The Euro Preview: Real-Barca and Juve-Roma light up pre-Christmas schedule
As Christmas nears, fans couldn’t have asked for a better gift: the El Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona.
La Liga
This is it. It’s the weekend where two of the greatest club teams on the planet, Barcelona and Real Madrid, play each other in a game that could very well end Zinedine Zidane’s title hopes. That statement isn’t an exaggeration. While Real got the better of Barca this summer in the Spanish Super Cup, the Catalan giants have only gotten better since that defeat, while Los Blancos have fallen on some difficult times in La Liga.
Ernesto Valverde’s side are currently six points clear at the top of the table, while Real have slipped to fourth, a whopping 11 points behind Barcelona with a game in hand. Second-place Atletico Madrid and third-place Valencia are the two teams that fill the large gap that has formed between Barcelona and Real Madrid. Should Barca win this Saturday, Real’s title hopes will certainly come to a premature end.
While Barcelona are clearly having the better season, Real will be at home before a sellout crowd at the famed Santiago Bernabeu. They’re also coming off this past Saturday’s victory against Gremio of Brazil to win the FIFA Club World Cup, their fifth title of the year. Cristiano Ronaldo is in great form and will be looking to show the world why he, and not Lionel Messi, is the best player on the planet.
“It’s always a special game,” Messi said when asked about the upcoming match. “It would be an important win for what it means. Real Madrid, their stadium … winning is an important advantage. There would still be a lot of league games left but it would be nice to be able to end the year with a victory and spend a happy Christmas.”
Serie A
The three-team title race in Italy remains tight as first-place Napoli host Sampdoria on Saturday, while third-place Inter Milan, who trail Napoli by two points, travel to Sassuolo. However, it’s the Juventus-Roma match that will have the world watching. Juventus are just a point behind Napoli.
The defending champions will host Roma in Turin already knowing the result of both Napoli and Inter’s games. There’s a real chance, given the outcome of these three games, that Juve will take control of first. Before any of that can happen, Juventus have to defeat a Roma team that’s fourth, and has ambitions of getting into the Scudetto race. The Bianconeri are coming off a 3-0 victory over Bologna, but are missing a number of key players through injuries.
A win by the Giallorossi, coupled by an Inter loss, could catapult the Roman side into second place with a game in hand. The reality is that new manager Eusebio Di Francesco’s command of the team has gone a long way the past few months in helping the Giallorossi stay competitive despite losing several key players from last season.
The Juve-Roma clash also comes as the defending Serie A champions are trying to wrangle away Emerson Palmieri from the Italian capitol. The rumors were all the buzz over the past few days as the January transfer season officially opens after the holidays. While the Brazilian left back has also been linked to Chelsea, Juventus are looking to strengthen its defense as talk of Alex Sandro’s departure intensify.
Next: Bundesliga midseason report
Scottish Premiership
While some of Europe’s major leagues (such as the Bundesliga) are on winter break, the Scottish Premiership plays through Christmas. The usual suspects are at the top, but there’s one pleasant surprise. Matchday 20 will feature first-place Celtic taking on second-place Aberdeen (there’s the surprise) in what will be one of the biggest games of the season. Aberdeen have won their last three matches, surpassing Rangers (the other title favorites), and head into Saturday’s clash at Celtic Park in need of another three points in order to keep pace with Celtic.
Aberdeen chairman Stewart Milne said his club are hoping to keep the pressure on the league champions “right to the end.”
“We’re over halfway through the season and we’re right on their tails,” he told STV. “We’ve got to make sure we focus on our own games and results for the rest of the season and I think if we do that effectively we’ll hopefully keep that pressure on right to the end.”
The Glasgow-based club, meanwhile, are bulking up their roster after acquiring German defender Marvin Compper from RB Leipzig. Celtic coach Brendan Rodgers has spent much of the fall looking for a top defender as the team try to win a seventh straight title this season. Rhe Bhoys are led offensively by Scott Sinclair and James Forrest. The duo form one of the most lethal attacking partnerships in Europe and could ultimately be what helps Celtic win the title yet again.