A quick break for midweek internationals and we’re back with no top of the table clashes but some interesting matches bubbling under just below the top dogs, with fascinating fixtures in Germany and Spain, while there’s a mouthwatering clash in Norfolk in the Championship. And, of course, the showpiece end of the USA’s soccer season.
Norwich City v Leeds United
nPower Championship, 3pm, Saturday 20th November
Last season’s two promoted sides from League One have been doing rather nicely in the Championship, bar the odd blip (such as Leeds’ 4-0 home defeat to Cardiff). And there’s been little to separate them so far in this campaign. Leeds may be three places ahead of the Canaries in 4th but only one point separates the pair and both have been playing some very attractive football this season.
All this sets this clash up nicely. Both sides can score for fun, but neither has a defence you could describe as secure, with Simon Grayson’s Leeds the form team going into Saturday, being unbeaten in four while Norwich only have one win in their last seven games. This was a big game in League One last season and is easily one of the picks of the season a level above.
Lewes v Salisbury City
FA Trophy, 3pm, Saturday 20th November
An interesting little cup tie that sees two teams a league apart, but, in reality, separated by just a few places. Salisbury suffered an enforced double demotion at the end of last season due to their finances but are challenging for promotion from the Zamaretto Premier and picked up a good point against big spending league leaders Truro midweek.
Lewes, meanwhile, have been struggling on and off the field for several years now (the two teams met in the Conference back in 2008) and find themselves just above the relegation zone in the Blue Square South. Former Croydon Athletic management team Tim O’Shea and Neil Smith have stepped into the breach and have picked up decent results against fellow strugglers but Salisbury will provide a real test for the south coast side.
Villarreal v Valencia
La Liga, 5pm, Saturday 20th November
And so the battle of who’ll finish third in La Liga begins. Villarreal were taken apart by a superb Barcelona side at the weekend, meaning the two horse race at the top of the league is pretty much a reality. Which is a shame, as Villarreal have played some excellent football this season under Juan Carlos Garrido and stood the best chance of any side to keep things interesting in the Spanish top flight.
Valencia’s win at Getafe at the weekend, meanwhile, was their first in five matches, ending a mini-slump for Los Che, and keeping them in fourth, level with Sevilla. But El Submarino Amarillo will be a stern test for a side looking to stay in contention for a Champions League squad, meaning Valencia’s revival could be short-lived.
Bayer Leverkusen v Bayern Munich
German Bundesliga, 5.30pm, Saturday 20th November
A battle of the king and the pretender to the throne in Germany. Dortmund may be setting the pace at the top of the table, but Leverkusen are widely regarded as BVB’s strongest rivals for the title. But write off Bayern at your peril.
Gomez 12 in 9, Bayern unbeaten since losing to Dortmund at start of Oct, but does include a 3-3 draw with Borussia Monchengladbach, 6th 12 points off the title, Bayer battled past St Pauli thanks to Renato Augsuto
Ajax v PSV Eindhoven
Dutch Eredivisie, 7.30pm, Saturday 20th November
This is unlikely to be the shellacking the PSV handed out to the other of Holland’s ‘Big Three’ when they put ten past Feyenoord. But Ajax know die klassieker is a key match in their season. Not only is pride at stake but this game will certainly have a baring on the title race.
If Ajax win, they move to within three points of PSV. If Eindhoven emerge victorious, they’ll put a full six points between themselves and the Amsterdam club, albeit with Twente lurking menacingly behind in second. Ajax go into the game off the back of a loss at Alkmaar and will be wary of PSV’s formidable strike force.
FC Dallas v Colorado Rapids
MLS Cup final, 1.30am, Monday 22nd November
After all the ups, downs, designated player cash and Beckham hype, the MLS season reaches its finale with an exciting clash between two sides who don’t have a DP between them and finished the regular season as the league’s form sides. In Toronto, Schellas Hyndman, his old-new lucky jacket and FC Dallas take on a Colorado Rapids side who had to win the Eastern Conference in order to reach MLS Cup Final this weekend.
If you tune in for this one, keep your eyes on Brek Shea, David Ferreira and Western Conference final hero Kevin Hartman for Dallas, and Omar Cummings and Conor Casey for the Rapids.
Tags: Ajax, Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich, Colorado Rapids, FC Dallas, Leeds United, Lewes, Norwich City, PSV Eindhoven, Salisbury City, Valencia, Villarreal