European football: AC Milan v Juventus
Alessandro del Piero reached legendary status a long time ago at Juventus, but he has the opportunity to break yet another club record at the San Siro this Saturday.
The 35-year-old striker, synonymous with the Italian giants, needs one more goal to overtake Giampiero Boniperti's tally of 178 Serie A goals, and could achieve that feat at the home of the Rossoneri this weekend.
Already the Old Lady’s all-time top goalscorer and appearance holder, this final record will ensure "Il Capitano" bows out of the game as the club’s most important-ever player.
However, Juve face a stern challenge against Milan, who have won their last four league matches and remain unbeaten in six. With five points separating the sides, Juventus will be desperate to seal their first away win for five years against Massimiliano Allegri’s side to slash that deficit at the top-end of the table.
Meanwhile, Inter Milan dropped down to third place after their 1-1 draw against Sampdoria last weekend. The Nerazzurri were handed a timely boost earlier this week as influential midfielder Wesley Sneijder signed a new five-year deal with the European champions, and they travel to Genoa, with the Dutchman in-tow, this evening.
As for the current league leaders, Lazio, they face Sicilian side Palermo at La Favorita on Sunday. The visitors arrive on the crest of a wave after sealing six victories from their last seven league matches and have looked like genuine title contenders in the opening stages of the campaign.
In Spain, the question on everyone’s lips right now is: just how do you stop Cristiano Ronaldo? The Real Madrid star has been in explosive form of late, scoring eight – yes, eight – league goals in his last three matches. It’s up to newly-promoted Hercules to halt the Ronaldo whirlwind this Saturday – as well as his in-form teammates. Only two players have scored for Hercules all season – David Trezeguet and Nelson Valdez – but the pair have four goals apiece and should ask the question of José Mourinho’s back four on their home ground.
The stand-out tie of this weekend’s Primera Liga takes place at the Nou Camp, though, as Barcelona host sixth-placed Sevilla. With six players named in the shortlist for the 2010 Fifa Ballon d’Or earlier this week, confidence will be sky-high among the Barça players. The reigning champions have won five of their last six matches and look set to extend that against the unpredictable Sevilla, who have a dismal recent record at the home of the Catalan giants.
Villarreal are currently placed in second, and should keep themselves wedged in-between both Real Madrid and Barça with an away win against 15th-placed Sporting Gijon. At times this season, the Yellow Submarine have ‘out-Barcelona’d’ Barcelona themselves, and are comfortably one of the most easy-on-the-eye club sides in Europe right now.
Once again, in France’s Ligue 1, the attention will be on Lyon and their under-fire manager, Claude Puel. Following their embarrassing 1-1 draw against bottom side Arles, anything but a home win against Sochaux on Saturday could see the French coach looking for a new job.
There’s also a fascinating encounter at the top of the table between first and second, as leaders Rennes travel to south to Marseille on Saturday. The visitors lost their first match of the season last weekend against Montpellier, and will need to be at their absolute best to take any points off Didier Deschamps’ in-form side.
And in the Bundesliga, there’s another top-of-the-table clash between Borussia Dortmund and the heroic Mainz at Stadion am Bruchweg. Mainz have already defeated some of the most revered teams in Germany’s top-flight this season, including Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen, but they haven’t been satisfied to dwell on those victories. A win against Dortmund on Sunday would surely, once and for all, confirm the minnow’s status as serious title-challengers – although it promises to be their toughest task yet.
The gap between Mainz and Bayern Munich is now at an extraordinary 12 points following Louis van Gaal’s side’s 0-0 draw against Hamburg last Friday. They’re in action once again tonight against seventh- placed Freiburg at the Allianz Arena, and will be aiming to turn the corner with a convincing victory this evening.
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