroos or Modric made way for the youthful flurry of options on Madrid's bench this weekend. Dani Cebellos has started to show Madridistas glimpses of the player they first bought from Real Betis while Marcos Llorente also provides a viable option. Spanish star, Isco will miss Saturday's derby as of last week he has been diagnosed with acute appendicites with no estimation on his recovery time. His loss along with the doubts surrounding left back Marcelo are a crucial blow to "Los Blancos" chances.
Just under two weeks ago, Atleti resembled a team in turmoil having stumbled to a 1-1 draw at home to Eibar, they trailed then leaders Real Madrid by seven points despite a positive start to the season that saw a victory in the European Super Cup final over their neighbors along with several astute summer acquisitions and the lockdown of several key players such as Jon Oblak, Diego Godin and Antoine Griezmann. Fast forward a few weeks and they trail both Barca and Real by just two points with the two aforementioned sides having gone down to defeats on the same gameday for the first time since January 2015. Things are looking rosy again at the Wanda. Rodri and in particular Thomas Lemar have settled quickest from the summer signings and have already embraced the Atleti identity Diego Simeone and assitant German Burgos have cultivated at the club. Lemar in my opinion has been the signing in Simeone's tenure at the club to have adapted most quickly. He has proved every bit the player Leonardo Jardim lauded at AS Monaco and in fact has improved upon joining. He has added goals and an ever relenting workrate to his game. His double over Getafe means he already equaled his total of two league goals in thirty Ligue 1 games last season. Cholo is unlikely the repeat the approach of Pablo Machin and his Sevilla side last Wednesday with their pressure and barnstorming play. Simeone has kept Atleti in his preferred 4-4-2 shape with the other midfield trio comprimising of Koke, Saul and Rodri. Each player has their merits and adds something different. Koke has begun the season in bright fashion too , no doubt with his omission from the latest Spain squad at the forefront of his mind. Up top Costa and Griezmann are the perfect duo and have settled like a house on fire. Unuusally however it is Griezmann despite his "quarterback" role who has outscored Costa this season. The Brazilian-Spaniard in fact has been without a goal in the league dating back to last February. Despite this remarkable stat though there can be no measure of importance that can be attributed to the ex-Chelsea man's off the ball work for Cholo's men. His persistent running and annoyance of defenders is the base of all Atleti's good defensive work and it's clear that their main striker's remit is not just confined to goalscoring. Meanwhile at the back Jan Oblak is as the safest pair of hands you will find in World Football these days and can count himself as unlucky having not made Fifa's team of the year. He is supported by the new central defensive pairing of Luis Gimenez and Lucas Hernandez which has seen a return for Felipe Luis to the side at left back. Diego Godin's reward for his poor recent form has been a place on the substitute's bench, it would not be astounding although for "La Celeste's" main man to make a return to Saturday's lineup. They have not lost at the Bernabeu for five years in the league and will be confident of extending their run come the close of the action this Saturday.
PREDICTION - 1-1 draw