Paris (AFP) – Derby Arsenal-Tottenham in London on Saturday, City-United in Manchester on Sunday: neighborhood disputes invite themselves to the top of the English Championship this weekend, marked in Italy by the debut of Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi, first female referee in direct a Serie A match.
England: derbies at the top
Weekend of derbies in England for the 9th day of the Premier League, with two burning shocks at the top of the classification.
From Saturday 1:30 p.m. the North London derby will see Tottenham, 3rd, challenge leader Arsenal, who are only ahead of them by one point, at the Emirates Stadium.
Mikel Arteta’s men, who will continue with the reception of Liverpool, eight days later, will test their ambitions of playing the title, the Gunners having struggled to take points against the big names in past years.
The other highlight of the weekend will be the Manchester derby at the Etihad on Sunday at 3:00 p.m.
In order not to drop out of the lead car, United, 5th with 12 points and one game less, will absolutely have to stop the Erling Haaland machine, 11 goals in seven Premier League matches with City, 2nd one point behind Arsenal.
Another interesting poster to follow, Saturday at 4:00 p.m.: Liverpool (8th, 9 pts) who must imperatively beat Brighton (4th, 13 pts) for the first match of the “Seagulls” after the departure to Chelsea of Graham Potter, replaced by the Italian Roberto De Zerbi.
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At the same time, Potter will lead the Blues (7th, 10 pts) for the first time in the league during the short trip to Crystal Palace (16th, 6 pts).
Spain: Clash of the Damned
In Spain, it’s time for the duel of the damned: Sevilla FC, 15th in La Liga one point from the red zone after a catastrophic start to the season (only one victory in six matches), will seek a first feat on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. against Atlético Madrid , also lagging behind (7th at eight points from Real).
A new opportunity to raise the bar for the Sevillian coach Julen Lopetegui, weakened.
In the aftermath, FC Barcelona, deprived of many players injured during the international window (Ronald Araujo, Jules Koundé, Memphis Depay, Frenkie de Jong …), travels to Mallorca at 9:00 p.m. to continue to put pressure on the leader madridian.
Real Madrid, precisely, receives Osasuna on Sunday (9:00 p.m.) with the expected return of its star striker Karim Benzema, who took advantage of the international window to treat his right thigh injury.
Italy: premiere at the whistle
It’s a first in Italy: Italian referee Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi (31) will become the first woman in history to officiate a Serie A match on Sunday during the meeting between Sassuolo and Salernitana.
After having already led in Serie C (third division), Serie B and the Italian Cup, she will now discover the elite, following in the footsteps of other pioneers, such as the German Bibiana Steinhaus and the French Stéphanie Frappart.
On this 8th day, it’s time for redemption for AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus Turin and AS Roma, all beaten on the final day before the international break.
Inter (7th, 12 points), probably still deprived of Romelu Lukaku, and Roma (6th, 13 pts) meet on Saturday at San Siro so as not to be left behind by co-leaders Naples and Atalanta Bergamo ( 17 points).
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AC Milan (5th, 14 pts) must also resume without two important pieces – its French internationals Mike Maignan and Theo Hernandez are injured – on Saturday in Empoli (14th) to forget their first defeat against Naples (1-2).
Juventus (8th, 10 pts) is also looking for a rebound against Bologna (16th) by Thiago Motta. Coach Massimiliano Allegri, more than ever under pressure, is still without Angel Di Maria, suspended for two matches after his exclusion against Monza (0-1).
Germany: Union Berlin watched
With 17 points, Union Berlin is the unexpected leader of the Bundesliga after seven days, the last team still undefeated (five wins and two draws). The trip on Saturday (3:30 p.m.) to Eintracht Frankfurt (7th with 11 points) will serve as a test for Urs Fischer’s men.
Julian Nagelsmann’s Bayern, who are making their worst start to the season since 2010 (5th, with 12 points in 7 games), will absolutely have to raise the bar on Friday (8:30 p.m.) at home against Bayer Leverkusen, after four games without a win, including a defeat at Augsburg.
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Before next week’s “Klassiker” against Bayern, Dortmund (2nd with 15 points) travels Saturday (3:30 p.m.) to Cologne, where Borussia French striker Anthony Modeste will find his former teammates.
RB Leipzig, stuck in the middle of the standings (12th) with only 8 points, has the opportunity to start again against the red lantern Bochum.
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