After a midweek full of UEFA Champions League ups and downs, Europe's top clubs will return their focus to domestic battles this weekend as league play resumes. The results could provide a spark for some clubs, while others are only looking ahead following disappointing results in continental competition.
The best matchups this weekend, at least on paper, will be in Italy, where four of the top five teams will face off. First up is Serie A leaders Inter Milan, who will welcome Napoli Saturday in a first vs. fifth place battle. Only four points separate the clubs. Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be the key man for the Naples club to beware of. The Swede provided both goals for Inter Tuesday in a 2-0 win against PSV Eindhoven, the Dutch club unable to score despite holding a two-man advantage at the final whistle.
Juventus, one point behind Inter, are set to battle third-place Fiorentina the following day. Juve boss Claudio Ranieri will return to his old stomping grounds for the occasion, having led Fiorentina for five years in the mid-1990s. Juventus will have no support on the road, as the club's fans have been barred from attending the match due to the possibility of violent clashes between the clubs' diehards. AC Milan, which lost 2-1 on a last-gasp goal to Celtic on Wednesday in the Champions League, will turn the focus to Lazio, which tied Real Madrid in the same competition.
In the German Bundesliga, second-place Schalke 04 and third-place Karlsruhe will look to apply some pressure on leaders Bayern Munich before that side's Sunday clash with Nurnberg. Schalke is four points back of Bayern, with Karlsruhe down an additional tally. If either club can get a three-point result, all eyes will turn to Michael Rensing, who will occupy the Munich net. Captain Oliver Kahn has been ruled out for at least a month with an elbow injury requiring surgery.
Like AC Milan, France's Lyon is another of the aforementioned teams out to forget the week's European action, as the Ligue 1 leaders were smoked 3-0 by Scotland's Rangers at home Tuesday. U.S. international DaMarcus Beasley led the charge for the Glasgow club with a goal and an assist. The perennial French league champs will look to regain some confidence with an important road game against third-place Bordeaux on Sunday.
Liverpool is in a similar situation in the English Premier League, attempting to quickly recover after a surprising 1-0 defeat Wednesday at Anfield at the hands of Marseille. The Reds face London's Tottenham Hotspur Sunday. On the flip side, stragglers Chelsea might finally have some momentum to take into Premier League action after topping Valencia 2-1 in Spain Wednesday. The Blues visit Bolton Wanderers Sunday.
Arsenal and Manchester United are other EPL clubs that won on the road in midweek action, each posting 1-0 wins; Arsenal beat Steaua Bucharest and Man United beat Roma. They will battle Sunderland and Wigan Athletic, respectively, as league action resumes this weekend.
Barcelona kept their recent run going on Tuesday with a 2-0 Champions League road victory against Stuttgart. Argentinean star Leonel Messi stayed hot with a goal, and he'll try to repeat the feat against Atletico Madrid on Sunday at the Nou Camp. The two clubs are in fourth and fifth in La Liga, though Messi's side is just two points behind rivals Real Madrid. The Spanish titleholders face mid-table Recreativo Huelva on Sunday in Madrid.
Back in Britain, Celtic and Rangers will put their identical 6-1-1 records on the line in the Scottish Premier League, though it's the Hoops that appear to have the easier encounter this weekend. Celtic visit last-place Gretna on Sunday, while Rangers must beat third-place Hibernian Saturday to put their rivals under the gun.
The two most popular Mexican club teams, CD Guadalajara (Chivas) and America, each face stern road tests this weekend. Chivas, currently sitting in second place in Group 3, visits Group 1's third-place team, Pachuca, first on Saturday. America, meanwhile, currently third in Group 2, will visit Group 1 leaders Toluca Sunday. Also of note, Argentina's "Superclasico" will take place Sunday when second-place Boca Juniors meet fierce rivals River Plate, who are off to a meager 4-4-4 start and sitting in 10th place.
Jonathan Nierman is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
