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The Euro Preview: Barcelona, Dortmund and Napoli look to extend leads

By Clemente Lisi

Christian Pulisic of Borussia Dortmundduring Champion League Group H match between Tottenham Hotspur against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley stadium, London, UK on 13 Sepember 2017. Tottenham won the game 3-1. (Photo by Kieran Galvin/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Christian Pulisic of Borussia Dortmundduring Champion League Group H match between Tottenham Hotspur against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley stadium, London, UK on 13 Sepember 2017. Tottenham won the game 3-1. (Photo by Kieran Galvin/NurPhoto via Getty Images) /
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It may be just two months into the season, but Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund and Napoli are starting to break away from the pack and will need big wins this weekend to extend those leads.

La Liga

The league was punctuated by controversy just before the international break for World Cup qualifying when politics and sports intersected in Spain regarding a referendum on independence for the region of Catalonia. Tensions reached an all-time high two weeks ago when Barcelona remained in sole command of first after defeating Las Palmas 3-0 at home in an empty stadium. The match was nearly canceled, but ordered to be played with no fans, a surreal environment that mirrored the political climate in Catalonia. 

With seven wins in as many games, it’s Barca who have set the pace in La Liga this season from the very first day. Add to that Real Madrid’s sluggish start and you have a seemingly insurmountable seven-point gap between the rivals. Real Madrid, the defending champions, look more focused on winning a third straight Champions League than they do on capturing a league title. Instead, it appears Sevilla, Valencia and Atletico Madrid (in second, third and fourth, respectively) are the teams in better shape to challenge for the title. However, even Sevilla are five points behind Barcelona in a title race that could be over by Christmas at this rate. 

The league resumes with matchday 8 this weekend featuring several high-profile games. The top of the list is Atletico Madrid hosting Barcelona on Saturday at the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano. The club coached by Diego Simeone could very well take all three points from this match on their home ground with a capacity crowd of 68,000 expected to attend. A league title conquered in 2014 and qualification to the Champions League every year since then makes Atletico a legit title contender. There’s even talk in the Atletico dressing room that the club can win their first Champions League this season.

Barcelona, with their lineup of superstars, do have some problems. Luis Suarez has been out of form and Ousmane Dembele is out for the rest of the year. That leaves the team’s hopes on Lionel Messi, who will be pumped up after his hat-trick got Argentina to the World Cup with a 3-1 win against Ecuador.

Bundesliga

The situation in Germany is analogous to Spain, where Borussia Dortmund have taken a five-point lead atop the table over scandal-plagued Bayern Munich, who are currently in second place. Nonetheless, Dortmund have been playing well the past few weeks. They will need to maintain that form if they hopes to defeat RB Leipzig at home this Saturday in what should be an epic encounter. Leipzig are in third place with 13 points. This will be a true test for budding American star Christian Pulisic and his teammates and another opportunity to show they are truly title contenders.

On Saturday, Bayern play host to Freiburg, who are currently 15th in the standings with just seven points. After getting rid of Carlo Ancelotti following a dressing room revolt, Bayern are now coached by Jupp Heynckes. The aim for Heynckes, now in his fourth spell at Bayern, is to restore some of the pride and winning mentality that helped the team capture the title last season.

Heynckes’ return to the Allianz Arena is a stabilizing force, but could ultimately have little impact on what happens on the field. Nonetheless, the Bavarian club should not face much of a challenge in Freiburg, a team that have never won at the Allianz Arena.

“It wasn’t my dream to return to coaching,” Heynckes told reporters during his first news conference on Oct. 9. “I like to keep myself to myself. I don’t necessarily enjoy the limelight … I still had to think about accepting the job. I wanted to help.”

Next: Man City use full-backs and movement to replace Aguero

Serie A

This will be the biggest matchday in Italy to date, highlighted by three make-or-break clashes that could have a major impact on the top of the table. Napoli, currently in first place, have a two-point lead over defending champions Juventus. This after the Old Lady, led by Paulo Dybala, tied Atalanta 2-2 (following more controversy regarding the use of VAR) and Napoli remained a perfect 7-0.

Saturday will see both Napoli and Juve in action. Juventus host Lazio and Napoli travel to Rome to take on Roma. This second game will bring together two of the league’s top scorers, as Dries Mertens leads the Napoli attack against Roma and Edin Dzeko. Both strikers have scored seven goals this season. Both will be looking to win the Derby del Sole while also bolstering their personal tally. It’s a game that former Roma star Bruno Conti called “an important test for both teams.”

While the two clubs will be looking to grab all the points as they each try to inch closer to the top, the Milan derby takes place the following day as third-place Inter Milan play struggling AC Milan in a match that’s always full of drama and pride at the San Siro.

AC Milan, after dropping to seventh place following three defeats, will need to grab a win if they hope to salvage their season. Another defeat could very well spell doom for its coach Vincenzo Montella.

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