5 games to watch: 24-26 November 2023
With international breaks now sidelined for 4 months, we're entering the hectic winter period in European football and we start with quite a fixture list this weekend!
Here's Mike De Mesmaeker with his 5 most interesting matches that he feels you should keep an eye on while playing Superbru Football this weekend.
What a way to start the weekend. Straight back into it on Friday night after the international break and at 10pm SA time, it's top of the table PSG up against 3rd placed Monaco in Ligue 1 at the Parc des Princes.
The biggest talking point must be the injury that PSG captain Marquinhos picked up playing for Brazil over the weekend which means he looks set to miss this clash as well as the upcoming champions league tie with Newcastle. It will be a key factor that Monaco boss Adolf Hutter will want his side to take advantage of psychologically.
Teen sensation Warren Zaire-Emery is also a question mark after coming off with an injury during the 14-0 French demolition of Gibraltar during the international break, so Aleksandr Golovin and Wissam Ben Yedder will be looking for a repeat of the scoreline the last time these 2 sides met back in February where Monaco managed a 3-1 home win.
PSG are in great form though, winning each of their last 5 Ligue 1 games, and considering Monaco's patchy away form I think Paris will come out on top fairly comfortably. My Prediction: 2-0. Friday: 20:00 KO (UK)
If that first game to look out for wasn’t enough for you, 14:30 SA time on Saturday sees a mouth-watering Premier League encounter as this fixture was moved forward in to Saturday's early kick-off slot due to security concerns amongst fans.
It's impossible to forget the incredible 8-goal thriller at Stamford Bridge that we saw right before the international break and after taking us into the break with that stunning 4-4 draw against Chelsea, Manchester City welcome us back to the Premier League with this clash against a strong, well balanced Liverpool side.
As with all games this week, the teams sheets will be a bit of a guessing game, as up to 8 regulars between both sides could miss out due to various injuries and the potential fatigue of players involved in internationals, particularly those in South America given the travel time.
Erling Haaland is a slight doubt after rolling his ankle during Norway’s Euro qualifiers with De Bruyne and Ake more definite absentees, but with top of the table and bragging rights up for grabs, I think City have got enough in reserve to push this game to the very end. Liverpool's away form is a concern but they will stop at nothing to get a result that they want from this and in my opinion this one’s heading for a score draw. My Prediction: 2-2. Saturday: 12:30 KO (UK)
Its never great to find yourself rooted to the bottom of the table in any league, but unfortunately that’s where we find this weekend's home side, Union Berlin. With 6 points from their opening 11 games having had a dreadful run of 9 straight league defeats, they need something to change their fortunes and unfortunately that means they've parted ways with long-term coach Urs Fischer by mutual consent.
The man behind their magnificent rise to the Champions League from Bundesliga 2, Fischer is of course loved by Union fans and not many would have predicted things ending in this way, but ultimately a decision has had to be made with U19 coach Marco Grote taking temporary charge until a new head coach is found. It will be fascinating to see how things play out this weekend as a result.
Augsburg, on the other hand, have been playing consistent football, finding themselves in 10th, and morale will be high after a run of 5 straight unbeaten matches across all competitions with this now a great opportunity to take advantage of a team struggling and without a leader at the helm.
Augsburg should be able to pick up all 3 points as Union Berlin start the rebuilding process in my opinion but keep an eye on Union as they look to transition to a new chapter. My prediction: 1-3. Saturday: 14:30 KO (UK)
Let’s stick with the theme of managers in and out of positions, as Napoli have brought back head coach Walter Mazzarri in place of Rudi Garcia who only managed a few months in charge of last season's champions.
It's a tough job, as they already find themselves 10 points behind league leaders Inter, and the appointment of Mazzarri is arguably as strange as the decision to hire Garcia considering Mazzarri hasn't coached a great deal since the pandemic and his previous successful spell with Napoli with that iconic team featuring Edson Cavani, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Marek Hamsik was of course a long time ago now!
This is a very different type of challenge with expectations high as the reigning champions and despite having a star studded squad, it won't be easy in these first few games considering how well other teams in the league, particularly Inter, are playing. Atalanta sit just a point behind Napoli which means this is a great opportunity for them to move ahead and I think they could well take advantage of the imbalance brought about by the manager change.
I'm going for what will likely be seen as a slight upset on Superbru. My prediction: 2-1. Saturday: 17:00 KO (UK)
What a way to end yet another weekend filled with games to watch out for. 1st vs 2nd in Serie A in an absolutely massive Derby d'Italia encounter. A rivalry dating back decades purely because of the fantastic success each of these giants have had.
Juventus are scrambling to get a competitive side together however, with players like Pogba, Fagioli, Timothy Weah, Mattia De Sciglio, Locatelli and Danilo all missing or suspended. Head Coach Massimilliano Allegri is often criticised for his defensive approach, and as the home side Juve will need to find a plan to win this game rather than not lose it, but that's going to be difficult against an Inter side that looks to have returned from the internationals fairly unscathed in terms of injuries.
This fixture is always a heated affair, with no fewer than 5 red cards issued in the last three matches between these footballing giants, and the winner will take a huge leap, at least psychologically, towards the Serie A title.
Personally I reckon Juve are in some trouble squad wise and Inter should take this but only just. My prediction: 0-1. Sunday: 19:45 KO (UK)
Which games are you most looking forward to this week?
Here's Mike De Mesmaeker with his 5 most interesting matches that he feels you should keep an eye on while playing Superbru Football this weekend.
What a way to start the weekend. Straight back into it on Friday night after the international break and at 10pm SA time, it's top of the table PSG up against 3rd placed Monaco in Ligue 1 at the Parc des Princes.
The biggest talking point must be the injury that PSG captain Marquinhos picked up playing for Brazil over the weekend which means he looks set to miss this clash as well as the upcoming champions league tie with Newcastle. It will be a key factor that Monaco boss Adolf Hutter will want his side to take advantage of psychologically.
Teen sensation Warren Zaire-Emery is also a question mark after coming off with an injury during the 14-0 French demolition of Gibraltar during the international break, so Aleksandr Golovin and Wissam Ben Yedder will be looking for a repeat of the scoreline the last time these 2 sides met back in February where Monaco managed a 3-1 home win.
PSG are in great form though, winning each of their last 5 Ligue 1 games, and considering Monaco's patchy away form I think Paris will come out on top fairly comfortably. My Prediction: 2-0. Friday: 20:00 KO (UK)
If that first game to look out for wasn’t enough for you, 14:30 SA time on Saturday sees a mouth-watering Premier League encounter as this fixture was moved forward in to Saturday's early kick-off slot due to security concerns amongst fans.
It's impossible to forget the incredible 8-goal thriller at Stamford Bridge that we saw right before the international break and after taking us into the break with that stunning 4-4 draw against Chelsea, Manchester City welcome us back to the Premier League with this clash against a strong, well balanced Liverpool side.
As with all games this week, the teams sheets will be a bit of a guessing game, as up to 8 regulars between both sides could miss out due to various injuries and the potential fatigue of players involved in internationals, particularly those in South America given the travel time.
Erling Haaland is a slight doubt after rolling his ankle during Norway’s Euro qualifiers with De Bruyne and Ake more definite absentees, but with top of the table and bragging rights up for grabs, I think City have got enough in reserve to push this game to the very end. Liverpool's away form is a concern but they will stop at nothing to get a result that they want from this and in my opinion this one’s heading for a score draw. My Prediction: 2-2. Saturday: 12:30 KO (UK)
Its never great to find yourself rooted to the bottom of the table in any league, but unfortunately that’s where we find this weekend's home side, Union Berlin. With 6 points from their opening 11 games having had a dreadful run of 9 straight league defeats, they need something to change their fortunes and unfortunately that means they've parted ways with long-term coach Urs Fischer by mutual consent.
The man behind their magnificent rise to the Champions League from Bundesliga 2, Fischer is of course loved by Union fans and not many would have predicted things ending in this way, but ultimately a decision has had to be made with U19 coach Marco Grote taking temporary charge until a new head coach is found. It will be fascinating to see how things play out this weekend as a result.
Augsburg, on the other hand, have been playing consistent football, finding themselves in 10th, and morale will be high after a run of 5 straight unbeaten matches across all competitions with this now a great opportunity to take advantage of a team struggling and without a leader at the helm.
Augsburg should be able to pick up all 3 points as Union Berlin start the rebuilding process in my opinion but keep an eye on Union as they look to transition to a new chapter. My prediction: 1-3. Saturday: 14:30 KO (UK)
Let’s stick with the theme of managers in and out of positions, as Napoli have brought back head coach Walter Mazzarri in place of Rudi Garcia who only managed a few months in charge of last season's champions.
It's a tough job, as they already find themselves 10 points behind league leaders Inter, and the appointment of Mazzarri is arguably as strange as the decision to hire Garcia considering Mazzarri hasn't coached a great deal since the pandemic and his previous successful spell with Napoli with that iconic team featuring Edson Cavani, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Marek Hamsik was of course a long time ago now!
This is a very different type of challenge with expectations high as the reigning champions and despite having a star studded squad, it won't be easy in these first few games considering how well other teams in the league, particularly Inter, are playing. Atalanta sit just a point behind Napoli which means this is a great opportunity for them to move ahead and I think they could well take advantage of the imbalance brought about by the manager change.
I'm going for what will likely be seen as a slight upset on Superbru. My prediction: 2-1. Saturday: 17:00 KO (UK)
What a way to end yet another weekend filled with games to watch out for. 1st vs 2nd in Serie A in an absolutely massive Derby d'Italia encounter. A rivalry dating back decades purely because of the fantastic success each of these giants have had.
Juventus are scrambling to get a competitive side together however, with players like Pogba, Fagioli, Timothy Weah, Mattia De Sciglio, Locatelli and Danilo all missing or suspended. Head Coach Massimilliano Allegri is often criticised for his defensive approach, and as the home side Juve will need to find a plan to win this game rather than not lose it, but that's going to be difficult against an Inter side that looks to have returned from the internationals fairly unscathed in terms of injuries.
This fixture is always a heated affair, with no fewer than 5 red cards issued in the last three matches between these footballing giants, and the winner will take a huge leap, at least psychologically, towards the Serie A title.
Personally I reckon Juve are in some trouble squad wise and Inter should take this but only just. My prediction: 0-1. Sunday: 19:45 KO (UK)
Which games are you most looking forward to this week?
This article is part of a fresh regular feature on the brand new Superbru Football app, which is the best place to make your football predictions across all of the tournaments we cover. If you're yet to try out the new app, you can do so now by downloading it here.
Psg 3-1 monoco
Man city 0-2 Liverpool
Atlanta 1-3 napoli
Union Berlin v augsburg 1-2
Juventus 0-2 inter milan