The outstanding matchups in European soccer this weekend:
Saturday
Real Madrid vs. Barcelona
On Saturday night, Spanish fever at the Bernabéu kicks off a three-week period?that will decide all of the prizes available?to the two dominant clubs of the country that currently leads world soccer.
‘‘Mes que un club’’ is the motto that ?defines Barcelona as more than a club, an expression of Catalan separatism?from Madrid rule. And this is more than a game.
Barcelona tops La Liga by 8 points; it has won all five “clásicos” against Real since Pep Guardiola became the Catalan team’s coach –- including by 6-2 in Madrid in 2009, and by 5-0 at the Camp Nou this season.
The player matchups include Xavi against Xabi Alonso, Spanish teammates in midfield, now on opposite sides. And the scoring phenomenon, Lionel Messi, on 29 goals, and Cristiano Ronaldo on 28.
Once battle is done Saturday, the teams do it all again in the Copa del Rey final next Wednesday, and then home and away in the Champions League semifinals on April 27 and May 3. Four games, each a conflict in ideology.
Manchester City vs. Manchester United
The Manchesters, 10 minutes apart, ?travel south to contest their F.A. Cup semifinal at Wembley Stadium in London.
‘‘We must take the fruit from the ?tree,’’ City’s coach, the Italian Roberto Mancini, said at the start of this past ?week, before his team lost heavily, 3-0, at Liverpool in the Premier League.
So now, if there is fruit left to pick for?the blue half of Manchester, it has to come against its nearest neighbor in the Cup.
City is without the hamstrung Carlos Tévez. United lacks the suspended Wayne Rooney. That leaves maybe only a billion dollars’ worth of talent to fight ?out a semifinal that represents an awful ?lot of envy, and enmity, now fueled by the American ownership of United and the Abu Dhabi riches of City.
Sunday
Arsenal vs. Liverpool
More Americans in both boardrooms, ?but still a very British affair on the field. ?Arsenal simply has to win to sustain a ?challenge to Manchester United atop ?the Premier League, and Liverpool is ?making a late charge toward at least ?qualifying for the Europa League next ?season.
Both sides have reason to pause in silence before the game. Arsenal’s former ?major shareholder, Danny Fiszman, ?died from throat cancer in Geneva on ?Wednesday, just two days after it was ?announced that he was selling his stake ?to the American Stan Kroenke.
For Liverpool, the weekend is the ?22nd anniversary of its darkest day,
when 96 Liverpool supporters were ?crushed to death in an overcrowded, steel-fenced pen behind a goal at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield.
When, finally, the game starts, Liverpool’s new duo of Andy Carroll and Luiz ?Suárez will attempt to expose the flaws ?in Arsenal’s defense.
Napoli vs. Udinese
Experienced judges now think that Napoli can usurp A.C. Milan and Inter Milan to take Italy’s national title south for the ?first time since Diego Maradona’s stint ?with the club.
‘‘Napoli is right to believe in the Scudetto,’’ insists the 72-year-old Giovanni Trapattoni, now the Republic of Ireland ?team coach. ‘‘The secret is to keep a cool ?head, because the last six rounds are a ?world apart.’’
Trapattoni, who won the league as both ?player and coach, views Napoli coach ?Walter Mazzarri as similar to himself. ?‘‘He’s volcanic, dynamic and effusive,’’ Trapattoni said. ‘‘And his goal-scorer, ?Edinson Cavani, is a real champion.’’
Bayern Munich vs. Leverkusen
You want personal intrigue? Jupp ?Heynckes is in the thick of it. He coaches Leverkusen, which still has a chance of ?catching Dortmund atop the Bundesliga. But next season, Bayern will be his ?team — and Bayern is desperate for ?points to try to qualify for the Champions League, with income from that competition vital toward ?any rebuilding Heynckes requires.
‘‘The public interest will be huge, perhaps even more in me because I’m switching to Bayern,’’ Heynckes told ?Kicker magazine.
Bayer has not won at Bayern since ?1989, but Heynckes predicts a 2-1 win for Leverkusen. ‘‘I’ll jump for joy when it ?happens,’’ he said.
Bolton vs. Stoke City
The second semifinal of the F.A. Cup, ?again at Wembley Stadium in London, will seem like the Lord Mayor’s show ?compared with the battle of the Manchesters. But not in Bolton or ?Stoke, where Cup glory is rare.
Note to Americans who deride soccer ?because outfield players cannot use their hands: Stoke’s principle tactical ?weapon is Rory Delap propelling the ?ball into the goalmouth from throw-ins ?on the touchlines 40 meters away.
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