Rating: 10 most intriguing matches from January 20 to 21
Photo: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
Arsenal – Crystal Palace: Saturday, January 20, 3:30 p.m.
Intrigue: Will Arsenal break their streak of failures in the Premier League?
Arsenal are winless in their last three Premier League games. The team lost twice and tied again. The difference with the leader Liverpool is already five points. It’s time for the Gunners to catch up! A home game with Crystal Palace remains ahead. Roy Hodgson’s team is five points clear of the relegation zone, so they fight until the end in each match. Arsenal will have a tough game ahead of them as the Eagles will likely want to make life difficult for their London neighbour.
Photo: Sebastián Widmann/Getty Images
RB Leipzig – Bayer Leverkusen: Saturday, January 20, 8:30 p.m.
Intrigue: Will Bayer suffer its first defeat in the Bundesliga?
Halfway through the Bundesliga season, Bayer is in first place without suffering a single defeat. Xabi Alonso built a great team in Leverkusen that challenged Bayern. Bayer opens the second round with a very difficult match. “Aspirinovye” will visit RB Leipzig. The Bulls are fighting for a place in the Champions League, every point is very important. Yes, Bayer is no less motivated, but the field factor works in Leipzig’s favor. Will Alonso’s team suffer its first defeat of the season? Or will RB Leipzig not be able to stop Bayer?
Photo: Getty Images
Bournemouth – Liverpool: Sunday, January 21, 7:30 p.m.
Intrigue: Will Liverpool begin to separate themselves from their competitors?
Liverpool leads the Premier League. Klopp’s team is two points ahead of City and Aston Villa (Birmingham has one more game left), and Arsenal up to five. There is a chance to break away from the competition in the match against Bournemouth. The Cherries have lost just once in their last eight meetings, while they have won six times. Iraola’s team has made a great play! Now they face a serious test. Liverpool have a chance to strengthen their position in first place, while Bournemouth have a chance to move closer to the top 10.
Photo: Getty Images
Betis – Barcelona: Sunday, January 21, 8:30 p.m.
Intrigue: Will Barcelona be left out of the title race?
Barcelona lost to Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final and then, not without incident, beat a third division club, Unionistas de Salamanca, in the Cup. In the championship, the Blaugrana are seven points behind Real Madrid and eight points behind Girona (with one game less). There are still chances to get the gold, but it is important not to stumble. Xavi’s team has a trip to Betis ahead of them. It is unlikely that the Sevillian club will give victory to Barça so easily, especially at home. The blue garnets will have to play their best football to get the three points. If the result is not satisfactory, Barcelona runs the risk of being left out of the title race.
Photo: Getty Images
Girona – Seville: Sunday, January 21, 11:00 p.m.
Intrigue: will Seville in crisis deprive Girona of its leadership in Spain?
Girona leads the Spanish Championship, but if Real wins the rescheduled match, the Catalans will drop to second place. Therefore, it is important that Ángel Michel’s team wins every game and waits for Madrid’s mistakes. Otherwise, they will not be able to face Real. Girona has a match ahead of it with Sevilla in crisis. The Andalusians are just one point away from the relegation zone. Difficult situation: Sevilla has accumulated six defeats in the last eight games. But it is often in a meeting with a leader that problem teams show their best football and win. Will that happen this time?
Photo: hac-foot.com
Chateauroux – Le Havre: Sunday, January 21, 7:30 p.m.
Intrigue: Will Kuzyaev help Le Havre advance?
Le Havre is in the middle of the Ligue 1 table and feels comfortable. The club also competes for the French Cup. In the round of 16, Le Havre fell to modest Chateauroux. The meeting will take place in Chateauroux, but this fact is unlikely to be critical. Le Havre should advance further and Daler Kuzyaev will have a good chance of scoring or providing an assist. We are waiting for achievements from the Russian!
Photo: Sebastián Widmann/Getty Images
Rodez – Monaco: Saturday, January 20, 7:30 p.m.
Intrigue: Will Golovin leave the field with an effective action?
Monaco continues to fight for the Champions League zone in Ligue 1 and also aims to win the French Cup. The Monegasques can please the fans with a trophy. Adi Hutter’s team has an away game with Rodez ahead of them. The chances of winning are great. And Monaco leader Alexander Golovin will probably take part in one of the scoring attacks. In addition, a group of important Monegasque footballers play in the African and Asian Cups. Golovin is obliged to drag the team to the next round.
Photo: Getty Images
Celta de Vigo – Real Sociedad: Saturday, January 20, 11:00 p.m.
Intrigue: Will Zakharyan finally score his first league goal?
Sociedad is increasingly further away from qualifying for the Champions League. In the last six rounds, the Basques only achieved one victory, drew four times and lost one match. It is necessary to correct the situation in order to hold on to a place in the Champions League zone. Ahead of Sociedad is the trip to Celta, which is not far from 18th place. The last two direct confrontations ended in a draw. Can Zakharyan’s team take victory now? And the time has come for Arsene to score the first goal in the Spanish Championship!
Photo: MB Media/Getty Images
Tunisia – Mali, Saturday, January 20, 11:00 p.m.
Intrigue: will the 2022 World Cup participant be left without playoffs?
The African Cup started badly for Tunisia. One of the favorites of the tournament unexpectedly lost to Namibia 0:1. But the Malians confidently beat South Africa (2-0). The second round is the most important moment for the teams. Mali is one step away from securing a place in the round of 16. And the defeat will make it difficult for Tunisia to reach the round of 16. We will see if the participant of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup will find himself in an unpleasant situation.
Photo: Getty Images
Real Madrid – Almería: Sunday, January 21, 6:15 p.m.
Intrigue: Will Real Madrid return to first place in La Liga?
Real Madrid leads the Spanish League in points lost. But de facto, Girona comes first. To at least not fall further down, Madrid must beat Almería at home, which has only six points in 20 games and is at the bottom of the standings. Curiously, in the last match Almería took points from Girona (0-0). Now there is the opportunity to upset Real Madrid as well. Although it will be incredibly difficult to do so at the Santiago Bernabéu.
