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Big Game Previews: 4th Weekend of October.
- Top Bins
- Oct 24, 2020
- 3 min read
1. FC Barcelona VS Real Madrid CF,
24th October, 7:30 PM IST.
Both the Spanish giants come into the game following 1-0 losses to Cadiz and Getafe, and either side would be looking to bounce back to regain momentum in La Liga. Barcelona might be the more confident of the two sides going into the Clasico, specially considering their 5-1 Champions League win over Hungarian side Ferencvaros. Real, on the other hand were beaten 3-2 by Shakhtar Donetsk in their European encounter. A major talking point would be the return of Sergio Ramos to the Madrid line-up. The centre-back was heavily missed against Shakhtar Donetsk, and his return would be a huge boost for the Spanish Champions.
The last time these two sides met, it was a 2-0 win for Los Blancos at the Santiago Bernabeu, thanks to goals from Vinicius Junior and Mariano Diaz. Ronald Koeman's troops would be looking to draw inspiration from the recent exploits of Ansu Fati, who has been on fire for the Catalan giants this season. And of course, every Clasico conversation is incomplete without Lionel Messi. The Argentine scored from the penalty spot in the win against Ferencvaros, and if he is in the mood, Barcelona always look formidable. A lot of eyes would be on Antoine Griezmann, if were to start. The French forward has been under a lot of scrutiny for his performances lately, and an easy miss against Getafe only added to the criticisms.
Camp Nou awaits a scintillating encounter.
2. Manchester United FC VS Chelsea FC,
24th October, 10 PM IST.
After an inspired win against PSG in the Champions League and a thumping win over Newcastle United in the Premier League, Manchester United would be looking to continue with their fine run of form going into this heavyweight clash. Chelsea played out a goalless draw against Sevilla in Europe, and dropped points in a 3-3 result against the Saints. Chelsea's defence has been under criticism owing to their results, and it would be important to see how they contain the United frontline.
Chelsea came out on top when these sides last met. It was the FA Cup semi-final, where the Blues ran out 3-1 winners owing to goals from Mason Mount, Olivier Giroud and an own goal from Harry Maguire. Ole's troops have emerged victorious in the other four encounters against Chelsea during the Norwegian's managerial tenure. with three of these at Stamford Bridge. Last season in the corresponding fixture, United came out 4-0 winners, and they would be looking for similar scenes this year.
3. AC Milan VS AS Roma,
27th October, 1:15 AM IST.
Both sides head into this fixture fresh off victories in the Europa League on Thursday. The last meeting between Milan and Roma resulted in a 2-0 win for the Rossoneri in June at the beginning of their remarkable 21-game unbeaten streak, which still lives to this day. The most recent of Milan's win came against their city rivals, with 39-year old Zlatan taking centre-stage. It was their first derby victory since 2016 and could prove to be a turning point for this side. Although defending was seen as an area in need of reinforcements, it’s actually been one of their strongest traits so far, conceding just one goal in four Serie A outings.
Roma will be without two regulars in their backline, with Chris Smalling missing due to a knee injury and Gianluca Mancini testing positive for coronavirus. Nevertheless, Paolo Fonseca’s men have put together a splendid string of results, going unbeaten in their last four matches after losing their season opener to Hellas Verona.
4. Borussia Dortmund VS Schalke 04,
24th October, 10 PM IST.
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