BAYERN v DORTMUND Is Der Klassiker
It's Germany's biggest game, despite Dortmund's distress!
IN THIS ISSUE:
LONG READS | MORE MATCHES : MAN CITY vs CRYSTAL PALACE, MONACO vs MARSEILLE, STRASBOURG vs NICE, ATALANTA vs BOLOGNA, NEWCASTLE vs MAN UNITED, LAZIO vs ROMA | GEAR
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It’s the German clásico, Der Klassiker, though BORUSSIA DORTMUND are not having a classic season. After a recent uptick in form, they’re still eighth and just trying to get a ticket — any ticket — to Europe next season. Come to think of it, that 4-0 thrashing from Barcelona in the Champions League quarterfinals this week might have put them off the whole business.
And then there’s BAYERN MUNICH, back to being Bayern domestically. They’re six points clear of current adversaries Bayer Leverkusen at the top of the Bundesliga, and they seem to be on pace to secure Harry Kane his first career trophy. But there are still questions swirling around manager Vincent Kompany, and a recent spate of injuries — especially to thrilling young star Jamal Musiala — might have just created an opening for Dortmund here.
Joining the show to chat about all that and more is Markus Fjørtoft, a former professional footballer who now hosts The Fussball Podcast with his dad, Jan Åge Fjørtoft, who was himself a pro in the Bundesliga and beyond. Get the lowdown above before it all kicks off at 12:30pm ET/5:30pm UK on Saturday:
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LONG READS
⚽︎ On Substack, Clive Tyldesley says Liverpool’s task now is to manage Mo Salah’s decline — a player he brands “a sulk”!
⚽︎ Jamie Jackson reports for The Guardian on Eric Cantona’s war with Sir Jim Ratcliffe. The French legend says Manchester United’s new(ish) owner is “destroy[ing] everything.”
⚽︎ Stuart James and Tom Williams report on the genius of Lyon’s Rayan Cherki for The Athletic.
⚽︎ Also in The Athletic, the ever-brilliant Amy Lawrence digests Arsenal’s momentous night hosting Real Madrid at the Emirates Stadium.
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MORE MATCHES
MAN CITY vs CRYSTAL PALACE
Sat @ 7:30am ET, 12:30pm UK
Who’d have foreseen back in August that with seven matches left to play, City would be on the outside looking in on the Champions League places. The injuries are piling up, the air of invincibility has evaporated, and they’ve taken eight points from the last 18 available. Palace, on the other hand, have won four of their last five and lost none, and they’ve taken a point off City in three of their last six meetings. It could be a struggle for the Citizens to get the points they need here to climb back into the Top Five.
MONACO vs MARSEILLE
Sat @ 11am ET, 4pm UK
This is a Côte d’Azur encounter that doesn’t qualify as the derby of that name — that’s Monaco vs Nice. But it’s weighty nonetheless: Marseille are second and Monaco are third in Ligue 1, with just two points between them. They’re both trying to hold off surprise package Strasbourg (along with Lyon, Nice, and Lille) to secure an automatic Champions League spot now that PSG have run away with the league title.
STRASBOURG vs NICE
Sat @ 3:05pm ET, 8:05pm UK
Speaking of the French, fourth and sixth in Ligue 1 are also in action. Strasbourg are a stunning story this season, a collection of precocious young stars — quite a few on loan from Chelsea, with whom the club shares a Multi-Club Ownership Model — who’ve rocketed up the league table. They’re the form team in the division behind PSG, taking 25 points from the last 30 available. Meanwhile, Nice endured stinging defeat in the aforementioned Derby de la Côte d'Azur last week to make it three losses and no victories in their last four. They’ve got to arrest this decline before they fall out of the Top Three-and-a-Half1 race entirely.
ATALANTA vs BOLOGNA
Sun @ 6:30am ET, 11:30am UK
Bologna are setting the Serie A on fire recently, winning five in a row before last week’s draw with Scudetto-chasers Napoli. The Rossoblù required a wondergoal from Dan Ndoye to secure a point there, and this will be a serious test, too. Atalanta are one point and one place above them, in third, though Gian Piero Gasperini’s side are on a diabolical run of three straight defeats. Perhaps this is actually a test for the Bergamo outfit to determine just how much trouble they’re in.
WOLVES vs TOTTENHAM
Sun @ 9am ET, 2pm UK
If you’re looking for a bit of human drama, this one might supply it. Ange Postecoglou is under serious pressure at Tottenham Hotspur, who sit an astonishing 14th in the Premier League with seven matches left to play, and a loss to Wolves may be too much for the Spurs faithful to bear. The Wanderers are not in a relegation scrap by the grace of God — well, the grace of three very poor newly promoted teams — but they’re still 17th. Wolves have won three in a row, to be fair, and if they make it four here, they’ll be two points behind Tottenham. With West Ham and Everton also two points back, Postecoglou could find himself sliding towards rock bottom of the unrelegated table soon.
Also in this window, LIVERPOOL will hope to continue their march towards the title against WEST HAM, though the champions-elect have been sputtering just a bit recently.
NEWCASTLE vs MAN UNITED
Sun @ 11:30am ET, 4:30pm UK
The hosts are looking to seal up a Champions League spot for next season over the final eight matches of this one — they’ve got a game in hand on everybody else around them — and they’ve got some ideal marks coming to town. Manchester United will arrive at St. James’ Park an astonishing 15 points behind the Magpies having played a game more, and they once again threw away a good thing down in Lyon on Thursday in the Europa League. There’s still every chance United go through with a decent performance at Old Trafford next week, but another André Onana howler has put them off balance yet again.
REAL BETIS vs VILLAREAL
Sun @ 12:30pm ET, 5:30pm UK
These two are fighting it out for European places, specifically who is going to play in the Europa League and who will drop down to the Europa Conference League. They’re both on 48 points as we round into the final stretch of the season, and they’re both likely too far back to snag a Champions League place. It’s all about the Europa League, a decent payday in its own right, and the winner here will take a big step in that direction.
LAZIO vs ROMA
Sun @ 2:45pm ET, 7:45pm UK
The Derby della Capitale is a true classic of the genre, a festival of bitterness and spite in the Eternal City. This one has league stakes as well: Lazio are two points clear of Roma in sixth, clinging onto the Europa Conference League spot, but the Giallorossi are a force of nature at the moment. Claudio Ranieri has overseen a renaissance in the capital, and they’re unbeaten in their last 15 Serie A matches. They won the reverse fixture along the way, and they’ll have high confidence they can seize that European spot away from a Lazio side who’ve been in somewhat indifferent form recently.
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GEAR
👕 In a possible world-historical first, Inter and Nike have teamed up with a motorcycle racer — MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi, nicknamed “The Doctor” — for a limited edition kit. Needless to say, Rossi is an Inter partisan.
👕 We post Mexican national team gear pretty much every week, but Classic Football Shirts has a deal on this reversible jacket that must be respected. They’ve also discounted some of those peacock-feather kits, and you may as well have a look at these radical Caledonian Braves shirts while you’re over there.⚽︎
Fourth place in France buys you a ticket to the Champions League qualifying rounds.