5 games to watch: 30 September 2023
As you may have noticed from the title, this week's '5 games to watch' is very Saturday focused rather than a broader look across the weekend because Saturday seems to have taken all the big matches, leaving Sunday relatively bare in comparison!
There's Barcelona vs. Sevilla this evening and Atalanta vs. Juve on Sunday, but here's Mike Demesmaeker to run you through 5 big matches on Saturday that you should be following this weekend on Superbru Football.
It’s always exciting when two recently relegated Premier League teams meet for the first time in the Championship the following season. It’s a case of mixed fortunes this time around as you have to go back to August 12th to find Leeds' only league defeat this season, unbeaten in 6 games since, while Southampton are winless in September, losing all 4 of their games while conceding 12 goals.
That means there's already severe pressure on Saints boss Russell Martin and Southampton will be looking to get their season back on track with a home win this weekend. Adam Armstrong and Che Adams have been regular goal threats this season and 15th-placed Saints are ultimately still within a win of 6th-placed Leeds so it's all to play for, but Leeds have kept 4 straight clean sheets and there’s been a different atmosphere around Daniel Farke's team since forward Joel Piroe has started linking up superbly with Georginio Rutter in attack. My prediction: Southampton 1-3 Leeds United. Saturday: 12:30 KO (UK)
We now start a run of 3 matches to watch in what is quite a 17:30 slot (UK time)! Real Madrid were handed their first defeat in LaLiga last weekend when they were beaten by rivals Atleti (they had enjoyed a perfect 5 wins from 5 prior to that as they look to take their title back from Barcelona), and though they have already bounced back from that defeat with a midweek win over Las Palmas, it will be fascinating to see how they do in this away game.
To the surprise of everyone, Girona are enjoying an incredible start to this LaLiga season! They are one of just two remaining team still unbeaten in LaLiga and have actually moved to the top of the league, one point clear of Real Madrid, following an impressive 1-2 win at Villarreal on Wednesday. After a draw with Real Sociedad on the opening weekend of the season, Girona have had six straight victories since and while their winning run may end, could they retain top spot this weekend? My prediction: Girona 1-1 Real Madrid. Saturday: 17:30 KO (UK)
The Red Bull arena takes centre stage in the Bundesliga this weekend with a 4th vs. 1st clash and only a point separating the two sides. The Red Bulls head into Saturday's showdown off the back of four consecutive Bundesliga victories. Not only have Leipzig netted 14 goals in five league games this season, they have also only conceded 4 times so far, meaning only Eintracht Frankfurt boast a better defensive record.
This is obviously a tough fixture though, and Bayern Munich will be bolstered by the current form of striker Harry Kane after the Bavarians hammered VfL Bochum 7-0 last weekend, with Kane netting his first hat-trick for the club to take his tally to eight goals in seven appearances this term. Bayern have taken 13 points from a possible 15 in the league while also starting strongly in both the Champions League and DFB-Pokal. Forward Serge Gnabry is a doubt for Saturday's clash after sustaining a suspected broken hand during the midweek cup win but I think Bayern will have too much regardless. My prediction: Leipzig 1-3 Bayern. Saturday: 17:30 KO (UK)
Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool will put their unbeaten Premier League streaks on the line in North London this weekend. New Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou hasn't had an easy start fixtures wise as Saturday will be only his seventh Premier League match in charge but come Sunday he’ll have already faced Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool. Despite this, Spurs are just 2 points behind Liverpool after 4 wins in 6, but this could be the toughest test yet considering Liverpool's excellent record in this fixture.
It's bound to be an incredibly exciting matchup considering the way these teams have attacked so far this season, but I make Liverpool slight favourites given Mo Salah's form. Salah has either scored or assisted in each of his last 12 PL appearances, including all 6 of Liverpool's games in 2023/24. My prediction: Tottenham 1-2 Liverpool. Saturday: 17:30 KO (UK)
The Basque derby is one of the biggest matches on the LaLiga calendar and this should be a great latest edition with Sociedad (6th) a couple of point behind Athletic Club (4th) going into the game and both teams have only been beaten once so far this season.
Home advantage is arguably slightly weakened by the fact that Sociedad also have Europe on their radar as manager Imanol will be slightly wary of his team's Champions League fixture against Salzburg in Austria on Tuesday, but this match means a great deal to both teams and Sociedad haven't lost a home meeting with Athletic Club since 2017.
The visitors' away form has been sound so far this season, as they're unbeaten in 3 including wins over Osasuna and Alaves, so this promises to be a very even derby with pride on the line. My prediction: Real Sociedad 1-0 Athletic ClubSaturday: 20:00 KO (UK)
Which games are you most looking forward to this week?
There's Barcelona vs. Sevilla this evening and Atalanta vs. Juve on Sunday, but here's Mike Demesmaeker to run you through 5 big matches on Saturday that you should be following this weekend on Superbru Football.
It’s always exciting when two recently relegated Premier League teams meet for the first time in the Championship the following season. It’s a case of mixed fortunes this time around as you have to go back to August 12th to find Leeds' only league defeat this season, unbeaten in 6 games since, while Southampton are winless in September, losing all 4 of their games while conceding 12 goals.
That means there's already severe pressure on Saints boss Russell Martin and Southampton will be looking to get their season back on track with a home win this weekend. Adam Armstrong and Che Adams have been regular goal threats this season and 15th-placed Saints are ultimately still within a win of 6th-placed Leeds so it's all to play for, but Leeds have kept 4 straight clean sheets and there’s been a different atmosphere around Daniel Farke's team since forward Joel Piroe has started linking up superbly with Georginio Rutter in attack. My prediction: Southampton 1-3 Leeds United. Saturday: 12:30 KO (UK)
We now start a run of 3 matches to watch in what is quite a 17:30 slot (UK time)! Real Madrid were handed their first defeat in LaLiga last weekend when they were beaten by rivals Atleti (they had enjoyed a perfect 5 wins from 5 prior to that as they look to take their title back from Barcelona), and though they have already bounced back from that defeat with a midweek win over Las Palmas, it will be fascinating to see how they do in this away game.
To the surprise of everyone, Girona are enjoying an incredible start to this LaLiga season! They are one of just two remaining team still unbeaten in LaLiga and have actually moved to the top of the league, one point clear of Real Madrid, following an impressive 1-2 win at Villarreal on Wednesday. After a draw with Real Sociedad on the opening weekend of the season, Girona have had six straight victories since and while their winning run may end, could they retain top spot this weekend? My prediction: Girona 1-1 Real Madrid. Saturday: 17:30 KO (UK)
The Red Bull arena takes centre stage in the Bundesliga this weekend with a 4th vs. 1st clash and only a point separating the two sides. The Red Bulls head into Saturday's showdown off the back of four consecutive Bundesliga victories. Not only have Leipzig netted 14 goals in five league games this season, they have also only conceded 4 times so far, meaning only Eintracht Frankfurt boast a better defensive record.
This is obviously a tough fixture though, and Bayern Munich will be bolstered by the current form of striker Harry Kane after the Bavarians hammered VfL Bochum 7-0 last weekend, with Kane netting his first hat-trick for the club to take his tally to eight goals in seven appearances this term. Bayern have taken 13 points from a possible 15 in the league while also starting strongly in both the Champions League and DFB-Pokal. Forward Serge Gnabry is a doubt for Saturday's clash after sustaining a suspected broken hand during the midweek cup win but I think Bayern will have too much regardless. My prediction: Leipzig 1-3 Bayern. Saturday: 17:30 KO (UK)
Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool will put their unbeaten Premier League streaks on the line in North London this weekend. New Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou hasn't had an easy start fixtures wise as Saturday will be only his seventh Premier League match in charge but come Sunday he’ll have already faced Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool. Despite this, Spurs are just 2 points behind Liverpool after 4 wins in 6, but this could be the toughest test yet considering Liverpool's excellent record in this fixture.
It's bound to be an incredibly exciting matchup considering the way these teams have attacked so far this season, but I make Liverpool slight favourites given Mo Salah's form. Salah has either scored or assisted in each of his last 12 PL appearances, including all 6 of Liverpool's games in 2023/24. My prediction: Tottenham 1-2 Liverpool. Saturday: 17:30 KO (UK)
The Basque derby is one of the biggest matches on the LaLiga calendar and this should be a great latest edition with Sociedad (6th) a couple of point behind Athletic Club (4th) going into the game and both teams have only been beaten once so far this season.
Home advantage is arguably slightly weakened by the fact that Sociedad also have Europe on their radar as manager Imanol will be slightly wary of his team's Champions League fixture against Salzburg in Austria on Tuesday, but this match means a great deal to both teams and Sociedad haven't lost a home meeting with Athletic Club since 2017.
The visitors' away form has been sound so far this season, as they're unbeaten in 3 including wins over Osasuna and Alaves, so this promises to be a very even derby with pride on the line. My prediction: Real Sociedad 1-0 Athletic ClubSaturday: 20:00 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.
