What a week it was in England and Spain. The headliner of course was that despite the Gunners poor performance at the weekend, losing at Bournemouth, the “Invincibles” were popping champagne as they celebrated City’s loss to the high flying Reds.  Yes, Man City is no longer unbeaten in England.  It was an epic match by the hosts, Liverpool, as well as the visiting City.  A 4-1 scoreline halfway through the second half and finishing 4-3, it was a offensive affair, with a never say die attitude.  

Meanwhile in Spain, the reigning European Champions Real Madrid faltered again this past Saturday.  Despite producing 28 shots, the Galacticos were shut out by Villarreal at the “White House”.   To make matters worse, the Blancos conceded a late counter attacking goal to ultimately lose 1-0 to the Yellow Submarine.  Then on Sunday, not to far from Madrid, in Anoeta, Barcelona appeared as though they’d go down for the first time this season.  Trailing 2-0 late in the first half, Barca was able to bring one back before the break through Paulinho’s tap-in.  That goal proved decisive as LaLiga’s Champions-elect appeared to gain momentum.  Once the second half whistle sounded, the Barcelona we are accustomed to seeing was in action.  Suarez doubled for the second and third goals, with his first being a sublime curler to the far post.  Lastly, Lionel Messi put the final touches on Barca’s rare Anoeta victory with a free kick wonder strike leaving his Argentine compatriot goalkeeper Ruilli a spectator, as the ball soared high and dipped inside the far post.  

Pressing on to this week’s slate of games, I’ve picked two derbies that should keep this sumptuous footballing action going. We have a midweek clash of Catalan clubs in La Copa, followed up by De Klassieker in the Dutch Eredivisie!  So without further ado, let’s delve into the previews.

RCD Espanyol vs FC Barcelona
REFF Copa del Rey: Quarterfinal, Leg 1
RCDE Stadium, Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain
Wednesday, January 17th, 2018        3:30PM EST        beIN SPORTS

To those in Catalunya, this match is simply known as El Derbi!  With the King’s christened club, Espanyol, having the honors of hosting the first leg of this two-legged quarterfinal, the Periquitos will be looking to get out on the front foot in an attempt to pull off a shocker of beating Barcelona and setting themselves up for a realistic chance of holding on to win the tie at the Camp Nou.  In rivalry games, records don’t always matter, however in this instance Barcelona hold a significant 66 wins advantage over Espanyol (league matches).  In addition, the Periquitos don’t have Lionel Messi or Luis Suarez.  But, Espanyol will have the backing of its home crowd and the ability to counter attack with young strikers such as Gerard Moreno and Leo Baptistao.  Thus, this should be an intriguing derbi between David and Goliath.

LSB Prediction:  The Periquitos will come out pressing Barca hard, as did Real Sociedad this past weekend.  As a result, Espanyol will strike once through Gerard Moreno, but in the end Barca’s quality will rear its ugly head and dispatch 3 goals of their own en route to all but sealing its place in La Copa’s semifinal round.  3-1 FC Barcelona

AFC Ajax vs Feyenoord Rotterdam
Dutch Eredivisie: Matchday 19
Johan Crujff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Sunday, January 21st, 2018        8:30AM EST        

Labeled as the Dutch’s version of El Clasico, “De Klassieker” is THE rivalry in the Netherlands.  Dating back to 1921, these Dutch giants have been squaring off, with often times one of them going on to claim domestic honors, usually Ajax.  Collectively, 48 Eredivisies, 30 KNVB Cups, and 11 Johan Crujff Shields have been won over the years.  In addition, the clubs reign from the two most populous cities in Holland, which by the way are separated by just over an hour’s drive.  Thus, this match should be intense, competitive, and ascetically pleasing to watch.  Key players to watch for, as i expect goals aplenty in this one, are Ajax’s Kasper Dolberg and Justin Kluivert and Feyenoord’s Jean-Paul Boetius and Nicoli Jorgensson.

LSB Prediction:  Boetius and Jorgensson will combine for two goals across the full 90 minutes, but Kluivert will be feeding the highly talented Dane, Dolberg, early and often on way to securing a hat trick of goals and a 4-2 will for the hosts, Ajax.  4-2 AFC Ajax