Football expert Nick Seddon takes a look at another bumper weekend of football in Europe, including massive Premier League fixtures for both Manchester clubs. Check out his latest European Football Weekend Preview for kwiff Community below!
Manchester City v Chelsea – Saturday 17th February, 5.30pm (Sky Sports Main Event)
The Premier League title race continues to involve three as we steam past Valentine’s Day and into the spring, though it’s difficult to ignore Manchester City’s relentless pursuit of a fourth straight crown.
Pep Guardiola’s men traditionally turn the screw in the New Year, though their gear change seems to have come a little earlier than usual this season, winning 10 straight games since jetting off for the Club World Cup just before Christmas.
The latest of those victories came in midweek away at Copenhagen in the Champions League and they will be supremely confident of picking up two more points than they could manage at Stamford Bridge in November, when they were held to a thrilling 4-4 draw.
Meanwhile, mid-table Chelsea are one of the most difficult sides to predict in the league, though one constant has been their miserable recent record against City. The Blues haven’t won in seven against the Citizens since beating them in the 2021 Champions League final and will once again be pinning their hopes on former City man Cole Palmer – a shining light who scored in the reverse fixture.
The fact that City are commanding 1.30 favourites with kwiff to win this perhaps tells you more about the visitors than it does Guardiola’s men, but the hosts will be confident of extending their unbeaten run at home to 23 games ahead of their game in hand against Brentford in midweek.
Luton Town v Manchester United – Sunday 18th February, 4.30pm (Sky Sports Main Event)
Speaking of the unpredictable, Manchester United will be hoping to build on a good recent run of form by navigating a potentially tricky away game at Luton Town on Sunday afternoon.
The Red Devils have won each of their last four games in all competitions, including a hugely impressive victory away at Aston Villa last week, though defeats at Nottingham Forest and West Ham in December show that they can be vulnerable on the road.
The majority of United’s major wobbles have been at Old Trafford however and they are a fairly solid side on their travels, boasting the fifth best away record in the league. With Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s partial takeover finally being rubber stamped on Tuesday, United will be hopeful of marking that milestone by extending their fine record against promoted sides, winning 13 of their last 14 games.
Meanwhile, Luton have been growing in confidence with each passing week despite being largely written off by everyone in August, climbing out of the bottom three by scoring four goals in successive weeks – drawing away at Newcastle and thumping high-flying Brighton.
Even in defeat they have largely been a match for everyone at Kenilworth Road so far this season, giving scares to both Arsenal and Manchester City in December, though their loss at home to bottom club Sheffield United last weekend will have been a huge disappointment.
The Hatters will be keen to ensure that their heads don’t drop considering that they face a tough trip to Anfield on the back of this in midweek, though the fact that Manchester United are commanding 1.70 favourites with kwiff suggests that they could be in for a tough few days.
West Brom v Southampton – Friday 16th February, 8pm (Sky Sports Football)
Outside of the Premier League, the weekend kicks off with a fascinating televised tie between promotion candidates West
Brom and Southampton in the Championship. The story of the race for the Premier League has been one of relentless consistency so far this term, something which the visitors will be hoping to rediscover quickly after a rare setback.
The Saints suffered their first defeat for 25 games at Bristol City in midweek, a result which opened the door for Leeds United to jump into the automatic spots for the time being, while it is still ajar for fourth-placed Ipswich. Russell Martin’s side have been irresistible at times and it shouldn’t take them long to hit back, considering they can boast the joint second-best away record in the division.
They will face a tricky task if they are to return to winning ways, however, as they travel to in-form West Bromwich Albion. Carlos Corberán’s side have likely left it a little too late to trouble the automatic contenders, but they have propelled themselves into play-off contention after a relatively steady start, winning each of their last five league games at home.
The Baggies can boast a haul of 36 points at the Hawthorns – a tally bettered only by the current top two – and they will be keen to avenge their 2-1 defeat at St Mary’s in November. However, you have to go all the way back to September 2015 to find the last time that this pair drew with each other, meaning that a share of the spoils (at 3.00 with Kwiff) is probably overdue.
Athletic Bilbao v Girona – Monday 19th February, 8pm (ViaPlay Sports 1)
The pick of the European games arguably takes place in Spain on Monday night, when Girona will bid to get their surprise title challenge back on track away at in-form Athletic Bilbao.
The Catalan side have stunned the continent with their performances so far this campaign, topping the table for long periods and taking scalps which have included Atletico Madrid, a 5-1 hammering of struggling Sevilla and a stunning 4-2 victory away at neighbouring Barcelona.
All of this has come despite a modest budget, leading to plenty of comparisons with Leicester’s shock title success back in 2016, though they were brought crashing back down to Earth with a 4-0 defeat at Real Madrid last week.
The fact that Valencia (in 2001-02 and 2003-04) are the only club outside of the ‘big three’ of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid to win La Liga this century should go some way to explaining just how big an achievement it is for Girona to even be in the mix – provided we agree to discuss their ownership situation on another day.
Even with the eyebrow-raising loans of Yan Couto and Savio from two of their sister clubs, Girona’s rise is a remarkable one considering that their budget is around a tenth the size of title rivals Real Madrid – plus this is just their second season back in the top division after relegation.
Girona’s manager Michel all but conceded the title after last week’s defeat but it’s hard to see his side fading away into obscurity, considering they are 10 points clear in the Champions League spots and boast an away record that is second only to Real Madrid.
They will be hopeful of bouncing back but will have to do so at a venue where only one visiting side have won so far this season (guess who). Bilbao have lost just once in 10 since this pair drew the reverse fixture 1-1 in late November, winning six, meaning that Girona would likely see avoiding defeat as points very much gained.
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By Nick Seddon
