Weekend Watch: Spread ‘em

By: Bob | November 9th, 2007

Playoff soccer. Check. Derby. Check. League championship at stake. Check. It looks like all the necessary components are in place for yet another weekend of football fan glory. Here’s a sampling of the menu you can choose from as you navigate your fingers over the remote control buttons.

Saturday

Sunderland v Newcastle – It doesn’t really matter that Sunderland are 15th in the English Premier League and Newcastle are 10th in the table. This is the Tyne-Wear derby and you can be assured that the Stadium of Lights will be a-rockin’. Newcastle leads the all-time results with 50 wins, 43 draws, and 45 losses.

Houston v Kansas City – The Dynamo won the MLS Cup last year. The Wizards won the MLS Cup in 2000. One of these teams will have a chance to add another trophy to the case if they advance today.

Harrogate Railway v Droylsden – Round one of the FA Cup kicks off with a bunch of teams you have never heard of but who you will end up rooting for if they advance to play the big boys. The Locomotives of Harrogate Railway play in the Northern Premier League Division One North. They’ll play host to Conference National side Droylsden who go by the very gang-sounding nickname, The Bloods.

Werder Bremen v Karlsruhe – A battle between third and fourth in the Bundesliga. Werder have gone seven league matches without a defeat to work their way back up the table. Newly promoted Karlruhe have been a revelation thus far with three losses from 12 games.

Sunday

Fiorentina v Udinese – Two teams have gone eleven matches without a loss this season in Serie A. Inter Milan is one of them. Fiorentina is the other. They face a tricky test today against fifth place Udinese.

Marseille v Lyon – Two teams in the Champions League that are having entirely opposite domestic league season. Lyon are in their customary spot atop the Ligue 1 table. Marseille are in the drop zone, second from bottom. The other big game in France features third-placed Stade Rennes travelling to fourth-placed Girondins Bordeaux.

Villarreal v Sevilla – Fresh off a thrilling 4-3 victory over Atletico Madrid last weekend, Villarreal host a Sevilla side that has beaten both Real Madrid and Valencia in recent weeks.

Feynoord v Ajax – Two teams tied atop the table in the Netherlands. There is little love lost between the club from Rotterdam and the club from Amtserdam.

Saturn Moscow v Zenit St Petersburg – It will be a dramatic final weekend in the Russian Premier League. Zenit are two points clear of Spartak Moscow on top of the table. Spartak are playing at home against Dinamo Moscow. Will the three Moscow clubs conspire against the club from St Petersburg?

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