There’s a bunch of top-of-the-table clashes in Spain, Italy and France, while over in the Far East there’s the small matter of the Club World Cup final this Sunday.
Sports Pundit’s Game of the Weekend Barcelona v Atletico Madrid Spanish La Liga, Sunday 9pm (CET)
The Catalans take on their closest La Liga rivals in Sunday’s late kick-off, with Atletico facing a tough trip against a side who have Lionel Messi in record-breaking form as he looks to take his calendar year goal tally behind 90 strikes. Atletico went down 2-0 to Real Madrid a fortnight ago and now sit six points behind Barca, despite Radomel Falcao’s heroics. He is their dangerman having netted 16 times this league season. The only points Barca have dropped this season was at the Nou Camp, which may offer the Mattress Makers some hope.
Newcastle v Manchester City English Premier League, Saturday 1.45pm (CET)
Last season’s surprise packets take on last season’s champions in a clash where there’s plenty on the line for both sides. The Sky Blues’ derby defeat to Manchester United has left them six points behind in the title race so they need to claim victory here. The Magpies, on the flipside, are way down in 14th following last term’s fifth-place finish. Boss Alan Pardew has admitted he’s feeling the pressure now and if his side lose this game, they could find themselves remarkably in the bottom three.
Lazio v Inter Milan Italian Serie A, Saturday 8.45pm (CET)
Fresh from defeating Napoli, the second-placed Nerazzurri make the difficult trip to fourth-placed Lazio. Inter are four points behind leaders Juventus while the Romans are a further four points back. The Nerazzurri have lost on their past two visits to Lazio, while they have also gone down in the past two away games. Lazio, on the other hand, are unbeaten in eight matches in all competitions with Hernanes in form, while Miroslav Klose is back to full fitness.
Corinthians v Chelsea Club World Cup Final, Sunday 11.30pm (CET)
It may not be the world’s favourite competition, but it’s worth paying attention to the Club World Cup in Tokyo on Sunday, as South American champions Corinthians of Brazil take on European champions Chelsea. The Blues have endured all sorts of turmoil since their European triumph, crashing out of this season’s UEFA Champions League and sacking Roberto Di Matteo. His replacement, Rafa Benitez, lifted this title with Inter Milan a few years ago, before getting the axe from that job. The Copa Libertadores winners’ danger man is Emerson, while former Bayern Munich striker Paolo Guerrero will be tough to handle too.
Paris Saint-Germain v Olympique Lyonnais French Ligue 1, Sunday 9pm (CET)
It’s two versus one in France on Sunday evening, with plenty of hype surrounding this fixture between the new big-spenders and Ligue 1’s former dominant force who are seeking to return to their glories of the last decade under Remi Garde. Zlatan Ibrahimovic netted a hat-trick in the midweek 4-0 crushing at Valenciennes, meaning PSG have won two on the trot in Ligue 1, while Lyon were held by Nancy at home. A PSG loss here, which would leave them six points adrift, would put Carlo Ancelotti under real pressure.