What Matches to Watch this Week: Friday, November 1 through Monday, November 4
Friday, November 1 through Monday, November 4
On this Halloween, I offer you the best of the football treats the first weekend of November present us. Before we get into them, let’s see how sweet or sour I feel about the last batch of recommendations.
The Good
Leicester City 1–3 Nottingham Forest
Both in-form strikers Jamie Vardy and Chris Wood stayed red hot, but Chris Wood got the brace (including a header “assisted” by Leicester defender Wout Faes) that ensured Forest continued their collectively impressive campaign, reaching the heights of 5th place as of last Friday.
Real Valladolid 1–2 Villarreal
Mamadou Sylla’s penalty goal threatened to repeat history for Villarreal, but a later goal from Ayoze Perez who is enjoying an incredible second act of his career ensured Villarreal got the three points.
Brighton 2–2 Wolves
This result will suit Brighton more, but it was an entertaining game that showcases the potential of the two talented clubs. Brentford winning 4–3 against Ipswich was even more exciting during this window of fixtures, but you’re not complaining if you watched this.
Chelsea 2–1 Newcastle
We know what Cole Palmer does week in, week out for Chelsea, but this season Nicolas Jackson is finding his consistency too. Also good to see struggling new signing Pedro Neto get an assist. Newcastle United are looking even more midtable than they did last season, but Alexander Isak returned to the scoresheet.
Arsenal 2–2 Liverpool
The story of injuries to their back line continues for Arsenal with Gabriel and Jurrien Timber exiting the game. They held a 2–1 lead until Nunez turned provider for Salah to finish off a chance to create the final 2–2 scoreline. Manchester City end the weekend top of the table as a result.
The Bad
Fiorentina 4–1 Roma
It’s starting to feel like a season in the wilderness for Roma. Being down 3–1 at halftime against a Fiorentina side that themselves have taken a backstep means they’ll have to rely on a Europa League run to accomplish anything of note. In the second half, any hope of a comeback was dashed by the Mario Hermoso red card and Mats Hummels own goal.
Mallorca 0–0 Athletic Bilbao
Samu’s 23rd minute red card ensured that the final match of this slate would be all Bilbao. It didn’t translate in the scoreline though. Mallorca deserve a ton of credit for getting a point but it wasn’t the best game ever.
The Unexpected
Real Madrid 0–4 Barcelona
Simply unimaginable. Robert Lewandowski converted a pair of chances whereas Kylian Mbappe spurned several of his. Defensively it was night and day as well. This looks to be a special season for FC Barcelona. Real Madrid have to do some soul searching after this.
Note: Bologna vs AC Milan was postponed
A reminder as we get into these next games that the Friday and Saturday times are one hour off from their usual slates due to Daylight Savings Time. They’ll resume their normal positions on Sunday.
Friday, November 1
12:30 pm P/3:30 pm E Bayer Leverkusen (3rd/15 pts) vs Stuttgart ESPN+ (8th/12 pts)
Proving yourself after a breakout campaign is the challenge both Leverkusen and Stuttgart take on this season. Many offensive players for Leverkusen have gotten hot at different points of this season, and even holding midfielders like Robert Andrich have been more involved in the attack.
4:30 pm P/7:30 pm E Charlotte FC vs Orlando City Apple TV+ MLS Season Pass
Orlando City were a popular pick to suffer an upset Round 1 elimination as Charlotte FC improved from last season to this year. However, Orlando stood their ground at home in Game 1 thanks to a stunning performance from Facundo Torres. Dean Smith’s side has their backs against the wall but Bank of America Stadium will be rocking.
Saturday, November 2
5:30 am P/8:30 am E Newcastle United (12th/12 pts) vs Arsenal (3rd/18 pts) USA
Newcastle United got their most impressive win of the season midweek knocking Chelsea out of the Carabao Cup, whereas Arsenal’s defense is in a familiar situation: players keep getting injured. This Premier League match could be season defining for both of these big clubs. Alexander Isak is getting hot at the right time against a beatup defense.
8:15 am P/11:15 am E Girona (13th/12 pts) vs Leganés (14th/11 pts) ESPN+
If we are going by this season’s standards, this should be a get right game for Girona. In reality, only two points separate these two sides. This is what Girona’s story will mostly be like this season. A win at home would ensure midtable status rather than getting dragged into a relegation battle.
10:30 am P/1:30 pm E Dortmund (7th/13 pts) vs RB Leipzig ESPN+ (2nd/20 pts)
Borussia Dortmund are stumbling these last few matches, losing to a weaker than usual Wolfsburg side in the DFB Pokal that knocked out their best chance at silverware. Meanwhile RB Leipzig are eyeing a title challenge. The emergence of Jamies Bynoe-Gittens is one of the brightspots for Dortmund, with one of the few true veterans at Leipzig Yussuf Poulsen is coming off of a brace against St. Pauli.
1 pm P/4 pm E Valencia (20th/7 pts) vs Real Madrid (2nd/24 pts) ESPN+
Postponed due to floods in Valencia region
Alternatives: 12:45 pm P/3:45 pm E Monza (17th/8 pts) vs AC Milan (8th/14 pts) Paramount+
AC Milan are in a similar position as Dortmund, but with their previous Serie A fixture at Bologna postponed, they’ll be even more determined to bag 3 points. Monza are in a relegation battle, but maybe they stumbled across the wrong opponent at the wrong time.
2 pm P/5 pm E New York City FC vs FC Cincinnati Apple TV+ MLS Season Pass
Another MLS playoff encounter is a viable option, too. After seeing was their Big Apple rivals accomplished earlier this week (more on that later), New York City will be at home trying to extend their playoff run. Luciano Acosta’s killer instincts in clutch games will lead FC Cincinnati to be the party crashers.
5 pm P/8 pm E Colorado Springs Switchbacks vs Oakland Roots ESPN+/Paramount+
The first round of the USL Championship playoffs begin this weekend, and in every playoff run Oakland Roots have had in this division, they at least made it to the second round. Seems unlikely given they lost 5–0 to Birmingham Legion in their regular season finale, but maybe they have one last magic trick up their sleeves in Colorado.
Sunday, November 3
3:30 am P/6:30 am E Napoli (1st/25 pts) vs Atalanta (3rd/22 pts) Paramount+
First vs third with Napoli’s stars Khvica Khavaratshkelia and Romelu Lukaku heating up against Atalanta’s growing confidence led by Ademola Lookman and Maarten de Roon. Certainly worth waking up early.
6 am P/9 am E Tottenham (8th/13 pts) vs Aston Villa (4th/18 pts) USA/Telemundo
8:30 am P/11:30 am E Manchester United (14th/11 pts) vs Chelsea (5th/17 pts) USA/Telemundo
Another Sunday, another exciting Premier League double header. Three of these clubs hope to close the gap on Manchester City, Liverpool, and Arsenal. That is a lost cause for Manchester United who have dismissed Erik Ten Hag, with Ruud van Nistlerooy in the interim position while Ruben Amorim arrives a week from this fixture.
9:30 am P/12:30 pm E Sevilla (10th/15 pts) vs Real Sociedad (12th/12 pts) ESPN+
12 pm P/3 pm E Athletic Bilbao (5th/18 pts) vs Real Betis (6th/18 pts) ESPN+
Not quite as star powered as the Premier League double header, if you are looking for a strong dose of La Liga action, this will do the trick! Sevilla and Real Sociedad are both lower in the table than their desired ambitions, but they’re still good sides. Bilbao and Betis are playing more to their potential and could gain ground on 4th place Villarreal with a win.
1:30 pm P/4:30 pm E New York Red Bulls vs Columbus Crew Apple TV+ MLS Season Pass
The biggest surprise in the MLS Cup Playoffs so far was the New York Red Bulls winning 1–0 in Columbus, thanks in large part to Carlos Coronel’s spectacular saves. All eyes will be on Harrison, New Jersey to see if the defending champions can get a win on the road, or be eliminated early.
Monday, November 4
9:30 am P/12:30 pm E Empoli (11th/11 pts) vs Como (13th/9 pts) Paramount+
It was a tough outing for Liberato Cacace and the rest of Empoli’s defense losing 3–0 to Inter, but losing to the defending champions isn’t the worst thing. They have an intriguing home fixture against newly promoted Como who are looking to crash the party and establish themselves in the top flight.
12 pm P/3 pm E Fulham (10th/12 pts) vs Brentford (9th/13 pts) USA
We wrap these domestic fixtures up with a London clash (as I mentioned in a previous article, we get a lot of these because of the sheer volume of PL clubs based in England’s capital) that promises to be exciting. Emile Smith-Rowe and Raul Jimenez lead Fulham’s attack against Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo, and the Bees’ goalkeeper Mark Flekken is coming off of his penalty shootout heroics against Sheffield Wednesday in the Carabao Cup.
European Competition Lightning Rounds (All Matches on Paramount+)
Tuesday, November 5
9:45 am P/12:45 pm E PSV (28th/2 pts) vs Girona (24th/3 pts)
12 pm P/3 pm E Liverpool (2nd/9 pts) vs Leverkusen (6th/7 pts)
Wednesday, November 6
9:45 am P/12:45 pm E Club Brugge (26th/3 pts) vs Aston Villa (1st/9 pts)
12 pm P/3 pm E Inter Milan (7th/7 pts) vs Arsenal (9th/7 pts)
Thursday, November 7
Europa League
9:45 am P/12:45 pm E Galatasaray (5th/7 pts) vs Tottenham (2nd/9 pts)
12 pm P/3 pm E Lazio (1st/9 pts) vs Porto (15th/4 pts)
Conference League (2 games played vs 3 in UCL and Europa)
9:45 am P/12:45 pm E Gent (3 pts) vs Omonia Nicosia (3 pts)
12 pm P/3 pm E Hearts (6 pts) vs Heidenheim (6 pts)
I wish you a Happy Halloween and may these exciting matches bring you as much joy as whatever sweet treats you obtain this holiday.
