⚽︎Friday, September 29: El Superclásico Is the Most Explosive Match in World Football

Boca Juniors-River Plate is ferocious. Plus: Tottenham-Liverpool!

Welcome to THE FOOTBALL WEEKEND, your Friday morning rundown of all the best matches across world football over the coming weekend in the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, the Bundesliga, and more. Get kickoff times and broadcasters, betting odds and what to watch for—all in your inbox to mark the beginning of the end of the workweek. Join subscribers from 66 different countries:

THE FOOTBALL WEEKEND will host a watch party for the Arsenal-Manchester City match next Sunday. If you’re in the New York area, swing by Berry Park in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on October 8 to take in one of the biggest Premier League matches of the season with some fellow fanatics. An 11:30am kickoff is a great excuse for a Sunday morning pint.

If you’re seeking The Early Weekend this week, there are two spicy matches on Friday. Otherwise, the headliners are a high-powered Premier League scrap and El Superclásico, the most charged and perilous rivalry in world football. But first…..

THE HEADLINES

• It was chaos in Amsterdam last weekend as Ajax fans went nuts watching their team go 3-0 down at home to bitter rivals Feyenoord. The match was abandoned in the 56th minute after flares were twice thrown onto the pitch. Mobs of supporters stormed out of the Johan Cruyff Arena, committing acts of vandalism on their way. Police ultimately responded with tear gas in the street outside the stadium.

• Victor Oshimen’s agent has threatened legal action against the striker’s club, S.S.C. Napoli, after the organization’s official TikTok account posted two videos mocking him. The Nigerian, who smashed in 26 goals in 32 matches as the Neapolitans stormed to the Scudetto last season, is reportedly expecting an apology, though the club’s statement on Thursday wasn’t quite that. The Italian champions kept hold of his services even as he was linked with a move away this summer, and somebody in the social media department is going to be in trouble if he decides not to stay much longer.

• Another star forward in Serie A, Rafael Leão, explained this week why he never considered the Saudi Pro League this summer: “I speak for myself, I’m young, I’m a player who wants to win big things, the Champions League I think is the dream of every player and we are working for that,” he told the Portuguese GQ. “I have not yet achieved great things to leave for a league like that. These days money has spoken louder, but for me a Champions League is worth more than a €10 million salary, for example.” Ouch—things could get awkward next time the Portuguese national team gets together.

• Borussia Dortmund striker Sébastien Haller told De Telegraaf this week that his team throwing away the title on the final day last season was a worse experience than he had in the summer of 2022, when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. “If you are sick, there is nothing you can do about it,” the Dutchman said. “You have to accept it and move through it. But we had the title in our own hands, we could influence everything ourselves.”

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TOTTENHAM-LIVERPOOL

Saturday 12:30pm ET on NBC Sports (USA) / 5:30pm GMT on Sky Sports

Spurs are coming off a fine attacking performance in the North London Derby last week, a showcase of Ange Postecoglu’s swashbuckling philosophy and Son Heung-min’s rediscovered lethality, though it took a catastrophic mistake from Jorginho for them to get to 2-2 and take a point off Arsenal. It’s unwise to draw too many sweeping conclusions from a derby, but this one did indicate this Tottenham team can be got at. Destiny Udogie is a promising young fullback, but you fear for him if he’s left on an island against Mo Salah. Udogie and Pedro Porro—who displayed some grit last weekend to complement his considerable talents going forward—will need to stay switched on as Liverpool’s wide forwards go slicing inside to provide the goal threat. Micky van de Ven looks a decent signing at centerback to partner Cristian Romero, but they’re about to be seriously tested.

SPURS+166 | DRAW+254 | LIVERPOOL-109

Liverpool are making the case that it’s they, not Arsenal, who could provide the main competition for Manchester City this season. All three are unbeaten after six matches, but the Merseysiders have taken two more points and have looked more fluid and functional than the Gunners. Darwin Núñez is showing some improved form at the sharp end of things with three goals and an assist. Luis Díaz is always a livewire at left forward, even if he’s yet to hit the heights of Sadio Mané, the man he’s been asked to replace. In midfield, Dominik Szoboszlai looks like the signing of the summer. He’s an all-action #8, a dribbler and passer and set-piece taker and scorer. (Check out this rocket he launched in midweek. Diogo Jota also had a banger in that League Cup win.) It’s still unclear who’s the best fit to join him and Alexis Mac Allister in the midfield triumvirate, though: Curtis Jones was there last week, but Wataru Endō was also brought in to do a job in deeper midfield.

If Spurs can be got at, though, so can Liverpool, as Virgil Van Dijk is no longer the same force of nature holding together a defense on his own. The Reds will fancy themselves favorites regardless: they’ve won seven straight in all competitions, and Tottenham haven’t beaten them since 2017.

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THE GAME IS ABOUT THE TAKING OF CHANCES

It was a topsy-turvy North London Derby last week, but lost in much of the postgame analysis was the fact that Arsenal dominated the opening stages and could have been 3-0 up after 32 minutes. Destiny Udogie’s wayward backpass gifted Eddie Nketiah a 1-on-1 with the goalkeeper in the 16th minute, a chance the Arsenal striker failed to convert. Cristian Romero’s own goal 10 minutes later did put the Gunners in front, and six minutes after that, James Maddison dawdled on the ball at the top of his own box and Gabriel Jesus pounced. Somehow, the Brazilian #9 walloped his strike over the bar with the goal at his mercy. You can’t say a derby is dead after half an hour, even at 3-0, but the match would have had an entirely different complexion.

A week earlier, Liverpool could have gone 2-0 down when Pedro Neto did a madness to set up a golden opportunity for Matheus Cunha, but the forward totally fluffed his lines. The Reds stormed back to win 3-1. One thing never changes in this game: you’ve got to score when you’re on top, and if you waste your chances you will be punished. There are no points awarded for possession, territorial dominance, or slick interplay. The best teams are lethal when they get a glimpse of the jugular, regardless of how well they’re playing on the day.

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MORE HEADLINES

• Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino sought to illustrate Mykhailo Mudryk’s growing confidence this week by revealing that the $108-million man had finally avoided losing to his coach in the crossbar challenge. “He said to me today: ‘No, I’m not going to play anymore with you because always you win.’ I said: ‘Yes, because I have the belief—the balance between belief and quality, I know very well because I am 50 years old and you are still young.’ Today was the first time that we draw.”

• As it stands, Chelsea seem to have spent £1 billion to get themselves into a relegation scrap. They lost again last weekend, 1-0 to Aston Villa at home, and they haven’t scored in three Premier League matches. They’ve taken just five points from a possible 18, good enough for 14th place. Since his debut for Manchester City, Erling Haaland has scored more league goals than this entire football club. Leicester City have more Premier League goals in calendar year 2023, and they were relegated in May. To pile on, Chelsea face a nightmare run of fixtures beginning October 21: they face Arsenal, Brentford, Tottenham, Man City, Newcastle, Brighton, and Manchester United in consecutive league fixtures. If that all goes as poorly as things have so far, they could find themselves down with the Luton Towns and Bournemouths of the world.

• UEFA banned Russian teams from international competition following their nation’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but this week the European body’s executive committee signaled a shift in stance with a motion to allow Russian under-17 sides to compete. It could put UEFA in conflict with some of its member FAs and the nations they’re tied to, like England’s Football Association. The rationale for the move is that Russian children shouldn’t be held responsible for the invasion, but this is the nature of a diplomatic blockade.

• A source told The Telegraph that Aston Villa’s players are fed up with their sweaty kits. “The players are having to play in soaking wet t-shirts and it is a problem that needs to be solved. It cannot go on all season. The players look like they’ve jumped in a swimming pool after about 10 minutes.” The claret-and-blue home shirts, designed by British manufacturer Castore, do look pretty wet. Broadcaster Jacqui Oatley has suggested the women’s team will be “dreading” wearing them in their season opener against Manchester United this Sunday.

The shirts do look quite wet.

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FURTHER NOTABLES

BARCELONA-SEVILLA (FRI 3:00 PM ET / 8:00 PM GMT): Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos could play his first game against the old enemy following his return to his boyhood club, though he may be a bit shaken after his house was burglarized while he was at Sevilla’s Champions League match against Lens last week.

BENFICA-PORTO (FRI 3:15PM / 8:15PM): O Clássico features the biggest clubs in Portugal, though they sit third and second respectively at the moment behind Benfica’s Lisbon neighbors Sporting.

ASTON VILLA-BRIGHTON (SAT 7:30AM / 12:30PM): These two Top Six contenders will serve up goals: Brighton have scored 18 and allowed 8, while Villa are at 12 and 10. Roberto De Zerbi is pound-for-pound the league’s second-best head coach at the moment, but Unai Emery is seeking his third victory over him. He has won 61% of his matches with the Villa.

MILAN-LAZIO (SAT 12:00PM / 5:00 PM): The Eagles of Lazio have had a poor start to the season, but Maurizio Sarri led this crew to second in the table last year. They should be able to give A.C. Milan, second in the table on goal difference behind rivals Inter, a proper match.

ATALANTA-JUVENTUS (SAT 12:00PM / 5:00PM): It’s fourth in the table against third in Serie A, as up-and-down Juve hope a newfound forward partnership of Federico Chiesa and Dušan Vlahović can carry them past the black-and-blues from Bergamo.

GIRONA-REAL MADRID (SAT 12:30PM / 5:30PM): One of these two teams is top of La Liga after seven games, one point better off than the other, and it isn’t the 35-time champions of Spain.

FULHAM-CHELSEA (MON 3:00PM / 8:00PM): Chelsea will be desperate for a result in this West London derby for all the reasons listed above. They’ve been decent at the back—their 6 goals conceded is the third-lowest in the league, tied with Arsenal and behind just Man City and Liverpool—but they need to find some goals of their own.

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FANTASY NOTEBOOK

It was a rare W for The Weekenders this past week, as Jarrod Bowen (£7.1) joined an already productive midfield line and Malo Gusto was benched at just the right time to allow the rest of the defense to shine. To celebrate a 99-point outing, we’ll be keeping this same energy this week, even if Marcus Rashford (£8.9) has been begging for a transfer out. Man United look like they may be getting their shite together, so he keeps his place for Crystal Palace’s visit to Old Trafford.

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EL SUPERCLÁSICO: BOCA JUNIORS—RIVER PLATE

Sunday 1:00pm ET on Paramount+ / 6:00pm GMT via VPN

Has your local derby ever been moved to a different continent in the interest of public safety? In 2018, each of these two Buenos Aires outfits battled their way to the final of the Copa Libertadores—the South American equivalent of the Champions League—to create what some called the Final to End All Finals. Argentina’s two biggest teams, crosstown enemies from the capital city, would go head-to-head for more than just national recognition.

The first leg of the tie played out to a 2-2 draw at La Bombonera—“the chocolate box,” for the shape of Boca’s stadium—and then it was time to play the return leg on River Plate’s home turf. Except the Boca team bus was set upon by River fans as it approached the Estadio Monumental. “A fusillade of missiles shattered windows and left some Boca players needing medical attention,” The Guardian reported at the time, “including the midfielder Pablo Pérez, who went to hospital with an eye injury.” The match was postponed, twice, until eventually it was relocated to Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, 6,000 miles from Buenos Aires.

BOCA+174 | DRAW+158 | RIVER-145

Such measures can be necessary when managing a blood feud. This fixture dates back to 1913, when the first meeting of the two reportedly featured “pugilistic scenes.” But this is more than a sporting rivalry—it’s a tale of class resentment, a social rift. River Plate earned the nickname Los Millionarios with a 1930s spending splurge Todd Boehly would approve of, but it doubles as a reminder of the path the club took following its 1901 founding in the same lower-class Buenos Aires area as their rivals. By the 1920s, River was on its way to Recoleta, a more affluent neighborhood that Vogue magazine has called the city’s “most elegant.” In 1938, El Monumental was opened in Belgrano, a leafy, upscale part of town.

All the while that their rivals were enjoying such social mobility, Boca stayed in the same spot. The club’s preferred nickname is Los Xeneizes (for the Genoans who founded the club), but River fans have long called them Bosteros—“manure-handlers,” because Boca’s old stadium was next to a factory known for smelling of dung. (Boca fans, meanwhile, call their River counterparts Las Gallinas, The Chickens.) Even as the two clubs’ bases of support have grown and diversified, the sense that River are the rich boys and Boca the titans of the working class has been difficult to shake. You can see how Diego Maradona, a kid from the slums who became a Boca legend, could’ve immediately grasped onto what Napoli meant to its fans in the face of classist ridicule from the northern Italian clubs and their supporters.

El Superclásico down the years.

He was one of many world-historical legends to appear in this fixture down the years: Juan Román Riquelme, Carlos Tevez, Gabriel Batistuta, Alfredo Di Stéfano, Hernán Crespo, Radamel Falcao, Alexis Sánchez, Gonzalo Higuaín. Before he was Man City’s next exploding star, Julián Álvarez was a River Plate man. This match has long been a playground for Argentina’s finest players, though perhaps the most famous footballer to take the field on Sunday will be a Uruguayan named Edinson Cavani. The former Napoli, PSG, and Manchester United man will wear the Boca #10 shirt, once of Maradona and Riquelme. Lucas Janson and Exequiel Zeballos will provide some scoring threat from the wings, while farther back you’ll find former Argentine national team stalwarts Marcos Rojo at centerback and Sergio Romero at keeper. On the other side, ex-West Ham playmaker Manuel Lanzini will pull the strings for River Plate and help to set up the big Venezuelan Solomón Rondón and 22-year-old striking prospect Pablo Solari.

These young men will want to do anything except make a mistake in El Superclásico—or, for that matter, switch sides in this feud. Óscar Ruggeri made that mistake, moving from Boca to River in 1985, and soon found himself on the receiving end of a barbaric tackle in this fixture from his ex-teammate Roberto Passucci. Boca’s supporters went one further and set his house on fire.⚽︎