Giuseppe Mazzini and Giuseppe Garibaldi approve!
Trabzonspor A.S. v. Bursaspor K.D. (Friday)
It’s first place Trabzonspor against Bursaspor in what could prove to be the most important match to date in the 2010-2011 Turkish Süper Lig calendar. The bulk of the pressure must certainly be on defending champions Bursaspor- a loss and they fall five points adrift of Trabzonspor and (with a win by Kayserispor) risk falling into third place. Trabzonspor- who have won four of their last five matches- need only produce a draw to remain at the top of the table. Both clubs have only given up nine goals in the first fourteen matches this season, but Trabzonspor’s superior offense- led by Jajá Coelho and Burak Yilmaz- has been the difference thus far. Fun Fact: Depending on the source you consult, Trabzonspor midfielder Alanzinho is between 5′ 3” and 5′ 5”- either way, he’s small.
Ross County F.C. v. Greenock Morton F.C. (Saturday) CANCELED DUE TO WEATHER
In the end it wasn’t the strike by Scottish referees that caused County’s ALBA Challenge Cup Final match against Queen of the South to be canceled- it was the snow! This week the Staggies return to SFL First Division action against Greenock Morton- the team directly above them in the table. A win this weekend- if it is an emphatic one- could move County up to fifth in the table and ease the relegation worries around Victoria Park. This would be quite an accomplishment for new manager Willie McStay as the cancellation of the Cup Final means that this weekend’s match against Morton will be his first in charge of the club. Fun Fact: Ross County’s “big,” “international” signing, Atli Gregersen of the Faroe Islands has yet to play a league match for the club- oops.
Arsenal F.C. v. Fulham F.C. (Saturday)
For the second weekend in succession there is a London Derby in the Premier League. This week it features Arsenal- who will be working hard to keep Manchester City and Spurs at bay, and Fulham who, surprisingly, find themselves a single loss away from potentially falling into the heart of the relegation zone. The Cottagers’ woes have come despite what has arguably be American Clint Dempsey’s best season yet. Given that, one has to imagine that if relegation does come to pass for Fulham Dempsey will be on his way to a new club. Fun Fact: This past weekend, with my own eyes, I saw Eddie Johnson play for Fulham. Johnson has now appeared (not “started”) in 14 matches for Fulham since leaving MLS at the end of the 2007 season. He’s been on loan twice, but still…
Aberdeen F.C. v. Celtic F.C. (Saturday)
Aberdeen can’t afford to lose this weekend- the only thing keeping them out of last place is a less horrible goal differential than Hamilton- but they will. In fact, Aberdeen haven’t won since beating First Division Falkirk in the League Cup a month ago. There is now a good chance that Aberdeen- winners of two European trophies- are looking at the first relegation in club history. They were formed in 1903, entered league football in 1904, were promoted to the topflight in 1905, and have remained their ever since. Celtic trail Rangers by two points, but Rangers have a game in hand. A Celtic loss and a Hearts win- and they are surging at the moment- could narrow the gap between 2nd and 3rd to only six points and this will concern a Celtic side that have only won two of their last five matches. Oh, and manager Mark McGhee was fired.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle F.C. v. Dundee United F.C. (Saturday)
It pains me to say anything even remotely positive about Ross County’s arch-rivals, but I’m going to put partisanship aside for a moment to point out that if Caley can win this weekend and Hearts do no better than draw with Rangers (a likely outcome), Caley could finish the weekend in third place in the SPL behind only the Old Firm clubs. Whether the club finishes in this lofty position or not doesn’t really matter, it’s still quite an accomplishment for a team that has only been playing league football since 1994. However, if they can hold this position- or even fourth place- they will play in Europe next year after being in the SFL First Division just last year. Fun Fact: ICT center back Stuart Golabek- a native of Inverness- has played for all three of the Inverness-area clubs: Clachnacuddin (Highland League), Ross County, and Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
Feyenoord Rotterdam v. Willem II Tilburg (Sunday)
If you’re a Feyenoord supporter you’d better hope your club wins this match. Problem One: the club is broke. Despite Roy Makaay’s retirement, releasing Denny Landzaat, and massively cutting costs, the club still needed almost $30m in donations from fans to ensure that they would be able to complete the 2010-2011 season. Even if they do, that only brings up Problem Two: they are only one point above the Eredivisie’s relegation zone. Luckily(?!) they won’t have a better chance than this match to pick up three points. Willem II, who only escaped relegation through the playoffs last year, are in last place, have not won a match, and have a -32 goal differential after only 16 matches! If they can’t win match like this you have to wonder if there will be a “Feyenoord” to play in the Erste Divisie next season?
Real Sociedad de Fútbol S.A.D. v. Athletic Club Bilbao (Sunday)
A Basque Derby is always going to be a hotly-contested match, but it gets even better when there are “extras” at stake for the winner. In this case, the clubs are next to each other in the La Liga table- Sociedad are in 9th and Bilbao are in 10th- but level on points and a win for either club could put them in the running for a Europa League place next year and put some distance between themselves and the bottom half of the table. One player to watch in this match is Bilbao’s 17 year old forward Iker Muniain. Though he will not turn 18 for another three weeks he has already appeared in 35 matches for the club, has a contract with them that runs through 2015, and is a regular in Spain’s U-19 national team. Fun Fact: Sociedad’s club nickname? “Txuri-urdin” How can you not like the Basque tongue?
S.S. C. Napoli v. U.S. Città di Palermo (Monday)
I could refer to this as the Derby del Sud, but as I am a history nerd I will refer to it by its more historically evocative name, the “Derby of the Two Sicilies.” The Two Sicilies (southern Italy and Sicily) was, of course, the largest of the states that would become “Italy,” it existed from 1816 to 1861. Oh, right, the match! The clubs are only separated by a single point in the Serie A table , both clubs are experiencing an excellent run of form at the moment, and both are also in the thick of the fight for places in Europe next year. Fun Fact: One of the most likely players to score against Palermo- assuming his contract allows him to play!- is on-loan striker Edinson Cavan ( 9 goals in 13 matches this season). What kind of club loans out a player with that kind of strike rate? Oh, right, Palermo.
Fulham-Arsenal is a big deal in my family. My brother is an Arsenal supporter. He got into them because he loved Henry, and I can’t say I blame him. I took the more patriotic route and followed McBride to Craven Cottage.
United-Blackpool was also called off due to a frozen pitch. No word yet on what FSC Plus will be showing in it’s place.
Feyenoord could only manage a draw with Willem II.. yikes.
Also, you didn’t mention this match up but Carlos Bocanegra got a goal for A.S. St. Etienne in a 2-2 draw against Bordeaux. He was unmarked on set pieces all night and probably should have had 2 more.