⚽︎Friday, Nov. 24: Man City-Liverpool Is High-Octane
The two great powers of the last half decade meet in the Premier League.
There are four highly watchable matches back-to-back on Saturday, and three more of the same description on Sunday. That’s a multi-marathon weekend to welcome us back from the international break. The headline is provided by Manchester City and Liverpool, who will meet at the Etihad Stadium for a (controversial) early kickoff on Saturday. But there are a number of promising matches in the Premier League and Serie A in particular.
———————————————
New to THE FOOTBALL WEEKEND? You can SIGN UP HERE FOR FREE to get a Friday morning rundown of all the matches worth watching over the coming weekend. You’ll have Fantasy Premier League picks, the week’s biggest headlines, and a healthy dose of Narrative, all in your inbox every Friday morning.
If TFW has become a valuable part of your week, I’d appreciate it if you could support it by becoming a member. —Jack
———————————————
THE HEADLINES
➟ There was no English-language feed in the U.S., so I watched Brazil-Argentina en vivo on Telemundo. It said “RUMBO AL MUNDIAL” on the score chyron, which means something like “Road to the World Cup” but sounds like a Muhammad Ali fight. Fights broke out in the stands ahead of this one and police responded with extreme force, beating spectators viciously with batons. Kickoff was delayed when Argentina’s players walked off the field in protest. It was a preview of the typically brawling bout to come.
Argentina are world champions because they know how to win big games, and it wasn’t just Rodrigo De Paul’s (ugly) playacting to get Joelinton sent off. The referee got it wrong and took the air out of the game on 82 minutes after the Brazilians had impressed themselves upon the match for large parts of it. They created the better chances, but the Argentines took theirs. 35-year-old Nicolás Otamendi jumped out of the gym to rise above his opposite centerback Gabriel and smack a cabezazo into the top corner, and the blue-and-white stripes ran out the clock in the tempestuous atmosphere of the Maracanã with seasoned aptitude. Brazil had never before lost a home World Cup qualifier, and they’ve now slid to 6th in the South American table.
➟ Gabriel was one of three Arsenal players named Gabriel starting for Brazil on Tuesday night. The North Londoners have come a long way over the last couple of years, both in quality of players and the reputation of the club. You want Arsenal players in your nation’s team nowadays, though it didn’t quite happen for any of the three. Gabriel Martinelli was electric on the dribble, roasting Argentine defenders with pace and deft touch, but he missed a couple of big chances. One was set up through a mazing dribble from Gabriel Jesus, who played 96 bruising minutes (much to the chagrin of many in Arsenalworld, considering the injury concerns around him at the moment). He showed why Brazil coach Fernando Diniz was desperate to have him out there. Considering the tough times he’s had in the national spotlight, he’ll be desperate to show the Brazilian public what he can do at this level.
➟ Now that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been charged by the Football Association for vociferously criticizing a refereeing decision—one he (correctly) said is just the latest bad call his side have had to deal with—will fellow Premier League manager Roberto De Zerbi face any sanctions for this one?
“I am honest and clear. I don’t like 80% of England[’s] referees. It’s not a new thing, no? Because I don’t like them. Their behavior—I don’t like their behavior on the pitch. No.”
That cracked me up, but it’s surely more out-of-bounds than just criticizing decisions?
➟ Has the Premier League established a benchmark by giving Everton a 10-point penalty for a single charge of financial impropriety? Even if it’s reduced to, say, six on appeal, does that mean Manchester City or Chelsea will face proportionate punishments if convicted on any charges brought against them? Or do the rich, as ever, live by different rules?
———————————————
FRIDAY
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN vs MONACO
3:00pm ET on beIN Sports / 8:00pm on TNT Sports 3
First against third in Ligue 1 provides The Early Weekend. PSG have won five straight in this competition, with—who else—Kylian Mbappé coming into some frightening form. He’s got 13 goals already in the French first division. The Parisians have scored 29 goals total in 12 matches, but Monaco aren’t far behind with 25. They’ve been spreading them around, with Aleksandr Golovin and Wissam Ben Yedder both on five. Both teams’ fullbacks have been assisting: Monaco’s Ciao Henrique has four, but so does PSG’s Achraf Hakimi.
———————————————
SATURDAY
MANCHESTER CITY vs LIVERPOOL
7:30am ET on Peacock / 12:30pm GMT on SKY Sports
The last time Manchester City won consecutive league matches against Liverpool was in 1937, a couple of months before the Hindenburg disaster. (That is, unless you count a couple of results in the North Region War League during World War II.) It’s a testament to City’s historical standing, or lack thereof, in the English game. There were some periods of absolute destruction, like the 1970s and the early 2000s, when Liverpool were on top of the football world and the Sky Blues were the other team in Manchester.
My, how things have changed, though Liverpool have mounted pretty much the only sustained resistance to City’s dominance since Chelsea last won the league under Antonio Conté in 2017. José Mourinho’s Manchester United side came second the following season while Jürgen Klopp was getting his bearings in English football, though City won the title with five games to spare. But by 2018-19, Liverpool had come roaring back to prominence, tallying 97 points. The only problem was that City got one more, just as they often would over the next four seasons. The Reds did triumph in the pandemic season of 2019-20, but usually they were victims of the sky-high standards set by Pep Guardiola and Co. Suddenly, you needed 95 or 100 points to be champions.
And all through that period, the meetings between these two were knock-down, drag-out affairs, festivals of high technical skill and awesome athleticism. Liverpool’s rampaging fullbacks battled City’s tricky wing threats, Virgil Van Dijk stood tall against the blue runners buzzing in and around the penalty area, Jordan Henderson and Fabinho battled in the trenches against Fernandinho, Mo Salah and Sadio Mané terrified a rotating cast of Man City fullbacks, and James Milner switched sides.



Both these teams have undergone significant transformations since last season. Liverpool have revitalized their midfield with thrilling box-to-box force Dominik Szoboszlai and metronomic pass-picker Alexis Mac Allister, though they’ve still got a hole in defensive midfield that needs filling. Do they have the athleticism to cope with Rodri? They’ll feel blessed to see Kevin De Bruyne still isn’t fit, and Mateo Kovačić has yet to demonstrate he can fill the boots of the departed İlkay Gündoğan. City have quietly lost some of their key Winners, the players who scored crucial goals at crucial times to hold off Liverpool—or Arsenal last season—to claim crowns. Jérémy Doku is a dangerous dribbler, but Riyad Mahrez was that and a whole lot more, a genius winger with silky touch, a formidable range of passing, and a real eye for goal.
There’s an argument that Liverpool are catching City at a decent time, with Luis Diaz firing into form on the opposite flank from the inevitable Salah. Darwin Núñez is showing something at international level with Uruguay, but he must become a clinical finisher for his club if they’re going to challenge the Citizens once again. In all things, but especially at the Etihad, Guardiola’s men are the favorites.
NEWCASTLE vs CHELSEA
10:00am ET on Peacock / 3:00pm GMT on N/A
It’s the newly rich and the even more newly, as Chelsea visit St. James’ Park to test themselves against a sporting project that—like many others—is surely inspired by Roman Abramovitch’s experiment in West London once upon a time. That was when Chelsea were Chelsea, and they’ll like to think they’re Chelsea again under Mauricio Pochettino, a top tactician and man-motivator. But they don’t score goals consistently enough to match their stout defensive record. They need goals from somewhere, anywhere, and a striker in the next transfer window.
The defensive side is what built Newcastle’s Champions League qualification campaign last season, but they haven’t matched that level so far this term. In the time since a fortuitous 1-0 victory over Arsenal on November 4, they’ve lost to Dortmund and Bournemouth, and they particularly need to start creating and taking more chances. The return of Alexander Isak would help with that, but he’s questionable. If they can’t get their passing game going, the Magpies may try to bully Chelsea on set pieces.
BRENTFORD vs ARSENAL
12:30pm ET on USA (NBC Sports) / 5:30pm GMT on TNT Sports 1
It’s a London derby to wrap Saturday’s Premier League festivities, with the third-place Gunners zipping northwest to visit Brentford. The piping hot tea in this one flows from Arsenal’s perpetual goalkeeping drama, as David Raya is contractually banned from playing against the team from which he’s on loan. That seems to be the only way Aaron Ramsdale can get a Premier League (or Champions League) game at the moment, despite Mikel Arteta’s increasingly false claims about keeper rotation when he first signed Raya. The young Englishman will be desperate to impress in this rare opportunity.
Meanwhile, Brentford are putting some form back together after a rough spell, winning three of their last five behind the impressive play of Bryan Mbuemo. He’ll be the main threat, while Gabriels Martinelli and Jesus will be looking excise the demons of that defeat to Argentina on Brazil duty. They combine and interchange positions down the center-left, and with Bukayo Saka they constitute Arsenal’s best front line. (Leandro Trossard is powerful at the moment, to be fair. Have you ever seen anything quite like this piece of skill?) But will they have Martin Ødegaard to stitch together the play getting into the final third? The captain and chief creative force has been a big miss along with Thomas Partey, one of the best deep playmakers around last season. The Gunners need a result in every match to keep pace with City and Liverpool, though both could drop points this week—an opportunity.
A.C. MILAN vs FIORENTINA
2:45pm ET on Paramount+ / 7:45pm GMT on TNT Sports 2
If you’re looking to round off a proper Saturday, you can head down to Italy. Three points separate Milan in third from the Florentines in sixth, and while the Rossoneri’s European prospects have improved markedly, they need to sort things out domestically to stay in touch with Inter and Juventus. They’re winless in four Serie A matches, struggling to score and conceding when they do. Olivier Giroud has seven goals and three assists at the age of 37 but he’s suspended, while Nicolás González (six goals, one assist) and Giacomo Bonaventura (five goals, two assists) lead the way for the men in purple.
———————————————
Are you left shaking your fist at the TV gods when a match is blacked out in your country? Consider NordVPN your teleportation device. Go anywhere in the world to catch a game, starting at $3.79 a month. Plus, it will be your shield against the malevolent forces of the Internet as you browse. A share of your signup fee will go towards supporting The Football Weekend.
———————————————
MORE HEADLINES
➟ Sergiño Dest got himself sent off in ridiculous fashion for the U.S. Men’s National Team in Trinidad, earning two yellow cards in 30 seconds after getting himself in a spat with the match official. It was a formidable atmosphere at the Hasely Crawford Stadium despite the many empty seats, as those who were in attendance played on instruments of all kinds to create a more confrontational version of World Cup 2010’s vuvuzelas. Dest had played a fine ball into the box for Antonee Robinson to open the scoring with a diving header, but he lost his head 39 minutes into the first half in Port of Spain. It’s a cursed place for the USMNT, one where they said goodbye to a World Cup before it began.
Trinidad & Tobago struck twice, first through a strong run in behind and top-bins finish from Reon Moore just four minutes after Dest was given his marching orders. Matt Turner will regret his role in the second, showing weak hands on a speculative free kick from Alvin Jones that knuckled straight at him. The USA crumbled once again here, and while the rough surface will always dent their technical advantage, they showed early on that they had what was needed to get it done. No wonder Dest got an earful from captain Tim Ream on the pitch, and the Reaming continued in public after the match: “It’s a complete lack of respect for the guys that are playing, for the guys that are on the bench, feeling of lack of respect for the game itself, for the referees.”
“It’s inexcusable,” coach Gregg Berhalter said. “It was surreal.” Also surreal: Berhalter’s away record in CONCACAF is one win, four draws, five losses.
➟ Italy has qualified, just about, for EURO 2024, but only after an inexplicable officiating decision helped them to a 0-0 draw over Ukraine. It was a winner-goes-to-the-EUROs match, and beforehand, UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin said it would be a “disaster” if Italy missed the tournament. Ukraine still have a chance to qualify through other means, but they would have preferred a chance from the penalty spot with just minutes to play.
➟ Dominik Szoboszlai celebrated Hungary’s qualification by leaping into the stands to down a shot of palinka, which is “a traditional Hungarian fruit brandy.” He’d earned it after two goals, three chances created, a number of successful dribbles, and 13 duels won. Gerrard-esque from the Liverpool #8.
➟ 20-year-old Barcelona attacking midfield starlet Gavi is the latest high-profile ACL tear, part of a broader surge in injuries. There will be few tears for millionaires, but this ceaseless schedule asks too much of players. Check out this ACL XI:
It’s a cruel blow for the young maestro, just as his would-be partner in crime, Pedri, makes a return from his own long-term injury.
➟ Norway has failed to qualify for yet another international tournament. Their next opportunity is World Cup 2026, where we’d surely all like to see Erling Haaland, Martin Odegaard, and Man City up-and-comer Oscar Bobb (NOT a Simpsons character) form a formidable attacking triumvirate.
———————————————
THE FPL STOCK MARKET
↗️ The Crystal Palace back line: I still like anybody eligible for clean sheet points from Palace. Roy Hodgson doesn’t mess around on the defensive side of things, and they’ve got Luton, West Ham, and Bournemouth coming up. Joachim Andersen (£4.8m) has been a no-brainer all season, but I’ve also got keeper Sam Johnstone in at £4.6m. Like Andersen, Tyrick Mitchell (£4.6m) also provides a threat going forward.
↗️ Bryan Mbuemo (£6.8m): If you buy the Brentford resurgence, you’re surely buying Mbuemo. He’s got two goals and three assists in his last four. I have a weird feeling he’ll score against Arsenal, and after this week, Brentford will generally be a big-time buy. They face Luton, Brighton, Sheffield United, and Aston Villa before a bye week. Then it’s Wolves, Palace, Nottingham Forest. Ethan Pinnock (£4.6m) in defense and Mark Flekken (£4.5m) in goal could be bargain buys.
↘️ Tottenham’s remaining players: The Spurs backline looks a lot weaker without Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero, so I’d sell their defenders and keeper Guglielmo Vicario (£5.2m) if you’ve got them—particularly with the daunting schedule they’ve got ahead. They’ll also have issues going forward without James Maddison. Dejan Kulusevski (£7.0m) may still be worth a punt, but while Son Heung-min may still snag some goals, he’s pricey at £9.7m.
↗️ Morgan Gibbs-White (£5.7m): The Englishman is fairly cheap for a #10 coming into some form, and Forest have a decent schedule coming up. Antony Elanga (£5.0m) is even cheaper and is starting to get on the business end of things.
↗️ Simon Adingra (£5.0m): Brighton are dusting the dirt off another newly unearthed gem, and the Seagulls have a favorable schedule. Also, Evan Ferguson (£6.1m) is a hugely exciting striking prospect if he can get fit.
———————————————
SUNDAY
TOTTENHAM vs ASTON VILLA
9:00am ET on USA (NBC Sports) / 2:00pm GMT on SKY Sports
It’s too bad that Tottenham have picked up so many injuries, because this one could have been a 5-4. Maybe it still will be, because the Villans are a free-scoring side (they’re second in the division for goals behind Manchester City), but they concede plenty, too. Spurs will be wondering whether Giovanni Lo Celso might fill the void left by the injured James Maddison following a decent showing for Argentina on Tuesday, but Micky van de Ven (and his pace) will be even tougher to replace at the back. Villa’s quick forwards will look to get in behind Eric Dier, who still won’t have the suspended Cristian Romero beside him. This could be a basketball game in the second half.
EVERTON vs MANCHESTER UNITED
11:30am ET on USA (NBC Sports) / 4:30pm GMT on SKY Sports
Two clubs that have spent money terribly over the last half decade come together, and for once Manchester United aren’t the one in the most turmoil. Since their last Premier League match, Everton have been docked 10 points for alleged financial improprieties. They’re now plunged into the relegation zone on four points. The Toffees are still ahead of Burnley, though, and for my money, Sean Dyche will lead them to survival by getting results in home matches like this one.
United are getting results of their own right now, though, taking more points—however improbably—from their last five matches than Man City, Liverpool, or Arsenal. (Granted, Everton have taken 10 from their last five.) That’s not to say United are in good form, and they’ve still got a goal difference of -3. In fact, they’ve scored one fewer goal than Everton this season, and conceded just one less.
JUVENTUS vs INTERNAZIONALE
2:45pm ET on Paramount+ / 7:45pm GMT on TNT Sports 1
First against second in Serie A, with the hosts trailing the visitors by two points. Inter have looked like one of the best sides in Europe to begin this season, profiting from Lautaro Martínez’s hot form. He’s got 12 goals in 12 league matches, plus two in four Champions League outings, but it’s Marcus Thuram who’s often supplied key goals in the biggest games. They’ll expect a steady supply of opportunities from Nicolò Barella and the genius deep playmaker Hakan Çalhanoğlu, whose range of passing is among the best in Europe. He’s also five for five on penalties this season, including in the 5-1 battering of A.C. Milan in September. Inter have subsequently seen off Roma and Atalanta, but this one and next week’s bout with Napoli could provide a different kind of test.
For Juve, it’s a perfect 25 points from their last five, including a 1-0 over Milan. They’ve leapfrogged the Rossoneri and are making the case that they are the ones to challenge Inter for the title this season. The black-and-whites have scored 10 fewer goals than their opponents here, but they’ve allowed just one more. A succession of narrow victories have seen them grind out points. They’re getting goals from defenders—Bremer and Daniele Rugani last time out—and a 20-year-old midfielder named Fabio Miretti got the 1-0 winner against Fiorentina. They could get blown away by the Inter attack, but they might just try to manage the game, stay in it, and grab that chance when it comes. They wouldn’t be the first.⚽︎