Barcelona to return to winning ways as they host Sevilla today
Reigning La Liga champions Barcelona will be aiming to return to winning ways on Friday evening when they welcome Sevilla to Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.
The home side, who sit third in the table on 17 points, will enter the contest off the back of a 2-2 draw with Mallorca on Tuesday, while 12th-placed Sevilla recorded a 5-1 win over Almeria on the same night.
Xavi‘s side are third in the table on 17 points, and they will be aiming to return to winning ways in the league ahead of their second group match in the Champions League away to Porto next week.
The Catalan side have won each of their last three league games against Sevilla, while they have not lost to Friday’s opponents in Spain’s top flight for eight years, which is a staggering run against a strong opponent.
Sevilla have found it difficult to get going this season, but there have been steps forward of late, and they will enter this match off the back of a four-game unbeaten run in all competitions.
The Europa League holders are now just three points behind fifth-placed Atletico Madrid in the table, which is an indication of how quickly things can change at this stage of the season for them
Sevilla are more than capable of making this a difficult match for Barcelona, especially as they will enter it off the back of their best performance of the season.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Real Madrid travel to face an in-form Girona
Real Madrid will be aiming to move onto 21 points from their opening eight matches of the 2023-24 La Liga campaign when they head to an in-form Girona on Saturday night.
Los Blancos will enter the match off the back of a 2-0 victory over Las Palmas on Wednesday, while Girona continued their excellent form by beating Villarreal 2-1 on the same night.
This is only Girona’s fourth campaign in Spain’s top flight, which makes their start even more remarkable, picking up 19 points from seven matches to top the table at the time of writing.
Girona are actually unbeaten in their last three league games with Los Blancos, including a 4-2 victory in the corresponding match last term, while they have lost just two of their six La Liga matches against the capital giants in total.
Ancelotti’s side have not exactly been at their free-flowing best this season, but the Madrid derby aside, they have been effective in 2023-24.
Los Blancos now face a trip to Girona before switching their attention back to European football, heading to Italy early next week to prepare for their clash with Napoli on Tuesday night.
As mentioned, Real Madrid have found it difficult to beat Girona in La Liga, winning just two of their six matches, suffering three defeats in the process, and they will be heading to a team in excellent shape.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Napoli face Lecce in the midst of Osimhen fracas
With rumours Victor Osimhen is ready to leave Napoli after a row over social media, Napoli hope to put an end to a thoroughly underwhelming start to the season, as they travel to face Lecce on Saturday. The striker and his agent Roberto Calenda were furious after the official Napoli TikTok account posted a video mocking his penalty miss against Bologna. Osimhen was so furious that he threatened legal action and took down all images on his own social media accounts depicting him in the Napoli jersey.
Remarkably, the Scudetto holders and their hosts are similarly placed in the table with six games played, with the Salentini shocking Serie A with their form so far.
Napoli have good reason to be confident this weekend though. With the season in full swing and games coming thick and fast, they can rely on strength in depth, especially when compared to a Lecce side that spent less than a fifth of Napoli’s summer transfer window outlay.
With Napoli misfiring in recent weeks, and Lecce defending deep, the hosts could secure themselves a result on Saturday. While they may struggle to overcome the Scudetto holders, a draw is far from unlikely, with another goalless match for Garcia sure to cause upset among fans.
The hosts look to continue their remarkable start to the season and would be braced for a tricky encounter at the Stadio Ettore Giardiniero.
Credit: football-italia.net
Tottenham & Liverpool could share the spoils
Two teams with unbeaten records in the Premier League so far this season meet in north London on Saturday night when Tottenham Hotspur host Liverpool.
Spurs came away from the Emirates with a point last time out thanks to their 2-2 draw with rivals Arsenal and sit in fourth place, two points behind their upcoming opponents.
The Reds secured their spot in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night with another comeback victory, beating Leicester 3-1 at Anfield, to extend their winning streak to seven consecutive games.
Manager Jurgen Klopp is expected to make vast changes from his midweek XI for the trip to London, with Mohamed Salah, Alisson and Virgil van Dijk among those set to return.
Tottenham played their part in an entertaining 2-2 draw with Arsenal last weekend and more goals and thrills are expected when Liverpool come to town.
Liverpool have won their last four games in all competitions by a 3-1 scoreline, showing their attacking quality but also some defensive deficiencies. Expect an open encounter which could end with the spoils being shared.
Credit: 90min.com
