Weekend Watch: A bad time for a nap

By: Bob | August 31st, 2007

It is a three-day weekend in the United States and the unofficial end of summer. Where did it go? If was all just an alcohol-induced haze interspersed with tabloid stories about the Beckham family. Ah, the memories. As we move towards autumn we approach the most active part of the football year around the globe. Here are a few randomly selected games to keep an eye on while you soak up the sun and fun for one last weekend.

Saturday

Empoli v Inter Milan – If you choose to watch only one Serie A game today choose this one. It is the only one being played. After opening their campaign with a lackluster draw last weekend, Inter hit the road to face an Empoli side that got spanked by Fiorentina in their opener.

FC Dallas v DC United – Denilson’s work papers have come through in time so the Brazilian midfielder could make his FC Dallas debut against DC United, but even if he does not this should be an entertaining match between two of the hottest teams in MLS. Last time they met Dallas came back from a 3-0 deficit to pick up a point.

Torquay v Stafford Rangers – There are a gazillion teams playing league football in England and the team that is currently at the bottom is Stafford Rangers. With one point from five games, they are at the bottom of the Conference table and they are the subject of this week’s Wikipedia fact: “Despite extensive research, no-one has ever been able to prove conclusively when Stafford Rangers was actually formed, as early minute books were destroyed during the First World War. Rangers’ formation year is recognised as 1876 because of articles in the local Advertiser newspaper, but an alternative theory on Rangers’ formation date, printed in the Sentinel newspaper during 1891, suggests not and that the club was founded by a Bible class in 1877.”

Black Leopards v Silver Stars – The South African Premiership kicks off this weekend and the one definitive thing I can say about the league is that it is colorful. At least the names of the teams are. Black Leopards, Golden Arrows, Silver Stars…man, I am suddenly craving a bowl of Lucky Charms.

Argentinos Juniors v Colón de Santa Fe – Why should you care about a game between two mid-table teams in Argentina? Because we have a blog for one of the teams and it quite possibly is the only English language blog about Argentinos Juniors in the whole fucking universe.

Manchester United v Sunderland – This game only makes the cut because of the delightful possibility of Roy Keane and Sir Alex killing one another. Or they could just shake hands afterward and share a nice bottle of pinot.

Sunday

Spartak Moscow v CSKA Moscow – Derby time in Moscow is always a fun occasion, especially when one or both of these teams is involved in a hunt for a championship. Spartak are on top of the table ahead of Zenit St. Petersburg by two points and CSKA by six. A three-point swing today could make the final weeks a three-way race.

Villarreal v Real Madrid – Round two of La Liga in Spain features a tasty encounter between Villarreal and Real Madrid. Villarreal looked impressive in their opening victory against Sevilla. Real Madrid also came away with three points in their opener in the Madrid Derby. This should be a good indication of where each team stands early in the season.

PSG v Marseille – Some people call it the Derby of France. The first encounter of the season between Paris St Germain and Marseille sees two teams struggling to gain form early in the Ligue 1 season. PSG finally got off the snide in their last match when they beat Le Mans. Marseille saw their team whistled off the field by their own supporters following their loss to Nice.

Know of a game happening this weekend that we should follow or be excited about? Feel free to hype it in the comments.