5️⃣ spicy fixtures you must watch this weekend 🌶 | OneFootball

The season may have just kicked off but it’s a huge weekend already, meaning the Rotterdam derby between Sparta and Feyenoord is just one of the games not even getting a mention in this week’s spicy fixtures …

Werder Bremen v Bayern Munich

Who wants to be the Bundesliga crisis team just one game into the season? The new season kicks off on Friday in Bremen and 16 teams will still be waiting to play their opening game while another could already be scrambling for reasons to have stay patient.

After terrible weekends last time out, the pressure is on both Werder Bremen and reigning champions Bayern Munich as the pair meet in the north.

Plenty was written about Bayern’s 3-0 defeat to RB Leipzig in the DFL-Supercup but Bremen had their own struggles, with a 3-2 defeat at third tier Viktoria Köln sending Ole Werner’s side out of the DFB-Pokal in the first round.

If Bayern fail to win, Thomas Tuchel will face huge pressure immediately. If Bremen lose heavily, the same goes for his counterpart.

Elsewhere in the Bundesliga, Darmstadt return to the top flight with a derby at Frankfurt and title hopefuls Bayer Leverkusen host RB Leipzig, but we feel Friday’s curtain-raiser could be even more dramatic than those.

Spice rating: Mild 🌶

West Ham v Chelsea

There are three London derbies this Premier League matchday — Fulham host Brentford, Crystal Palace host Arsenal — but the game most likely to have real bite is Chelsea’s visit to West Ham.

Not least because of Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham connections, adding an extra taste to this rivalry. West Ham fans don’t like anything to do with Tottenham and yet another manager who has led both Spurs and Chelsea will not receive a warm welcome to the capital’s East End.

A new Chelsea era is about to begin with the £222m midfield pair of Enzo Fernández and Moisés Caicedo set for their first game together, while James Ward-Prowse is likely to be thrown into his first game in a West Ham shirt against them in midfield.

West Ham needed a Jarrod Bowen screamer to avoid defeat at Bournemouth last time out, while Chelsea impressed against Liverpool and are sure to improve as their new-look midfield beds in.

Going back eight years, Chelsea have lost five times at West Ham, winning just once and drawing twice. This will be no walk in the park.

Spice rating: Medium 🌶 🌶

Nashville SC v Inter Miami

Lionel Messi has turned Inter Miami’s fortunes around beyond belief and he could be rewarded with a first piece of silverware on Saturday night.

The Argentine is yet to make his MLS debut but has scored nine times in six Inter Miami appearances in the Leagues Cup to inspire the team to a first ever final.

As a team, they have 21 goals in those six games. They’d netted 22 in their previous 18 matches before Messi’s debut.

But they won’t have it their own way in the Leagues Cup final.

Nashville boast the reigning MLS MVP in Hany Mukhtar and they’ve beaten Mexican giants Club América and Monterrey so far as they eye silverware and a chance to rain on Messi’s parade.

Spice rating: Hot 🌶 🌶 🌶

Manchester City v Newcastle

The Premier League has a couple of big match-ups this weekend — Tottenham play Manchester United on Saturday too — but this one takes the cake.

Early last season, City and Newcastle played out a thrilling 3-3 draw at St James’ Park. At the time nobody knew what the Magpies would be capable of last season, it felt like an outlier. It wasn’t, it was a warning.

And last season does not look like an outlier either, not with the way they battered Aston Villa last Saturday. Eddie Howe’s men play an incredibly intense brand of football and will not give the Premier League champions a moments’ rest, even on their own park.

With greater quality in depth, they can stay in games for longer now too when they look to the bench and City have some questions to answer after an unconvincing performance against Sevilla in midweek.

This marks Pep Guardiola’s side’s first big test of the Premier League season and it comes nice and early.

Spice rating: Fire 🌶 🌶 🌶 🌶

Women’s World Cup Final

A first Women’s World Cup final for England. A first Women’s World Cup final for Spain.

These two sides put on one of the games of the Euros last summer, with England equalising six minutes from time and scoring six minutes into extra-time to win in Brighton.

Sydney is a long way from home, though, and there will be no home advantage at Sunday’s showpiece.

Lauren James is back from suspension for the Lionesses but Sarina Wiegman may be reluctant to toy with the side that beat the hosts in Wednesday’s semi-final, while Spain will surely make a change of their own after Salma Paralluelo came off the bench to have an enormous impact in both the quarter-final and the semi-final.

For all the possession Spain tend to have, the Barcelona winger offers directness and pace that asks serious questions of defenders.

Whether or not it’s from the bench, one of James or Paralluelo will likely have a decisive say on Sunday.

Spice rating: Insane 🌶 🌶 🌶 🌶 🌶