FTS European Football Weekly: Seventh Edition

English Premier League

 

Liverpool vs. Everton on Sunday at 9.45pm AEST

 

This will be the 223rd instalment of the Merseyside derby with Liverpool having 89 wins to Everton’s 66 wins with 67 draws. Liverpool comes into the match on the back of a dismal 3-1 defeat at the Boleyn Ground to West Ham. The absence of key striker Daniel Sturridge who scored 24 goals in all competitions last year is of great concern to the misfiring Reds.

 

The negative atmosphere in Merseyside isn’t limited to Anfield with Everton also going through a rough patch with only one win in five games in the league. Goalkeeper Tim Howard has endured a torrid start to the season shipping in a league high of 13 goals. Failing to get a win in this match could see Roberto Martinez’s team fall into the relegation zone.

Prediction – Liverpool 4 Everton 2

 

Arsenal vs. Tottenham on Sunday at 2.30am AEST

 

The two north London clubs have met on 178 occasions with Arsenal holding the advantage with 77 wins to Spurs 54 wins with 47 draws. Along with Chelsea, Arsenal is the only side yet to experience defeat in the league. The Gunners are ranked third in the league for goals scored with 10 and a win on Sunday could move them into second on the table.

 

Tottenham’s last win in the league was a month ago when the dispatched a disjointed QPR 4-0. For a team with the creative talents of Christian Eriksen, Erik Lamela and Nacer Chadli they have only managed three goals in four games outside of the QPR match. If they can get all three points against Arsenal on Sunday they could move into the top four.

Prediction – Arsenal 2 Tottenham 0

 

Best of the Rest

 

• Hull City vs. Manchester City on Sunday at 12am AEST
• Manchester United vs. West Ham on Sunday at 12am AEST
• Chelsea vs. Aston Villa on Sunday at 12am AEST

 

Spanish La Liga

 

Villarreal vs. Real Madrid on Sunday at 12am AEST

 

Villarreal have started the season in a strong manner with only one defeat which was at the hands of Spanish giants Barcelona. Russian player maker Denis Cheryshev who is on loan from Real Madrid is expected to start and he has been the go to man for Villa having either scored or assisted in four of the teams seven goals this season. Depending on other results, an upset could move Villarreal into third place.

 

The Galacticos have taken some time to click but with 13 goals in their last two games Carlo Ancelotti’s troops look primed and ready to go on a run of victories. Talisman Cristiano Ronaldo has already netted nine goals, five more than anyone else in La Liga. Going forward, Real may be the best team in the world and it will take an almighty effort for Villarreal to stop the goals from flowing.

Prediction – Villarreal 0 Real Madrid 3

 

Atletico Madrid vs Sevilla on Sunday at 4am AEST

 

Atletico Madrid are ranked third for the least number of shots conceded per match with 9.4 which is outdone by Barcelona (6) and their Sunday opposition, Sevilla who rank second with 7.8 per match. This would lead you to think that these two sides are defensively astute and you would be right with both managers crafting their game plan around a solid backline.

 

Atletico would overtake Sevilla and move into second with a win and if Barcelona were to suffer a shock defeat to Granada they could even move into first. Sevilla striker Carlos Bacca has been in fine form netting four goals thus far and a few goals from the Columbian could see Sevilla move into first.

Prediction – Atletico Madrid 1 Sevilla 1

 

Best of the Rest

 

• Elche vs. Celta Vigo on Saturday at 5am AEST
• Barcelona vs. Granada on Sunday at 2am AEST
• Real Sociedad vs. Valencia on Monday at 3am AEST

 

German Bundesliga

 

FC Koln vs. Bayern Munich on Saturday at 11.30pm AEST

 

Koln have drawn three of their five matches against sides that manager Peter Stoger would have been planning to get wins out of. They currently sit in ninth but a heavy defeat could push them as low as 16th. Koln have the league’s lowest number a shots with only 44 in five games (8.8 per game) and Bayern have only conceded 34 shots, the best in the league (6.8 per game).

 

Bayern will be aiming for their first two wins in a row with the usually ruthless Bavarians being held to a draw twice so far this season. The side has the league’s highest amount of possession with 67.7% after holding onto the ball for 75% of their last match against Paderborn. The sale of Toni Kroos has been offset by the acquisition of Xabi Alonso who averages a league high of 106 passes per match, 20 higher than Neven Subotic in second. Alonso all has a 91% pass completion rate showing the 32-year-old still has what it takes to compete at the very top level.

Prediction – FC Koln 0 Bayern Munich 2

 

Schalke 04 vs. Borussia Dortmund on Saturday at 11.30pm AEST

 

Pressure was on Schalke manager Jens Keller before their 1-1 draw with Chelsea in the Champions League that was followed up by a resounding 3-0 win over Werder Bremen. If the 43-year-old former defender is able to set his team up to record a win against last seasons runners up, Schalke could move into the top half of the table after being in the bottom two       nine days ago.

 

Dortmund has not won in their last two matches and will be desperate for a win. A defeat on Saturday night could see the gap between them and Bayern stretch to seven points. Manager Jurgen Klopp will also be concerned about the poor -1 goal differential having shipped nine goals already this season.

Prediction – Schalke 04 2 Borussia Dortmund 3

 

Best of the Rest

 

• Mainz 05 vs. Hoffenheim on Saturday at 4.30am AEST
• Freiburg vs. Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday at 11.30pm AEST
• Wolfsburg vs. Werder Bremen on Sunday at 2.30am AEST

 

Italian Serie A

 

AS Roma vs. Hellas Verona on Sunday at 2am

 

The only thing separating Roma and top position in Serie A is a solitary goal against with the capital based club one of two teams remaining with a perfect record. Midfield duo Daniele De Rossi and Radja Nainggolan have been in fantastic form with both players ranking in the top 10 in Serie A for average number of passes per match. If Juventus lose away to Atlanta, a point is all Roma need to move into first place.

 

Verona have been punching above their weight so far this campaign having two wins and two draws. Verona rank fourth in the league for number of shots conceded with 67 which is a figure they will need to improve upon in order to keep out a Roma side that has great potential going forward. A win could move Verona up into the Champions League positions.

Prediction – AS Roma 2 Hellas Verona 1

 

Inter Milan vs. Cagliari on Sunday at 11pm AEST

 

Inter Milan come into the match in third place after securing eight points from their opening four games. Strike partnership Mauro Icardi and Pablo Osvaldo have been on form having scored three goals each. Three points on Sunday night will heap the pressure on front runners Juventus and AS Roma.

 

Cagliari’s only point of the season was on the opening weekend away to Sassuolo and have since gone on to lose three in a row. The Italian media has suggested a defeat in this match could signal the end of manager Zdenek Zeman’s tenure after just four games in charge. An unlikely win however could move Cagliari as high as 10th.

Prediction – Inter Milan 3 Cagliari 0

 

Best of the Rest

 

• Atlanta vs. Juventus on Sunday at 4.45am AEST
• Cesena vs. AC Milan on Sunday at 11pm AEST
• Udinese vs. Parma on Tuesday at 3am AEST

 

French Ligue 1

 

Toulouse vs. Paris Saint Germain on Sunday at 1am AEST

 

Toulouse has six goals in their last two games and rank fifth in the league for the number of shots on goal per match (13.1). The problems are at the back for Alain Casanova’s side who have conceded 10 goals the equal fifth most in Ligue 1, they will need to be astute at the back in order to keep out a powerful PSG outfit.

 

PSG sit in second spot but the pressure is on Laurent Blanc as the side has had a stuttering start with three wins and four draws. For a team that boast the best squad in Ligue 1 as well as the most amount of possession (67.8%) the Parisians really should be finishing sides off. Six of the top 10 passes in Ligue 1 play for PSG with young ace Marco Verratti leading the list with 712 passes which is 118 per match.

Prediction – Toulouse 2 PSG 4

 

Olympique Marseille vs. AS Saint-Etienne on Monday at 5am AEST

 

Marseille have had a fantastic start to their season with five wins in a row after a loss and a draw in their first two games. The goals have also been flowing with 19 so far including 11 in the last three games. French striker Andre-Pierre Gignac continues to lead the league with eight goals in seven games which is not bad considering he has had to absorb the loss of key provider Mattia Valbuena who left in the summer.

ASSE are only three points behind Marseille however they would have to win by 13 goals for them to leapfrog the current pace setters. Ivory Coast striker Max Gradel averages 3.8 shots a game which is the second highest in the league but has only managed the one goal thus far. A defeat in this match could see as many as seven teams move above ASSE.

Prediction – Marseille 1 AS Saint-Etienne 0

 

Best of the Rest

• AS Monaco vs. OGC Nice on Saturday at 10pm AEST

• Lille vs. Bastia on Sunday at 4am AEST
• Bordeaux vs. Rennes on Sunday at 10pm AEST

 

The top 5 matches across the other European leagues

 

• Sporting Lisbon vs. FC Porto in the Portuguese Primeira Liga on Saturday at 5.30am AEST
• Zenit Saint Petersburg vs. Spartak Moscow in the Russian Premier League on Sunday at 12.30am AEST
• FC Twente vs. FC Utrecht in the Dutch Eredivisie on Sunday at 10.30pm AEST
• Rapid Vienna vs. Red Bull Salzburg in the Austrian Bundesliga on Monday at 12.30am AEST
• Glasgow Rangers vs. Hibernian in the Scottish Championship on Tuesday at 4.45am AEST

 

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