Chelsea-Manchester United, Real Madrid-Sevilla FC, Dortmund-Wolfsburg … The confrontations between clubs engaged in the Champions League will give a little flavor of C1 to the European championships this weekend.
– England: if the qualification for the round of 16 of C1, Tuesday, brought back a few smiles on the faces of Manchester United, the prospect of going to challenge the leader Chelsea on Sunday is enough to intimidate the Red Devils. Imperial Tuesday against Juventus Turin (4-0), the Blues displayed an insolent form that makes this poster, attractive on paper, very unbalanced. The Red Devils, only 8th in the Premier League, need to come back with points from Stamford Bridge. But with only three units ahead of Manchester City (2nd), Chelsea can not afford the slightest misstep. Especially since other teams at the top of the table have affordable matches, like Arsenal which hosts the red lantern Newcastle or Liverpool (3rd) which receives Southampton on Saturday. The other great poster on Sunday will be the match between Manchester City and West Ham (4th). Very good against Paris SG on Wednesday (2-1 victory), Pep Guardiola’s men will want to put pressure on Chelsea and distance themselves from the Hammers surprised by Wolverhampton (1-0) last week.
– Germany: beware of the misstep! Bayern Munich, who host the relegation Bielefeld on Saturday, should have looked forward to their game without worries for their first place in the Bundesliga. Then the Covid-19 passed by there. Joshua Kimmich and Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday and placed in quarantine. The most sportingly interesting poster will oppose two disappointments of the C1: Borussia Dortmund, just condemned to the Europa League after its knockout defeat against Sporting in Lisbon (3-1), and Wolfsburg, the last of its group after its defeat in Seville (2-0). Still deprived of their star striker Erling Haaland, the Yellow and Black have the opportunity to take control of the Bundesliga if Bayern stumbles.
– Spain: a high-level match this weekend… Real Madrid, LaLiga leaders (30 pts), will start their terrible last month of competition of 2021 with the reception of Sevilla FC (3rd, 28 pts) on Sunday . The two teams emerged victorious from their C1 matches this week, respectively against the Sheriff in Tiraspol (3-0) and against Wolfsburg in Andalusia (2-0), and arrive in form for this duel at the top. The other poster of the weekend in LaLiga will be the opposition on Saturday between Unai Emery’s Villarreal, defeated (2-0) by Manchester United on Tuesday in C1, and Barça de Xavi, hung (0-0) by the Benfica Lisbon the same day at Camp Nou, also in C1. Note also the trip of Atlético Madrid, defending champion, Sunday to Cadiz, and that of the current second in the championship, Real Sociedad, also Sunday, on the ground of Espanyol Barcelona.
– Italy: the past invites itself to Naples on Sunday, with a tribute to Diego Maradona, whose face will once again adorn the Napoli jerseys, as a prelude to the reunion with Maurizio Sarri. The coach of the good years 2015 to 2018 returns with Lazio Rome to challenge the Neapolitan leader, despite his first defeat at Inter Milan (3-2) last Sunday. Napoli want to bounce back after losing confidence at San Siro and two key players at the start of the season: Cameroonian midfielder André Zambo Anguissa (groin injury) and especially Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen, who had multiple fractures to his face and forfeited three month. AC Milan, co-leader with Naples and perked up on Wednesday by his victory in C1 on the ground of Atlético Madrid (1-0), will host Sassuolo (13th) for his part to also erase the first defeat in the league, conceded at the Fiorentina (4-3). In Turin, Juventus (8th), always more fragile, will welcome Atalanta Bergamo (4th), after the slap suffered in Chelsea (4-0) in C1. At the bottom of the standings, Franck Ribéry and his Salernitana, red lantern, will play tonight a crucial match against Cagliari (19th). For the loser of the evening, the hopes of maintenance will take a big hit.
– France: Lens, ousted from the Ligue 1 podium, can find the leading trio in the event of success against Angers, this night at the opening of a 15th day marked by a shock of extremes on Sunday between the PSG, leader, and Saint- Étienne, penultimate in search of redemption. In Lille, the reigning French champion hopes to confirm his European upturn on Saturday by finding the path to success in L1, after five straight matches without winning in the league, to finally leave the belly soft. LOSC (12th), winner of Salzburg on Tuesday (1-0) to lead its group in the Champions League, receives FC Nantes (11th), which precedes it by only one point in the standings. The fight for the podium will resume on Saturday with Nice (2nd, 26 pts), which receives the red lantern Metz, then Rennes (3rd, 25 pts), traveling to Lorient on Sunday, and finally Marseille (5th, 23 pts, a match in less), which hosts Troyes on Sunday. After the incidents that caused the OL-OM shock to stop last Sunday, Lyon (10th, 19 pts, one game less) must at all costs revive in Montpellier, under penalty of being dropped in the race for the first three places, qualifiers for the Champions League.
Source: AFP
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Chelsea-Manchester United, Real Madrid-Sevilla FC, Dortmund-Wolfsburg … The confrontations between clubs engaged in the Champions League will give a little flavor of C1 to the European championships this weekend. – England: if the qualification for the round of 16 of C1, Tuesday, brought a few smiles on the faces at Manchester United, the prospect of going to challenge the leader …
