5 games to watch: All eyes on El Clasico

Here are five of the best matches in Europe this weekend, headlined by Barcelona hosting Real Madrid in El Clasico.

Europe’s top leagues are offer marque matchups between top clubs this weekend. The best of the weekend comes from La Liga, with El Clasico between Barcelona and Real Madrid. While La Liga has the top game, Serie A might offer the best schedule. The Italian top league offers two games featuring teams that finished in the top five last season. Ligue 1 also offers its biggest rivalry as Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille play in Le Classique. In Germany, one of Europe’s hottest teams, Borussia Dortmund play Hertha Berlin, who have got off to a good start in the Bundesliga. Not to be outdone, the Premier League offers a top-five matchup between first place Manchester City and fifth-place Tottenham.

5. Marseille vs. Paris Saint-Germain — Sunday, Oct. 28, 4 p.m. ET (BeIN Sports)

Le Classique is considered the biggest rivalry in Ligue 1 between Marseille and Paris Saint-Germain. The rivalry features the two biggest cities in France and a battle between the north and south. Unfortunately, the rivalry often turns violent between the two fanbases, forcing both teams to increase security at the stadium. PSG are again first in Ligue 1, winning all 10 of their games, while Marseille are fourth with 19 points. Historically, Marseille have won more Ligue 1 games but PSG hold more victories in all competitions against Marseille. However, the rivalry has been very one-sided since PSG was brought by a foreign owner. PSG are unbeaten in their last 13 games against Marseille, whose last win came on Nov. 27, 2011.

4. Borussia Dortmund vs. Hertha Berlin — Saturday, Oct. 27, 9:30 a.m. ET (FOX Soccer Match Pass)

Borussia Dortmund beat Atletico Madrid 4-0 on Wednesday in Champions League action. The win was Dortmund’s fifth in a row and fifth straight game that they scored at least four goals. To make Dortmund’s win against Atletico even more impressive, they did it without Paco Alcacer, who leads the Bundesliga with seven goals in only 126 minutes. On Saturday, Dortmund host Hertha Berlin, who are sixth in the Bundesliga with 15 points, and have lost only one game this season. Ondrej Duda has had a breakout season for Berlin, scoring six goals this season.

3. Tottenham vs. Manchester City — Monday, Oct. 29, 4:00 p.m. ET (NBCSN)

Only two points separate first place Manchester City and fifth-place Tottenham. With the race atop the Premier League table so tight, Monday’s game between the two clubs at Wembley could flip the standings. City are tied with Liverpool for first in the Premier League. Tottenham are tied with Chelsea and Arsenal with 21 points. City are the top scoring team in the Premier League, scoring 26 goals. The Citizens attack should be even more dynamic with Kevin De Bruyne back following a knee injury. While Tottenham are one of the best defensive sides and have kept a clean sheet in three straight games. The two clubs have playing styles that should make for an entertaining game.

2. Lazio vs. Inter Milan — Monday, Oct. 29, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

Lazio and Inter Milan played the final weekend of last season, with the game determining which club would finish fourth and qualify for Champions League and which team would finish fifth and play in Europa League. This season, Inter are one point ahead of fourth place Lazio in a very tight Serie A top four. Both teams enter Monday’s game on Serie A winning streaks. Prior to losing in Champions League, Inter had won five straight Serie A to move into third place. Lazio have won six of seven games and have only lost to the teams that finished the top three last year.

One player to watch on Monday is Inter center-back Stefan de Vrij, who left Lazio in the summer and signed with Inter on a free transfer. The Rome crowd will not give de Vrij a warm reception. The Dutch center-back will likely be booed every time he touches the ball. De Vrij will also have the difficult task of marking Ciro Immobile, who leads Lazio with six goals.

Honorable mention: AC Milan vs. Sampdoria – Sunday, Oct. 29, 1:00 p.m. ET (ESPN) and Napoli vs. Roma – Sunday, Oct. 29, 3:30 p.m. ET (FS1)

There are two other intriguing games this weekend in Serie A. AC Milan host fifth-place Sampdoria, with Milan looking to climb up the table. Milan had their six-game unbeaten streak ended on a late Mauro Icardi goal in the Milan Derby. Sampdoria have conceded only four goals in their first nine games, helping them pick up 15 points.

Napoli and Roma finished second and third last season. This season, Napoli are again second but Roma have got off to a poor start and are seventh ahead of their game on Sunday. The Little Donkeys have seven wins in nine games behind the strong play of Lorenzo Insigne who has scored six goals. Roma have won three of their last four to move up the table after a terrible start to the season.

1. Barcelona vs. Real Madrid — Sunday, Oct. 28, 11:15 a.m. ET (BeIN Sports)

The biggest game in any European league is El Clasico. The rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid is arguably the biggest rivalry in any league. In the 87 La Liga seasons, Barcelona and Real Madrid have combined for 58 championships and have finished second 48 times. Needless to say, the two games played every season are a large factor in determining who wins the title. Barcelona enter the game four points ahead of Real Madrid and could open up a large lead on their rivals with a victory. While a win for Real would close the gap on Barca.

Sunday’s game took a hit after Lionel Messi suffered a broken arm in Barcelona’s 4-2 win against Sevilla. The win against Sevilla was Barcelona’s only win in the last five games. Barca have struggled over their last five games, picking up only six points. While Messi will miss the next three weeks, it should still make for a very entertaining game with Real Madrid struggling. Over their last seven La Liga games, Madrid have picked up only five points and have lost three of their last four. Another loss could be costly to Julen Lopeteguis job if Real lose to Barcelona.

On Wednesday, Barca defeated Inter 2-0 behind goals from Rafinha and Jordi Alba. Ernesto Valverde decided not to play Ousmane Dembele against Inter but the French winger figures to be one of the players that Barcelona count on while Messi is out. The Messi injury has overshadowed the knee injury that Samuel Umtiti suffered. Umtiti is unlikely to play against Real Madrid, leaving a hole in their defense.

Madrid also won in Champions League, beating Czech side Viktoria Plzen 2-1. Goals have been at a premium for Real lately. The club has scored only one goal in their last four La Liga games. Karim Benzema leads the club with four goals but Real are clearly missing Cristiano Ronaldo. Gareth Bale and Marco Asensio both need to pick up their play and start scoring goals.