Football fans are waiting for the return of the Champions League and European League competitions this week, and we will also shine the spotlight on derby matches in the major European leagues.
Champions League
Barcelona, Spain, and its Argentine star, Lionel Messi, are preparing to face Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the Champions League final on Tuesday.
The match brings back memories of the confrontation that brought the two teams together in the same round of the tournament 4 years ago, when Barcelona lost 4-0 in the first leg, and then made a stunning comeback by winning 6-1 in the second leg, to snatch the qualifying card, winning an overall score of 6-5.
🔜 Barcelona 🆚 Paris…
🇧🇷 Throwback to THIS Dani Alves assist 🔥 # UCL |
@FCBarcelona |
@ DaniAlvesD2 pic.twitter.com/Wd1FKrqt04
- UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) February 15, 2021
Liverpool is also looking to rise from a slump of 3 consecutive defeats in the Premier League, when it meets tomorrow, the German Leipzig, who reached the Champions League semi-finals last season, and the match will be held at a neutral stadium in Budapest, due to the restrictions imposed in Germany in light of the new Corona virus pandemic.
The final price competition on Wednesday evening will witness the Spanish meeting between Seville and Borussia Dortmund, Porto and Italian Juventus.
European League
The round of the 32nd first-leg matches will start next Thursday, and include matches, the most important of which are Benfica of Portugal against Arsenal of England, Red Star of Serbia against Milan, Real Sociedad of Spain against Manchester United of England, Lille of France against Ajax.
⚽️🔜
The Europa League returns next week!
Which tie are you most excited for?
🤩 # UEL pic.twitter.com/o8dAkDA0s8
- UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) February 11, 2021
Neutral courts
Travel and other restrictions in light of the Corona virus pandemic have caused the transfer of 8 matches in the home and away rounds of the Champions League and European League championships, to neutral stadiums.
According to the laws of the European Football Association (UEFA), the hosting team is obligated to find a neutral stadium in the event that the match cannot be held at its home.
And it was decided to transfer 4 matches in the European League, including the Benfica match against Arsenal, which will be held in Rome, and the Sociedad match against Manchester United, which will be held in Turin (Italy).
The derby clashes
At the level of major leagues, this week will witness distinct derby confrontations, with Schalke hosting the Borussia Dortmund team next Saturday in the 22nd stage of the German League.
Schalke is last in the competition table with 9 points, and has achieved only one victory this season.
Borussia Dortmund also suffered from a decline in results during the last period, where it achieved an orphan victory only in the last 6 matches.
But winning the derby game would have a major role in easing the pain of fans of both teams.
As for Bayern Munich, the defending champion and the leader of the Bundesliga, they will meet Armenia Bleefeld today, Monday, at the end of the 21st stage, and then visit Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday, who rose to third place after their victory over Cologne.
Alisson went for it 😳
Kabak went for it 🤦♂️
Vardy made them pay 🤷♂️
Look away now, Liverpool fans 😬pic.twitter.com / 5cR5MqU5Dg
- Goal (@goal) February 15, 2021
In the English Premier League, Liverpool is preparing to play the "Merseyside" derby against Everton next Saturday night, through which the defending champion seeks to return to the road to victories in the league after 3 consecutive defeats, and for his part, Everton looks forward to achieving a positive result after a draw and defeat in the past two games.
The 25th stage of the English Premier League will also witness Arsenal's meeting with Manchester City on Sunday evening.
In Italy, Milan meet Inter Milan in an exciting derby that may be decisive for the top flight of the league, as Inter occupies the lead with 50 points, one point ahead of Milan, before the upcoming confrontation next Sunday.
In Spain, Atletico Madrid is looking to continue its lead, and meet Levante on Wednesday evening in a postponed match of the second stage, then meet him again on Saturday evening in the 24th stage, while (the title holder) Real Madrid with Valladolid, Barcelona with Cadiz in the same stage.