⚽️The North London Derby (Feat. RORY TALKS FOOTBALL)
⚽️The North London Derby (Feat. RORY TALKS FOOTBALL)
It's Tottenham vs. Arsenal in a massive Premier League showdown.
The disgust that Tottenham and Arsenal have for one another is truly uncommon. When Sol Campbell made a shocking move across North London in 2001, leaving his boyhood club for their title-chasing rivals, his return to White Hart Lane that fall created a downright dangerous situation. The Arsenal bus was attacked on its way into the stadium, and he was greeted by chants and signs that drove home his treachery: “JUDAS!”
Arsenal have enjoyed far more success than their neighbors since they moved across the Thames to North London 110 years ago and kicked off this disagreement. But there was a spell over the last decade where Tottenham rose to supremacy as the Gunners fell away from their historic position as England’s third greatest club. Now the tables have turned once again, with Arsenal back to competing for titles and Tottenham just trying to get back into the Champions League. If Spurs can defeat the old enemy when the red shirts come to the glittering Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, they can advance their own ambitions while dealing a crucial blow to Arsenal’s.
Joining the show this week to preview this encounter is @RoryTalksFootball, who covers the top-level European game for an audience of hundreds of thousands across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter. He’s also an Arsenal fan, so there’s a fair bit of Gooner chat, though we still made time to show some respect for Tottenham talisman Son Heung-min.
You can also check it out on Apple Podcasts and Acast.
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THE HEADLINES
⚽︎ Three months ago, Xavi announced he was leaving his post as Barcelona manager at the end of the season after a home loss to Villareal unleashed an avalanche of criticism. Today, club president Joan Laporta announced the legendary ex-midfielder will be staying on for another year after all. Maybe the chief tuned in for last week’s chat with Graham Hunter.
⚽︎ Feyenoord manager Arne Slot made an impressively open overture to Liverpool this week: “Clubs are negotiating,” he told ESPN Netherlands. “I am awaiting the outcome. It’s no secret I want to go to Liverpool. Now I am waiting for the clubs to reach an agreement. I am confident that will happen.”
⚽︎ Enzo Fernández had surgery this week for a hernia. He hopes to be back healthy in time to represent Argentina at Copa América this summer.
⚽︎ Liverpool’s title challenge was dealt a heavy blow by neighbors Everton, who triumphed in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park for the first time since 2010. The Toffees likely secured safety from relegation in the process.
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SATURDAY
WEST HAM vs LIVERPOOL
7:30am ET, 12:30pm GMT
Jürgen Klopp’s team head down to London with their title bid on life support after a stunning 2-0 defeat in the Merseyside derby in midweek. The manager looked drained in the aftermath of that one, and his team has looked tired and slow for a few weeks now. They’ll need to get back to winning their duels if they want to take points at the London Stadium, where West Ham will provide physical running and a counterattacking threat. If they fail here, Liverpool’s season could unravel completely.
FULHAM vs CRYSTAL PALACE
10am ET, 3pm GMT
Palace are one of the form teams in the Premier League at the moment and a delightful watch. Eberechi Eze and Michael Olisé are worth the price of admission on their own, while Jean-Philippe Mateta is crackling into form up front. Fulham are a decent outfit in a period of slight decline, though Rodrigo Muniz is enjoying a breakout season and this is, after all, a London derby.
JUVENTUS vs MILAN
12pm ET, 5pm GMT
This is third hosting second in Serie A, with Italy’s Champions League representation next year still under discussion. A.C. Milan will be smarting from a defeat in the Derby della Madonnina this week that was about more than local bragging rights, but the red-and-blacks are pretty much nailed-on to play in the UCL next season. Juventus are in fine shape considering Italy has secured a fifth ticket due to its teams’ overall performance in Europe this term, but fourth-place Bologna are only two points behind the Old Lady. They’ll want to hold onto a place in the top three.
BAYER LEVERKUSEN vs STUTTGART
12:30pm ET, 5:30pm GMT
Leverkusen have wrapped up the Bundesliga, but they’re still chasing the dream of an unbeaten season, and third-place Stuttgart represent one of their last major hurdles.
ASTON VILLA vs CHELSEA
3pm ET, 8pm GMT
The visitors suffered a demolition at the hands of London rivals Arsenal in midweek, and Chelsea really are a team in search of something to shout about. They blew it against a poor Manchester City team in the FA Cup semifinal, lost the League Cup final in mortifying circumstances, and find themselves mired in midtable in the Premier League.
By contrast, Aston Villa are on course to play Champions League football next season. They just need a few more victories, and Villa Park will be their fortress. With matches against Brighton, Liverpool, and Crystal Palace still to come, Unai Emery may look at Mauricio Pochettino’s teetering young Chelsea team as a prime target.
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THE KITMAN
Bari is often thought of as a landing pad for Puglia, the place with an airport for people on their way to Ostuni or Polignano a Mare or Alberobello. But the Apulian capital is an ancient place, a key port since at least 180 B.C., and there’s magic in the old town up against the Adriatic Sea.
They’ve also got a football team that’s struggling on the pitch—the Galletti are fighting relegation from Serie B—but thriving off of it. SSC Bari announced a collaboration with Kappa and LC23, a brand from designer Leonardo Colacicco that’s produced in Puglia, with a very charming video that they backed up with some top threads.
It’s not just the lustrous silver jacket in the ad. This long-sleeve number is also shining:
You can find the full collection at Bari’s club shop or LC23. It’s actually not the first collab between them—there was another drop back in March 2022. Long live Bari, I say.
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SUNDAY
TOTTENHAM vs ARSENAL
9am ET, 2pm GMT
Get the full preview of this one above! By the way, it was 20 years ago Thursday that Arsenal won the league at White Hart Lane.
FOREST vs MAN CITY
11:30am ET, 4:30pm GMT
The hosts are fighting relegation, and the City Ground was their citadel last season when they successfully survived in the Premier League. The visiting Citizens are going for a sixth title in seven years, however, and they’ll see an opportunity to gain some ground with Arsenal embroiled in a local derby earlier in the day. Nottingham Forest are just one point clear of Luton Town and the drop zone, in desperate need of points, but they probably won’t harbor too much hope of picking them up here.
REAL BETIS vs SEVILLA
3pm ET, 8pm GMT
El Gran Derbi does not have any massive stakes in terms of league positions, though Betis are still hunting European football next term. Sevilla have had an incredibly poor season, but they’ve climbed up into lower mid-table in time for this visit to their crosstown rivals—and an ex-player, Isco, whom they discarded midseason two years back. He’s a magician playing a revenge game.⚽︎