The Champions League is on a hiatus this next week, but fear not as there is a tantalising array of fixtures to whet the appetite with Europe’s top sides in action, mainly, on cup duty.
England and Germany have two of the most famous cup competitions in Europe and some mouth-watering clashes have been drawn with the possibility of upsets across the board.
But there’s also league action in France and Spain with important points at stake in Sport360°’s midweek preview.
Manchester United vs. Liverpool – Suarez set for a return:
We’re told Suarez is “champing at the bit” to return to action after finally serving out his 10-match suspension for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic last April.
Liverpool’s main marksmen last season hasn’t played competitive football for the club this season but has maintained match-sharpness through bounce games and a competitive international for Uruguay, scoring twice in a World Cup qualifier in Peru.
But even without Suarez, Liverpool’s start to the season has been imporessive, with last Saturday’s home defeat to Southampton halting their unbeaten run.
United’s 4-1 slaughtering at the hands of rivals Manchester City on Sunday is the perfect prelude for the neutral, as David Moyes’ side are asked their first serious questions of their trophy-winning credentials.
Swindon Town vs. Chelsea – Mata’s chance to prove his worth:
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho takes his side to League One outfit Swindon Town after a rough few weeks for the Stamford Bridge club.
Defeats to Everton and FC Basel have increased scrutiny on Mourinho’s team selections, especially the omission of Juan Mata who has seen his game-time significantly decrease since the arrival of the ‘Special One’.
With Chelsea happy to rotate their squad, Mata will be handed a starting opportunity at Swindon as he looks to change Mourinho’s opinion.
But it won’t be easy with Swindon having taken QPR’s scalp in the previous round and looking to follow the success of Bradford last season. At least, with something to prove in both camps, this is more than an ordinary cup tie.
1860 Munich vs. Borussia Dortmund – Yellow and Black takes over:
More than 15,000 Borussia Dortmund fans are ready to descend on Munich, which is already in a carnival atmosphere with Oktoberfest kicking off at the weekend.
But they won’t be facing German champions Bayern. Instead, Dortmund face a tricky cup clash with rivals 1860 Munich who will be determined to pick up a win over a Bundesliga side.
Dortmund are set to field a strong XI, including Marco Reus and Robert Lewandowski, while Sven Bender would face his former club.
1860 have their own traditional end of the Allianz Arena, just like Bayern, so expect the atmosphere inside the stadium to be boisterous, as always. There could be up to 45,000 at this clash tonight with extra time and penalties a possibility.
Mainz vs. Cologne – Rhein-Hessen derby:
“Negative thinking is banned,” says Mainz boss Thomas Tuchel. His side went down 4-1 to Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday and will welcome a 1.FC Koln side high in confidence in the 2.Bundesliga.
But this game has something more riding on it. The Rhein-Hessen derby pits one of the most traditional clubs in Germany against Mainz who have become an established side in the top-flight in the last decade.
Peter Hoger takes his improving and capable side two hours south to the Coface Arena with Bundesliga-standard Patrick Helmes in excellent form. Watch out for Timo Horn and Yannick Gerhardt: two of the young Billy Goats impressing in the second-tier.
This might have the potential to be the cup game of the night.
Marseille vs. St-Etienne – All tight at the top:
Just four points separate Monaco in first, to Lille in eighth – and third take on fourth in tonight’s Ligue 1 card with Saint-Etienne travelling to Marseille.
Both sides approach this game after stumbling in their last few games with Toulouse succumbing Saint-Etienne to their second defeat of the campaign, whilst Marseille haven’t won in three league games.
Three points for either side would put them top of the league, for 24 hours, at least, until the rest of the clubs play their game in hand.
If cup football isn’t your thing, there’s no bigger league match in Europe tonight than the French clash at the new-look Veladrome.
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