The weekend football is expected to show classes from different clubs. Some clubs hope to continue from their UEFA standout, while others hope to work around their weaknesses.
Four games for the weekend
Aston Villa vs Manchester United: Under-Fire Ten Hag seeks redemption at Villa Park
Sunday’s Premier League clash between Aston Villa and Manchester United pits two teams with contrasting fortunes against each other. Villa, buoyed by their stunning 1-0 Champions League victory over Bayern Munich, courtesy of John Duran’s winner, welcome a crisis-ridden United side struggling to find form.
Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United limped to a 1-1 draw against Porto in the Europa League on Thursday, courtesy of a late equalizer. The result has heaped pressure on the Dutch manager, whose tactics and team selections have faced intense scrutiny.
Ten Hag’s decision to substitute Lisandro Martinez and Mattias De Ligt against Porto raised eyebrows, particularly given De Ligt’s struggles against the Portuguese side’s attackers. The manager needs help deciding whether to start the pair against Villa.
History offers little comfort for United, with Aston Villa securing two victories in their last 10 Premier League encounters. However, Ten Hag will likely emphasise this statistic to motivate his team.
Injury concerns surround Kobbie Mainoo and Mason Mount, potentially ruling them out of the contest. Meanwhile, Unai Emery must find suitable replacements for the suspended Amadou Onana and injured duo Leon Bailey and Jacob Ramsey
The match takes on added significance, as a defeat could intensify speculation surrounding Ten Hag’s future. Will INEOS, United’s ownership group, stand firm behind their manager, hoping the upcoming international break will provide a much-needed reset, or will they consider drastic action?
OGC Nice vs Paris Saint-Germain
A standout game in Ligue 1 at the Allianz Riviera as Franck Haise’s Nice welcome league champions Paris Saint-Germain.
The home team has had an inconsistent start, picking up two wins, two draws, and two defeats so far in the league. They also had a disappointing loss to Lazio by four goals to one in the UEFA Europa League.
However, PSG are also coming into the contest on the back of their first loss, a 2-0 defeat to Arsenal in the Champions League.
Despite the strong start in the league, Luis Enrique’s side has been shaky ever since the September international break. They remain top-of-the-table on goal difference ahead of this fixture and are the favourites to win.
Eintracht Frankfurt vs Bayern Munich
An exciting game in the Bundesliga as Bayern Munich looks to bounce back from a shock defeat at Aston Villa in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Before the loss, Bayern had enjoyed a superb start to the season under new boss Vinny Kompany. The Bavarians won six in a row, scoring 29 goals, including a stunning 9:2 win against Dinamo Zagreb.
However, they drew their last League game against champions Leverkusen. They would hope to return to winning ways against Eintracht, taking their revenge for last season´s stunning 5:1 defeat.
Eintracht came into Sunday’s contest with a 3:1 win in the Europa League against Besiktas on Thursday. The hosts have been in great form, winning five with one draw in their past six fixtures.
Inter Milan vs Torino
League champions, Inter Milan will be vying to close the gap on league leaders Napoli as they host Torino at San Siro.
Simone Inzaghi’s Inter bounced back from three winless games, including the goalless draw away at Manchester City and the home loss to AC Milan. They defeated Udinese and then thumped Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League.
With Napoli winning against Como, the pressure is on Inzaghi’s men to stay close to Antonio Conte’s men in the standings.
Inzaghi will aim to get another win as they welcome Torino, who have been Seria A’s surprise team this season as they sit at the European spot at the moment.
Paolo Vanoli’s Torino has had an impressive start to life as they topped the league table a few weeks earlier. They are currently stationed just below Inter Milan in fifth, with the current champions only ahead on goal difference.
Real Madrid vs Villarreal
Real Madrid host Villarreal in La Liga with Los Blancos aiming to bounce back from the shock 1-0 defeat to Lille and close the gap on bitter rivals Barcelona.
Despite the loss, the La Liga and European champions remain unbeaten in the league and would hope to maintain that feat against Villarreal.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side are however weak on the attack this season and have failed on to score in the first half on several occasions.
Ancelotti have however urged his boys to look away from the disappointing loss and find their rhythm back, especially on their attacking.
Villarreal is expected to pose a tough challenge against Madrid. They currently sit third in the table and just a point off Los Blancos, having won five of their opening eight La Liga matches, with only Barca scoring more than them.
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