Weekend Watch: Show ‘em what you got

By: Bob | August 24th, 2007

I don’t know this for a fact but I think that every league in the world features at least one game this weekend. Let me know if you know otherwise. It is a glorious time to be a football fan, especially if you are a fan of the leagues in Europe which kick into full gear this weekend. Here’s a look at a random selection of games to keep an eye on while you gorge on the all-u-can eat footie buffet.

Saturday

Arsenal v Manchester City – Before the season started you would have predicted that Manchester City would be on top of the Premier League table heading into the fourth round, right? You are smart that way. Or crazy. Either way, City have a tough task today when they head to London to play against an Arsenal side that will be missing the blundering Jens Lehmann.

Sevilla v Getafe – The action in Spain starts out sizzling with a rematch of last year’s Copa del Rey. Sevilla return their hearty cast of characters while Getafe set out to prove their cup run last year was not a fluke. If this one doesn’t do it for you, there’s also the Madrid derby between Atletico and Real.

Juventus v Livorno – It is better late than never in Italy with the start of the Serie A campaign. Juventus are back from the cold after messing around in Serie B last season. They begin their return to glory against a mid-table Livorno squad.

Queensland Roar v Adelaide United – Life just seems right when they are playing soccer on all the continents. Australia gets into the action today with the kickoff of the A-League season. Last season the Melbourne Victory lived up to their name by winning the whole koala. Adelaide are always a contender and Queensland look to improve upon their mid-table form. Gone from the league are the New Zealand Knights. In their place are another New Zealand side, Wellington Phoenix FC.

Sunday

Lyon v St Etienne – Lyon find themselves in the unusual position of looking up at a lot of teams in the French Ligue 1 table. The perpetual champions are off to a slow start and currently reside in 12th place after a win and two losses from their first three matches. St Etienne is one of the teams ahead of rivals Lyon.

Panathinaikos v Olympiakos – After taking a break for a summer of ouzo and moussaka, the players are ready to get it going again in Greece. The opening weekend includes a tasty match between the 2006-07 champs Olympiakos and third place finishers Panathinaikos.

Sporting v Porto – Is a game in the second week of the season in Portugal that huge? When it involves these teams it is.

Corinthians v Cruzeiro – The never-ending season in Brazil continues on with Cruzeiro in second place a mere 6 points behind São Paulo. They’ll look to close the gap today when they face a once mighty Corinthians club that is currently languishing in 11th place.

Groene Ster v JVC Cuijk – The Dutch Cup is not just the name of a drive-through expresso shop near my house, it is also a domestic competition for the teams in Holland. Round one starts this weekend and includes teams like JVC Cuijk, who best I can tell play in the Hoofdklasse, the highest amateur league in the country and one of the best named leagues in the world.

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