The Euro Preview: Real Madrid, Bayern and Juve play catch up
Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Juventus are keen on trying to make up lost ground in the fight for first place in their respective leagues.
La Liga
After another mid-week slog of Champions League games, the Spanish first division kicks into high gear again with Real Madrid not giving up on the title race just yet. Real, after faltering on Tuesday at home in the Champions League and only getting a draw against a gritty Tottenham, will refocus its efforts on La Liga this weekend. Real, currently in third with 17 points, will look to overtake second-place Valencia.
Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo need to get back to scoring goals (and finishing the type of chances it created versus Spurs) if the team hope to make up ground against a Barcelona side that remains in first place after a solid start. The defending Champions League and Liga champions host Eibar, struggling in the bottom half of the table, on Sunday at the Santiago Bernabeu. Valencia, led by Simone Zazza’s seven goals, have the more difficult match Saturday when it plays at home against fifth-place Sevilla.
Barcelona, coming off a 3-1 victory against Olympiakos on Wednesday in the Champions League, are also at home Saturday, playing at the Camp Nou against Malaga, who is in last place with just a point after eight games. Barcelona have scored 24 goals this season, more than any other team in the league, and Lionel Messi, who leads La Liga with 11 goals, will be looking to boost his personal tally.
Barca coach Ernesto Valverde has been doing something right with his lineups this season. It’s a feeling the players have echoed this week when goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen said: “Our manager has a different point of view and we have to support him. We have to assure him that we understand his concepts because he has new, different ideas.
In the same interview with Uefa.com, ter Stegen added: “He’s also introducing more options to our game, which makes you become an even better player because you’re learning new things. Our job is to put these changes into action and I have to say that we’ve done quite well until now.”
Bundesliga
While Borussia Dortmund’s draw on Tuesday against Apoel Nicosia of Cyprus left it winless in the Champions League, the team will need to regroup if it wants to stop Bayern Munich from making up ground this weekend in the Bundesliga.
Bayern is just two points behind Dortmund’s league-leading 19 and will be looking to take over first place with a favorable matchday 9 opponent. Dortmund faces Eintracht in Frankfurt on Saturday, while Bayern travel to Hamburger SV the same day. The defending league champions the easier game on paper: Eintracht is currently in seventh place, while Hamburger is a lowly 15th. Bayern Munich is also on high since thrashing Celtic 3-0 on Wednesday in the Champions League.
Borussia Dortmund captain Marcel Schmelzer described his team’s second-half performance away to Apoel as “wild,” but also disappointing. The team is aware that it is something that can’t spill over into the German top flight.
“We did not exude calmness but headlessly ran forward on all positions,” Schmelzer told Sky Sports after the game. “This mustn’t happen … We have to be more patient and act with more calm and secure our attacks better.”
Next: Premier League winners and losers: Arsenal provide more schadenfreude
Serie A
Napoli, also struggling in the Champions League following its hard-fought 2-1 road defeat at Manchester City, have opened up a five-point lead over holders Juventus after the Old Lady played to two straight draws.
The defending Italian champions play at Udinese, a tricky encounter, while Napoli host in-form Inter Milan, who is currently second, the previous night at the always-intimidating Stadio San Paolo. Napoli, with its league-leading 24 points, have the tougher game. While it has a five-point lead over Juve, Inter Milan is just two points behind them after downing city rivals AC Milan in last Sunday’s intense derby.
The team coached by Maurizio Sarri isn’t to drop points at home. Undefeated this season, Napoli is a team (along with Man City and PSG) that are playing the best soccer in Europe. The tactics employed by Sarri have been revolutionary and brought out the best in players once considered second-tier in Europe. No one thinks that of Belgian international Dries Mertens and Marek Hamsik. Even in defeat at Manchester, Napoli proved to be a tough team and garnered praise for its performance.
Juve, losers to Lazio in the Italian Super Cup this past summer and in the league last Saturday, need to get the Argentine duo of Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain focused on converting again and closing out matches. It’s defense, once considered one of the best in Europe and what got them to the Champions League final last season, has conceded seven goals in eight games. While that doesn’t seem far from the mark of successful past seasons, the inability to put games away earlier has made this side vulnerable to defeat. Udinese could very well exploit this newfound weakness in Juve’s backline and offense. Juventus need to play catch up this weekend. Its 2-1 comeback win on Wednesday against Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League was a great sign of character.
However, Juve will need to impose their game with a sense of urgency and somehow shore up defensive frailties that were on display once again midweek. Another loss in Serie A would certainly plunge them into a state of chaos and almost guarantee Italy would have a new champion by season’s end.