This Weekend: Everything you need to know in 5 minutes
You can hear it can’t you? That familiar build, that crescendo, that chorus that makes you sing along like ‘THE CHAAAAAAAAAAAMPIONS‘ – that’s right, the UEFA Champions League is back, and will dominate the agenda over the coming days.
But wait, there is other important stuff going on too, so let us talk you through the weekend!
? Friday Night
Tonight we’ll see two of the final Champions League Round of 16 games left to be resolved from before the pandemic put a hold on the competition.
??????? Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City have waited 5 months to defend the 2-1 lead they earned in the first leg of their tie against Real Madrid. Since then, Zinedine Zidane has marshalled Madrid to the Spanish league title and their form has looked rather ominous. This game is poised!
?? And the same could be said for tonight’s other Champions League game in Turin, where newly crowned Serie A champions Juventus need to overturn a 1-0 deficit to Lyon if they want to progress to next week’s final tournament. The French club have only played one competitive game since lockdown, taking PSG to an eventual penalty shoot-out defeat in the Coupe de la Ligue Final last weekend.
?? Whilst UEFA’s premier competition runs to a conclusion over the next few weeks, a lot of domestic European leagues are actually just about to start their next season.
And in Bulgaria, they’ve come up with a crazy opening fixture.
? Saturday
?? There is a lot more to get excited about in the Champions League tomorrow, with perhaps the biggest game taking place at the Nou Camp.
Can Barcelona pull themselves together to get past Gennaro Gattuso’s spirited Napoli side? The 1st leg, way back in February ended in a cagy 1-1 draw but we’re hoping for more fireworks from Lionel Messi and co. in the return game.
?? Meanwhile, Chelsea fans will be dreaming of a miracle in Munich where their side take to the field 3-0 against the now double-winning Germans, Bayern. Stranger things have happened in this competition, especially in recent seasons so Frank Lampard won’t be throwing in the towel just yet.
?? Elsewhere, and believe it or not but next year’s Champions League will be getting underway in Switzerland – yes, right when we’re in the midst of all this season’s drama!
A 4-team mini-tournament, involving the league winners from Northern Ireland, Andorra, Kosovo and San Marino acts as the Preliminary round of qualifying, with the winning side moving through to the first round of qualifying proper.
?? In Japan, the J.League is now back in full swing and there will be a full fixture list to keep an eye on over the weekend. Leaders Kawasaki Frontale take on Oita Trinita whilst Andrés Iniesta’s inconsistent Vissel Kobe host Vegalta Sendai.
? Sunday
?? After a delay of about 3 months, one of South America’s biggest domestic leagues – the Brasileiro finally begins its 2020 season on Sunday.
Defending champions Flamengo start with a big game against fellow giants, Atlético Mineiro at what will be an empty Maracaña stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
??????? Rangers and Celtic both got off to winnings starts when the new Scottish Premiership season got underway last weekend but we’ll have to wait until Sunday to see if each side can build on that.
Rangers play St. Mirren at Ibrox whilst Celtic are on the road at Kilmarnock.
?? And Sunday is derby day in Stockholm where Djurgården and Hammarby meet at their shared home, the Tele2 Arena.
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