James’ Weekly Football Preview #2
Welcome back. Here we are again. Ready for another crazy week? *Reminder- if there are any more leagues you would like me to cover, please put a mention in the comments or chat.*
GAME OF THE WEEK: REAL MADRID VS BARCELONA
El Clasico. The two most successful teams in Spain. Possibly the two most popular teams in the world. Although one’s successes have been overshadowed by a possible referee bribery scandal, this is the biggest game in European football, and on some occasions, a title decider. Results between these two teams have been fairly equal, which always makes this match even more anticipated and intriguing. One team having just won another duble of League and Champions League, and, although Barcelona came out on top in the preseason friendly, that is how it has been for the past two seasons yet Real Madrid have still won the first Clasico of the season in both. After a hat-trick against Dortmund in midweek, Vinicius has enjoyed a sensational start to the season, he is untouchable at the moment. However, Lewandowski has got his goalscoring mojo back, and with Lamine Yamal and hat-trick hero Raphinha at either side of him, their attack is looking devastating. Real Madrid have finally sorted out their team after a slow start to the season, however Barça just keep winning. Their streak could be broken on Saturday, even though the rampant victory against Bayern might give a slight tingle to… wait… no, Madrid are fearless. The Bernabeu is a fortress.
MY PREDICTION: REAL MADRID 2-1 BARCELONA
PREMIER LEAGUE
Matchday 9. We are officially well underway into the season. This is the season of the capitulations… and I say capitulations instead of comebacks because two-goal deficits are just SO hard to come back from… and first Everton (twice), then Spurs, and now Southampton. Even Dortmund getting overpowered by Madrid in midweek. I’m pretty sure the only prediction I got spot on with the scoreline last week was Fulham vs Aston Villa, so I better improve on that. *disclaimer- before anyone asks, I will NOT be writing preview editions for any Premier League midweek matchdays *
Leicester City 2-2 Nottingham Forest
I expect goals in this one.
Man City 3-1 Southampton
You can’t write City off, even despite the fact that Erling Haaland is suffering a monumental 3-match goal drought in the Prem.
Brentford 1-0 Ipswich Town
“If the game lasted two minutes, Brentford would be prime Brazil”. Will they do it again?
Brighton 2-0 Wolves
There’s a lot of hype around starlet Jack Hinshelwood, and he and van Hecke have impressed me the most so far this season, whilst getting James Milner was smart business. As for Wolves, selling Kilman and Neto was a big mistake. A point against City would have given them some momentum, but let’s be honest, it’s gonna be a tough season for them. And look at their starting lineup…
Aston Villa 2-1 Bournemouth
Who else feels like it’s been months since Jhon Duran scored a late goal for Villa? The biggest mistake Emery could ever make is starting him. Funnily enough, Duran’s first name is the way I always used to misspell the name “John” when I was little.
Everton 0-1 Fulham
Although I was impressed by their performance against Ipswich, I expect Raúl Jimenez to score again, although it will be tight, with something like, Fulham dominating the possession stats and Everton creating more chances and having more shots on goal. That would make a very typical Premier League Saturday afternoon encounter.
Crystal Palace 0-1 Spurs
Spurs thrashed West Ham. As for Palace, once they’ve endured a bad start it’s hard to recover from it.
Chelsea 1-2 Newcastle
I don’t know why, but I feel like this game is going to be chaotic. Expect a red card or two.
West Ham 1-2 Man United
Or so I hope. The Hammers had a horror show against Spurs, but the London Stadium is always a hard place to go to, horrible stadium (no offence intended, It’s just not a comfortable ground for away fans) with an incredible home atmosphere.
Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool
I feel like it’s still too early to pick between these two teams, like whenever the “current big three” (Arsenal, Liverpool and Man City) are playing, so I sense a repeat of last season’s 1-1 draw.
Hope you enjoyed! Unfortunately I didn’t have time to write on La Liga, but I will try my best to include it in the next episode.