5 games to watch: 22-24 September 23

As this weekly feature shows, there are always great football matches to follow every weekend. However, sometimes you get standout weekends where lots of big games come at once and this unquestionably one of those.

Here's Mike Demesmaeker to run you through 5 big matches that you should be following this weekend on Superbru Football.



It’s the Côte d’Azur Derby this evening as 1st takes on 3rd in a game that also sees Ligue 1's best defence visit the best attack. Monaco will be looking for revenge given Nice’s 0-3 victory at the Stade Louis II last season, and with 15 goals so far in this campaign, Adolf Hutter's table-topping side pose a significant threat.

Nice have shown themselves to be more than capable defensively so far this season though, and Francesco Farioli’s team will feel that they are more than up for this challenge following their recent victory at Paris Saint-Germain. Personally, I think Monaco will prove to be a bit too much with Takumi Minamino and Wissam Ben Yedder among the standout threats. My prediction: 2-1. Friday: 20:00 KO (UK)



We’re still in the early stages of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign, but it hasn’t been the best of starts for either of these teams. Vincent Kompany's Burnley remain in search of their first win having only been able to put a single point on the board up to this point, while Manchester United are already well adrift of those in the top four with more defeats than victories so far.

Burnley’s home form this season has left a lot to be desired with three defeats in three, but they may view Saturday's game as a big opportunity to get their first win given United's struggles and the fact that the Red Devils played in midweek in the Champions League where they suffered a 4-3 defeat away to Bayern. That said, Man Utd could still take some positives away from that game as they pushed the German champions right to the end. With Rasmus Højlund wanting to prove his worth and turn Man Utd's fortunes around, I think they can pick up three points this weekend against a side currently sitting in 19th place. My prediction: Burnley 1-3 Man Utd Saturday: 20:00 KO (UK)



The first North London derby of the season takes place at the Emirates Stadium this weekend and with both teams currently sitting inside the top 4, it should be quite a spectacle. Both Arsenal and Tottenham are still unbeaten in this season's Premier League and, under new manager Ange Postecoglou, Spurs look as if the sky is the limit at the moment to be honest and they don’t seem to be suffering any sides effects settling into life without Harry Kane.

Arsenal are of course also in high spirts under Mikel Arteta though, returning to the Champions League for the first time in six years with a 4-0 win over PSV on Wednesday. Its going to be a battle of the midfields as James Maddison will come face-to-face with Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, and in my opinion it's one of those two players holding the key to deciding who gets the North London bragging rights. Spurs fans will be hoping for their first win at the Emirates since 2010! My prediction: 2-2. Sunday: 14:00 KO (UK)



Next up on this incredible weekend of football we have Le Classique as PSG host Marseille. Yet again, there will be no visiting OM fans at this match due to previous incidents with their travelling support, so it will be interesting to see if Marseille can get a result despite both that and the chaos they're currently dealing with as a club.

A quick glance at the standings shows that undefeated Marseille are in fourth place and a point above PSG in fifth, yet it also feels as if the club is in crisis following the shock departure of manager Marcelino earlier this week who only joined OM this past summer. Marcelino’s departure reportedly came after a tense board meeting between supporters’ groups and the clubs’ directors on the eve of their Europa League clash with Ajax which they drew 3-3 in Amsterdam with Jacques Abardonado in charge temporarily.

PSG haven’t had it all their own way in the opening stages of this season either as their 3-2 league defeat to Nice last weekend shows, however, a solid victory in the Champions League against Dortmund in which they looked very good could be the turning point that gets them back to the kind of domestic form we've come to expect, starting with victory against Marseille here. Mbappe and co. will likely be able to take advantage of the ongoing turmoil within the Marseille camp, though ex Arsenal and Barcelona striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang continues to look dangerous for OM. My prediction: PSG 2-1 Marseille. Sunday: 19:45 KO (UK)



Finally, we have the Madrid derby where talk of the town is still the new kid on the block, Jude Bellingham. It's not easy to exceed expectations when you've been signed for around €100 million, yet Bellingham has done that with his consistent goals as Real are sitting with 6 wins from 6 games in all competitions. Bellingham has scored in all but one of his appearances for Madrid. The 20-year-old Englishman will now face his first derby on Sunday.

Atleti are already eight points behind leaders Real in 7th, knowing full well that a Real Madrid victory here will open a gap that could already prove difficult to close. Diego Simeone’s team was flying high after thumping Rayo Vallecano 0-7 away last month, but since returning from the international break, they've slumped to a 3-0 loss at Valencia and a 1-1 draw away at Lazio in the Champions League.

Atleti are hopeful that forward Memphis Depay and midfielder Koke could be back from injury in time for the game, whereas Vinicius Jr remains sidelined for Real, but I think an away win is on the cards here. My prediction: 0-2. Sunday: 20:00 KO (UK)

Which games are you most looking forward to this week?