5 games to watch: Chelsea vs. Manchester City headline a stacked weekend

Here are five of the best matches around Europe this weekend, including a clash at the top of the Premier League table between Chelsea and Manchester City.

With the domestic season nearing its halfway point, title races around Europe are taking shape. The Premier League and La Liga races look like they’ll go down to the wire, while the races for top four spots in the Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1 are extremely tight. The top four races across Europe could look very different after the weekend with several derbies and games between top teams.

5. Atletico Madrid vs. Alaves — Saturday, Dec. 8, 7 a.m. ET (BeIN Sports)

Honorable mention: Espanyol vs. Barcelona – Saturday, Dec. 8, 2:45 p.m. ET (BeIN Sports)

Alaves have been the most surprising team in La Liga this season. Six years ago, they were playing in the third tier of the Spanish pyramid. This season, they’re fourth in La Liga, ahead of Real Madrid. On Saturday, Alaves look to continue their hot start to the season against Atletico Madrid, who are third in the table. Atletico are looking to move into first with a victory on Saturday.

First-place Barcelona play Espanyol in the Barcelona derby on Saturday. While Barcelona have dominated the rivalry, strange things can happen in derbies. Espanyol have had a strong start to the season and sit seventh in the table. With Barcelona struggling over their last couple of games, Espanyol could pick up their first La Liga win against Barcelona since 2009.

4. AC Milan vs. Torino — Sunday, Dec. 9, 2:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

The title race in Serie A already looks like it’s over, with Juventus holding an eight-point lead. The race for a top-four spot in Serie A, however, looks like it will be very tight. On an almost weekly basis, AC Milan and Lazio swap places in the table. Milan will look to remain in fourth place with a win against Torino on Sunday. Gennaro Gattuso’s team have picked up 10 points over their last five games, but Torino shouldn’t be overlooked. They have only lost one of their last nine games, picking up 16 points over that stretch. Torino have moved from the middle of the table to sixth and will look to keep climbing.

3. Schalke vs. Borussia Dortmund — Saturday, Dec. 8, 9:30 a.m. ET (FS1)

The Revierderby between Schalke and Borussia Dortmund might be the biggest regional derby in the Bundesliga. The two clubs played one of the most entertaining games of last season. Dortmund scored four goals in the first 25 minutes but allowed Schalke to score four of their own in the final half hour to steal a point. Schalke won the most recent game against Dortmund, who haven’t beaten the Royal Blues since the beginning of the 2015-16 season.

While Schalke got the best of Dortmund last season, a lot has changed in a year. Dortmund are first in the Bundesliga and unbeaten with 33 points. Marco Reus and Paco Alcacer have combined for 19 goals, five more than the entire Schalke team have scored this season. The Royal Blues finished second last year but after losing their first five games of the season, Schalke are 12th. However, a win over their rivals would help make up for the poor start and help them inch closer to a spot in the top half of the table.

2. Juventus vs. Inter Milan — Friday, Dec. 7, 2:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2)

The two most successful clubs in Italy are Juventus and Inter Milan. Juventus have won 34 Serie A titles, almost twice as many as Inter, who have won 18 times. On Friday, Juventus host Inter in the Derby d’Italia. Juventus enter the weekend with an eight-point lead on Napoli and 11-point lead on Inter. The summer addition of Cristiano Ronaldo is immediately paying off. Juventus are unbeaten in Serie A, winning 13 of 14 games, with Ronaldo scoring a Serie A best 10 goals.

Inter will try to close the gap on Juventus Friday, behind the strong play of Mauro Icardi, who has scored eight goals in his last seven Serie A games. While Icardi has been on fire, Inter have slipped up lately. After winning six straight games, Luciano Spalletti’s team have picked up only four points in their last three games.

1. Chelsea vs. Manchester City — Saturday, Dec. 8, 12:30 p.m. ET (NBC)

Manchester City continued their undefeated start to the season by beating Watford 2-1 in a midweek game. Chelsea lost their second game of the season on Wednesday, 2-1 against Wolves. The loss dropped the Blues to fourth and 10 points back of City. Chelsea will look to hand City their first loss of the season at Stamford Bridge. If the Blues are going to beat the Citizens, they will need a better performance from Alvaro Morata, who has been very poor over the last few games.

After 15 games, City look unbeatable. Pep Guardiola’s team display almost no weaknesses as they effortlessly pick opposing teams apart. City have scored an incredible 45 goals this season, while only conceding seven times. Part of what makes City so good is their depth. Guardiola was able to rotate the majority of his squad for Tuesday’s game against Watford and keep key players such as Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling fresh for Saturday’s game. With the Citizens playing even better than they did last season when they easily won the title, it’s fair to wonder if they can go the whole season unbeaten.