OneFootball
Richard Buxton·15 December 2023
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Richard Buxton·15 December 2023
There are great games everywhere you look this weekend.
Here are five we think you absolutely have to watch.
Sean Dyche returns to Burnley for the first time since being unceremoniously jettisoned from a 10-year spell just two seasons ago.
The 52-year-old is still revered at Turf Moor, where his name and image continue to adorn a pub a short distance from the stadium.
But that affection threatens to disintegrate when Dyche’s resurgent Everton side make the relatively short trip to Lancashire for Saturday’s Premier League encounter.
A 10-point deduction has been all but wiped out for the visitors, who can obliterate their deficit in full with a fourth victory against his once-beloved Clarets.
Dyche tasting revenge against his former employers will heap the pressure on Vincent Kompany while aiding the Toffees’ renewed ascendancy.
Scotland’s first trophy of the season is up for grabs as Rangers and Aberdeen prepare to do battle in Sunday’s League Cup final.
Philippe Clement’s bid for a maiden piece of silverware would also see his side overcoming their Pittodrie counterparts for a first time in the current campaign after two prior SPFL meetings.
The teams have form for fiery spectacles as last January’s semi-final meeting in this competition attested with Kemar Roofe’s stoppage-time winner tipping the balance against a 10-man Dons.
Not that Barry Robson’s side are shy about their chances at Hampden Park if reports of an open-top bus being readied in anticipation are accurate.
A showpiece meeting is always one to savour but these two clashing on that stage for a first time since 1992 has the potential to invigorate their topsy-turvy season.
Also on Sunday, second face third in the Bundesliga as Bayern and Stuttgart look to keep the heat on Bayer Leverkusen in the title race.
The Rekordmeister are coming off the back of a shock 5-1 drubbing by Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend, when the visitors took a point off the leaders.
Both teams boast the league’s most in-form strikers with just two goals separating Harry Kane and Serhou Guirassy in the battle for the Golden Boot.
Stuttgart’s marksman actually boasts a better goals-per-minute ratio with one per 55 minutes compared to the England captain’s rate of 63 minutes.
The Allianz Arena clash will also be a family affair with Die Roten’s head coach Sebastian Hoeneß aiming to put one over on his uncle and former Bayern president Uli.
A meeting between two of the bona fide LaLiga club legends contains added relish at the Mestalla on Saturday evening.
Rubén Baraja has work wonders since taking charge of Valencia, avoiding relegation and propelling them to the cusp of this season’s top half.
Meanwhile, Xavi’s feted return to Barcelona is unravelling at a rate of knots after chastening back-to-back defeats heightened talk about his future.
Historically, Los Che’s track record in this fixture has been poor with just one win on home soil against the Blaugrana from 18 outings in all competitions.
But a rare defeat for the fallen champions will only serve to intensify scrutiny around how many days Xavi has left in the hot seat at his boyhood club.
It’s a fixture that remains the most hotly-contested in English football and this weekend’s showdown between Liverpool and Manchester United is no different.
These two clubs are the greatest of enemies but currently poles apart as Jürgen Klopp’s side aim to consolidate their latest Premier League title challenge.
Down the East Lancs Road, Erik ten Hag knows another languid defeat will leave him facing a similar threat to one that befell José Mourinho at Anfield exactly five years ago.
Equally, the Red Devils’ manager can stave off fresh sacking talk by gate-crashing his arch-rivals’ first game in front of an increased capacity of 57,000.
Now both sides have long banished their previously underwhelming return of six draws in nine league meetings, expect fireworks on Merseyside.