After another midweek of thrilling football matches across Europe, the weekend promises to offer more excitement and drama. Here are Things to look out for in European football this weekend, including the Turin derby and Granada’s astonishing start to La Liga. Bet on football here.
Turin Derby
Torino host Serie A champions Juventus for the 199th Derby Della Mole in what promises to be an entertaining and fiery encounter between these two city rivals. Torino are in bad form but Juventus just seem to be winning no matter what the circumstances. The last time these two met Torino were on their way to a famous away victory but Cristiano Ronaldo equalised for the Bianconeri six minutes from time. The timing of the match was a poignant reminder of the tragedy that wiped out the probably the greatest team in the history of Italian football. Since then, Torino have won the league only once since, in 1975/76, the seventh title in the club’s history. Success has been hard to come by for Torino but against their greatest ever rivals, it will just be another football match. Can they get the win this time?
Derby del Sole: AS Roma v Napoli
AS Roma go head to head Napoli on Saturday as they renew their rivalry in the Derby del Sole. The derby has lost its importance due to both teams not competing for the title and always playing second fiddle to the dominant Juventus. However, this rivalry reached its peak in the 1980s when Diego Maradona and Roma’s Roberto Pruzzo were at the height of their powers. Therefore, a grudge exists between these two. This season, both have started their respective campaigns poorly. With Inter Milan and Juventus set to battle for the Scudetto this year, these two rivals will have to fight it out for the Champions League places. But who will carry the day in Rome on Saturday?
Wolfsburg’s unbeaten run to continue?
Wolfsburg maintained their unbeaten start to the season following a 0-0 draw Augsburg on Sunday, although they should’ve won the match given they outplayed their opponents. They are still the only unbeaten team in the Bundesliga but have now drawn more games (five) than they have won (four). They visit Borussia Dortmund on Saturday hoping to continue with their decent start to the season. The hosts have not been in their best form but are still a very talented and capable team. Wolfsburg have already taken a point away against RB Leipzig which is evidence that they are not afraid in big occasions against top teams.
Robert Lewandowski and Wissam Ben Yedder’s goalscoring form
Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski became the first player in Bundesliga history to score in the opening nine games of a campaign. Newcomers Union Berlin became his latest victim as he surpassed the eight-match mark set by former Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the 2015/16 season. Bayern visit Eintracht Frankfurt, against whom that the Poland international has nine goals in 14 appearances.
Twenty-nine-year-old French striker Wissam Ben Yedder has been a revelation since moving to Monaco from Sevilla in the summer. He has scored nine goals in nine Ligue 1 games which also helped his team get out of a rut which saw them occupy the relegation positions early in the season. Can he make it ten in ten this weekend?
Granada’s form
La Liga newcomers Granada shocked Spanish football by topping the table after ten games. This was the first time Granada were top of the table in almost half a century. The 1-0 home win over Real Betis on Sunday took the Andalusian side to 20 points from their first ten games which is more than they managed all season in their previous La Liga campaign. This weekend they are at home against Real Sociedad. Taking into account they’ve won their last four home matches and conceded zero goals, and beaten champions Barcelona, getting a win shouldn’t be difficult. They were beaten 3-1 by Getafe in the midweek fixtures but are still third with 20 points, behind giants Barcelona and Real Madrid. Diego Martinez’s side are definitely punching above their weight and considering their squad in only worth seven Euros, that is remarkable.