What Matches to Watch This Week: Friday, December 13, to Monday, December 16
Friday, December 13 through Monday, December 16
We are walking in a winter wonderland of football! As your guide through fixtures past and future, let’s review my recommendations from last week before diving into this upcoming weekend’s offerings from the beautiful game.
The Postponed
Everton vs Liverpool
Heavy rain in Liverpool meant that the Merseyside derby had to be postponed for everyone’s safety. This includes that of the Everton players’ morale because given their respective form, it would’ve been even more one sided than usual.
The Good
Inter 3–1 Parma
Facing off against Inter at the San Siro is a measuring stick opportunity. Parma are a solid Serie A side, but they can be outclassed by a juggernaut. No shame in that. What makes Inter even more difficult to beat is when you have players like Henrikh Mkhitaryan, supposedly in the twilight of his career, getting a pair of assists. When you already have to account for Hakan Calhanoglu and Nicolo Barella? That’s a tough task.
Atalanta 2–1 AC Milan
Atalanta are doing their part to ensure they’re closer to Napoli and Inter’s tier of title contenders rather than the rest of the field. AC Milan may not even be in that field. While Rafael Leao set up Alvaro Morata to cancel out Atalanta’s opening goal, the Bergamo based side starting and finished this game the strongest. More concerning for AC Milan will be the status of Christian Pulisic who was subbed out after picking up a knock 37 minutes into this contest. It could’ve been a bigger margin of defeat had Mike Maignan and Emerson Royal not snuffed out a late breakaway chance.
Manchester United 2–3 Nottingham Forest
Manchester United fell behind early to yet another set piece goal (those plaguing them in their midweek defeat to Arsenal), but it was great to see Rasmus Hojlund score as his United career began with immediate pressure to succeed still early in his career. However, Forest’s star players Morgan-Gibbs White and Chris Wood ensured there would be no coming back and the growing pains under new manager Ruben Amorim will continue. It feels like a lost season for Manchester United, but the sky remains the limit for Nottingham Forest.
Athletic Bilbao 1–0 Villarreal
Athletic Bilbao looked like the stronger club out of the gate, and an early goal from Aitor Paredes looked likely to sink Villarreal’s battleship…or submarine in this case. But like in any good game of battleship, if you get the right coordinates you can fire back immediately! Alex Baena thought he did just that setting up Pape Cisse for the equalizer, but the latter was offside. The first half was entertaining and Villarreal had some great chances to get on the scoreboard, but Julen Agirrezebala. Bilbao were more aggressive in the second half with Inaki Williams more involved. He was the most likely player on either side to score and he did just that with 20 minutes to go. It was a rough day for goalkeeper Diego Conde which ended in injury.
Tottenham 3–4 Chelsea
Tottenham got off to a fast start up 2–0 and it looked like the Robinhood narrative would persist. However, Chelsea roared back with 4 goals of their own to bring back the classic “Spursy” sentiment. A consolation goal from the North London outfit added to a seven goal thriller in the premier fixtures of the weekend for England’s top flight.
Napoli 0–1 Lazio
Even without their best playmaking midfielder in Nicolo Rovella, Lazio grinded out a 1–0 win on a cold, rainy night in Stoke. Whoops, I mean Naples. Lazio don’t have the flashiest squad on paper in comparison to their title rivals, but this kind of result keeps their prospects of winning silverware in at least one competition alive.
Monza 1–2 Udinese
The match was cagey after Lorenzo Lucca scored in the opening five minutes, but I’ll credit Monza for that as it kept things from getting out of hand. While Giorgios Kyriakopoulos is one of Monza’s most reliable players, that reliability isn’t marked by goalscoring prowess. In a relegation battle, any goal contributor is appreciated and that unlikely source provided the equalizer early in the second half. Udinese saw their defensive player scoring and raised one of their own, with Jaka Bijol making it 2–1. Italian football legend Alessandro Nesta is getting a lot of fight out of his Monza side, but not the results.
The Mixed Bag
Bochum 0–1 Werder Bremen
I recommended a relegation six pointer and that’s what we got. They can’t all be top of the table clashes or we don’t get a full picture of the leagues.
Not a lot to write home about in the first half with Bochum claiming the only shot on target. When you have so few points in December though, you take the defensive solidity and hope the offense comes soon. Especially when bend don’t break eventually fails like when Jen Stage scored for Bremen 10 mins into the second half. That one goal and six point swing could doom the hosts while keeping Bremen safe for now.
LA Galaxy 2–1 New York Red Bulls
While this was a close and competitive game throughout, LA Galaxy got their goals in the first 12 minutes forcing the Red Bulls to swim upstream. The first goal from Joseph Paintsil included a goal celebration tribute for injured teammate Riqui Puig. Marco Reus was more threatening in 15 minutes off the bench than Emil Forsberg was throughout the game. LA Galaxy stretch their lead of MLS Cup titles to 6 and New York Red Bulls once again are so near, yet so far. The sequence and timing of the goals scored prevents this match from getting into the good tier.
The Bad
Leganés 0–3 Real Sociedad
While this was a comfortable road victory despite achieving a second goal in the final 10 minutes, Aihen Munoz, Martin Zubimendi, and Sergio Gomez all needed to be subbed off after picking up knocks. Sociedad have been able to call upon strength in numbers so as long as their stars like Mikel Oyarzabal stay healthy and scoring, they’ll be alright. A one sided result with multiple injuries is hard to call a great watch.
Well, That Escalated Quickly
Girona 0–3 Real Madrid
Donny Van de Beek has found new life in Girona as an integral piece to their midfield alongside fellow Premier League castoffs Oriol Romeu and Bryan Gil. This will be a huge test against the start studded Real Madrid outfit with both of these ambitious clubs locking horns. Girona showing a lot of confidence in their play against Real Madrid in the opening half hour. However in the 37th minute the brightest of Madrid’s stars Jude Bellingham broke the deadlock. Real Madrid ultimately won comfortably 3–0 with Kylian Mbappe likely regaining some confidence getting on the scoresheet after missing a few penalties. It shows just how capable Real Madrid can be even during a difficult stretch that they can flip a switch and make a good side like Girona pay.
These results were all over the map. In an ideal world, they would all be winners. But in that world, I would be winning the lottery. Let’s see how these suggestions might fare.
Friday, December 13
11:30 am P/2:30 pm E: Freiburg (7th/21 pts) vs Wolfsburg (5th/21 pts) ESPN+
Freiburg and Wolfsburg are no strangers to pushing for Europe, although Wolfsburg have fallen further astray from the German pecking order in recent seasons. It’s good to see after lots of roster turnover the neon green clad club get back into the top half. Wolfsburg are coming off of a thrilling 4–3 victory against Mainz. Denmark international Jonas Wind turned a 3–2 deficit around into a crucial win. Freiburg will feel confident they can do better than Mainz defensively, especially when key defenders like Matthias Ginter are chipping in both offensively and on the defensive end.
Saturday, December 14
4:30 am P/7:30 am E: Preston North End (17th/19 pts) vs Leeds United (2nd/38 pts) Paramount+
The pressure is non stop for a promotion favorite that narrowly missed out the season prior. The wait for Preston North End has been a long and grueling one as they’ve never regained top flight status since their relegation in 1960–1961. That’s pre-moon landing! Preston’s status in this division looks more secure after a 2–0 win in South Wales over Cardiff City. Former Newcastle goalkeeper Freddie Woodman kept a clean sheet, and he’ll likely be busy against a Leeds offense where Brenden Aaronson, Wilfried Gnonto, and Daniel James all got on the scoresheet vs Middlesbrough. I’ll also be keeping an eye on Leeds goalkeeper Ilian Meslier who still has bags of potential and will be itching to play top flight football for Leeds or another club next season.
6:30 am P/9:30 am E: Augsburg (13th/16 pts) vs Bayer Leverkusen (3rd/26 pts) ESPN+
What intrigues me most about this matchup is the clash of styles. Can Bayer Leverkusen’s expansive attack and wide play break through Augsburg’s low block, or could they grind the visitor’s momentum to a halt for some frustrating dropped points? Granted, Augsburg have conceded two goals in their last two matches: a 2–2 cup penalty shootout wn at Karlsruher and a 2–2 draw away to Frankfurt. The center back pairing of Robin Koch and Arthur Theate will be tested against likely Patrik Schick with Victor Boniface injured until mid January.
9:30 am P/12:30 pm E: Nottingham Forest (5th/25 pts) vs Aston Villa (6th/25 pts) NBC/Peacock
This is the type of matchup the subreddit r/theother14 will have circled in their calendars. The two best clubs this season outside of the Big Six go head to head in a likely season defining encounter. Among the biggest stories for this pair of clubs is the rise of unlikely goalscorers. Chris Wood has plenty of Premier League experience but was never seen as a top Premier League forward until his fine form this campaign. Jhon Duran’s hot star off the Villa bench has slightly cooled off but he has come along way from his status as a risky signing from Chicago Fire.
11:45 am P/2:45 pm E: Juventus (6th/27 pts) vs Venezia (20th/9 pts) Paramount+
The options for this time slot were a pair of mismatches on paper. Since Real Madrid ultimately beat Girona by a comfortable scoreline, who’s to say they couldn’t do the same to Rayo Vallecano? Therefore we’ll see if Juventus can keep pace with their title rivals against an increasingly desperate Venezia side. Venezia bounced back from a rough 3–0 loss to Bologna to claim a point against fellow promoted club Como at home. If nothing else, this game could be an audition as many clubs are monitoring the rise of 20 year old Argentine attacking midfielder Nico Paz.
Sunday, December 15
6 am P/9 am E: Brighton (7th/24 pts) vs Crystal Palace (17th/13 pts) USA/Telemundo
We have a pair of English derbies to kick off Sunday’s action. While the authenticity of the A23 derby has been questioned, it has gotten some legs with both Brighton and Palace establishing themselves as Premier League regulars. They’ve also been conveyor belts of talent, albeit Brighton at a higher and more frequent level than Crystal Palace. Palace only find themselves 4 points above the relegation zone. Life after Wilfred Zaha looked alright only to also quickly lose Michael Olise who moved on to Bayern Munich. It shouldn’t be a surprise then when Eberechi Eze struggles so far this campaign, but he’ll need to have a big game here. Brighton will hope to improve from their 2–2 draw at Leicester with Yankuba Minteh and Kaoru Mitoma hopefully starting together this time around.
8:30 am P/11:30 am E: Manchester City (4th/27 pts) vs Manchester United (13th/19 pts) USA/Telemundo
The second half of this rivalry double header sees both halves of Manchester having disappointing seasons for their expectations. It adds to the frustration Manchester United fans have this season because if they even were as “ok” as last season, this could have a lot more stakes. Instead, Manchester United are playing for pride already with half a season yet to go. It’s all about Ruben Amorim deciding who will stay and who will go, and there are more players in the latter category. Manchester City’s form has been horrid only winning once in the last month. But if there ever was a get right game for Pep Guardiola’s squad, it’s this one.
10:30 am P/1:30 pm E: RB Leipzig (4th/24 pts) vs Eintracht Frankfurt (2nd/27 pts) ESPN+
A top four showdown in the Bundesliga will have a lot on the line especially given the current European competition situations for these clubs. Eintracht Frankfurt could continue their quest for Champions League qualification if they get a win at Red Bull Arena, or at least avoid defeat. RB Leipzig on the other hand need to put all their chips in the league with their disastrous Champions League journey coming to an end soon. This should be a fiery affair.
11:45 am P/2:45 pm E: AC Milan (7th/22 pts) vs Genoa (14th/15 pts) Paramount+
Like Juventus, AC Milan will be facing a lot of pressure to win at home against a weaker side on paper to keep up. However, the gap between the Rossoneri and the top six is sizeable and the title is not achievable. European qualification of any kind is more the aim at this point. Rafael Leao has gotten more involved and in the nick of time because his fellow star winger Christian Pulisic will be missing due to injury. Even since losing 1–0 to Fiorentina on Halloween, Genoa have been on a five game unbeaten run. However, 3 of those five were draws. They’ll still have some confidence having beaten Udinese 2–0 and forward Andrea Pinamonti will be key to their attacking outlet against an improving AC Milan defense.
Monday, December 16
11:45 am P/2:45 pm E: Lazio (5th/31 pts) vs Inter Milan (3rd/31 pts) Paramount+
A big fixture to finish out this slate with Lazio putting Serie A on notice with a 1–0 win over Napoli. To pull that off and still be 5th explains just how tight this title race is. That sentiment is further accentuated with Inter Milan being two place ahead of them but only ahead on goal difference. Inter Milan’s squad is more suited to the rotation required in competing in multiple competitions. While they would love to start Lautaro Martinez ever game, being able to rely on Mehdi Taremi and Marcus Thuram too is quite the luxury. Lazio’s attacking trio of Valentin Castellanos, Mattia Zaccagni, and Gustav Isaksen will look to showcase their quality on this big stage.
Midweek Lightning Round Recommendations
Tuesday, December 17
12 pm P/3 pm E: Juventus vs Cagliari Coppa Italia R16 Paramount+
Wednesday, December 18
9:30 am P/12:30 pm E: Atalanta vs Cesena Coppa Italia R16 Paramount+
11:45 am P/2:45 pm E: Newcastle United vs Brentford EFL Cup QF Paramount+
Thursday, December 19
12 pm P/3 pm E: Conference League: Vitoria de Guimaraes (10 pts/5th) vs Fiorentina (9 pts/6th) Paramount +
or EFL Cup QF: Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United Paramount+
Having felt the intensity ratchet up last week, I am even more excited for what’s in store ahead. I hope you feel the same way! It may only be halfway through the European season, but there’s a lot to learn about these clubs and leagues through watching these games.
Thank you as always for reading.
