Avoiding the Drop

Ross County F.C. v. Berwick Rangers F.C. (Saturday)

After a week off, the Staggies return this weekend with a third round Scottish Cup match against Berwick Rangers. County did well in the draw for this round of the cup as Berwick currently sit twenty-one places below County and the match will be played at Victoria Park in Dingwall. The Borderers of Berwick Rangers have only beaten County once in thirteen previous meetings, and that one victory was in the second round of the 1992 Scottish cup- when County were still in the Highland league. Other than that one result, County have earned eight victories and four draws against Berwick. The Staggies will have a full team available for this cup tie with the exception of fullback Steven Watt who is currently serving a suspension due to the accumulation of too many yellow cards.

Genoa C.F.C. v. U.C. Sampdoria (Saturday)

This weekend the Stadio Luigi Ferraris- also known as Stadio Marassi- will host the latest Derby della Lanterna between these two Genoese clubs. The derby is named for the Torre della Lanterna, the main lighthouse in Genoa and it has been historically dominate by Sampdoria. Sampdoria are also currently four points ahead of Genora in Serie A. Genoa are kind of like the Red Sox used to be- they were one of the best teams in the Italian top fligh until the mid-1920s. Since then, silverware has been a bit scarce. Fun Fact: Sampdoria striker Gabriel Ferrari- currently on loan at Foggia in Serie C- is American! Fun Fact 2: Ferrari went to St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark, also the alma mater of Gregg Berhalter, Tab Ramos, and Claudio Reyna.

Sporting C.P. v. S.L. Benfica (Saturday)

This edition of the Lisbon Derby finds Benfica leading the Portuguese Liga on goal differential over Sporting Braga, and Sporting Lisbon struggling to remain in the top half of the league table. This is a disappointment for a team that finished 2^nd in the league last year and were runners-up in the League Cup. Just in case you think the EPL is the only league that has been “overrun” by “foreigners,” Benfica has only started two Portuguese players in most matches this season. Fun Fact: Sporting have an American named Gregory Garza on their roster- do any of you commenters know anything about him? Fun Fact 2: They also have a player named Alex Zahavi who has Portuguese, Israeli, and American eligibility available to him- information? Anyone?

Everton F.C. v. Liverpool F.C. (Sunday)

This is the Merseyside Derby, though I think it would make it more exciting to call it something like “The Fab Four Derby,” or maybe, simply, “Derbymania!” I hesitate to call this rivalry a “friendly” one, but compared to most, it is. It’s not that it lacks passion- far from it- it’s just the way Liverpool is. It’s probably also partly due to the fact that for most of their collective histories, the Blue Side of Town have been, dare I say it, “also rans?” It’s hard for there to be too much bad blood when the two teams are rarely competing for the same trophies. Fun Fact: Despite both clubs having a reputation for fielding heavily-Scottish sides for much of their histories, two Welshman top the table for appearances in the Merseyside Derby- goalkeeper Neville Southall and forward Ian Rush.

Barcelona v. Real Madrid (Sunday)

This is El Clasico. I’m not sure I agree (though I’m not sure I disagree either), but there’s been a lot of talk this week about this being the “biggest” derby in the world. If you base it simply on the “size” of the clubs involved, there’s probably an argument to be made. If you base it on terms of the passion of the supporters, you can still make a good case, but it gets much more competitive- have you ever watched the Superclasico (Boca Juniors – River Plate) from Argentina? I wouldn’t go into either stadium without a S.W.A.T. team surrounding me! Fun Fact: After over 160 of these derbies, only eight wins separate Real Madrid (68) and Barcelona (60). Fun Fact 2: The most recent player to switch directly from one side of this derby to the other? Argentine striker Javier Saviola.

Olympiakos C.F.P. v. Panathinaikos F.C. (Sunday)

On a weekend full of derbies, how can I not include one called the “Derby of the Eternal Enemies?” As you might imagine, this one is not friendly. The teams represent different parts of Athens (Panathinaikos is the “downtown” team and Olympiakos are the “port” team) and different classes (Shamrock supporters will tell you that the Reds are uncouth blue collar types- Reds will say that the Greens are “snooty.”) Fun Fact: The “official” name of Olympiakos is, “Olympiacos Club of Fans of Piraeus F.C.”- I like that, it kind of keeps things in perspective, it’s kind of like Everton calling itself the “People’s Club.” Panathinaikos were once managed by Hungarian legend Ferenc Puskas. Why is he a legend? Try 499 goals in 513 club matches and 84 in 85 matches for Hungary. Wow.