A goal-filled Arsenal-Liverpool, the great Spanish classic that sees Cristiano face Messi again, two top matches in Italy, and the Celtic-Aberdeen that could reopen the fight in Scotland make up the five must-see matches of the weekend.
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- Arsenal vs Liverpool
Every match between Arsenal vs Liverpool offers the expectation of strong emotions, inevitably marked by the outcome of that 1989 league, which Arsenal won with a goal in the last minute at Anfield and which Nick Hornby turned into literature (Fever Pitch).
Arsenal and Liverpool may have lost some of their mystique, as their game no longer has as much influence in English football and they haven't won the Premier League for a while, but due to tradition or the charisma transmitted by their two managers Arsene Wenger and Jurgen Klopp, the duel continues to awaken passions.
And it ensures goals and revenge: In 2014, Liverpool won 5-1 and Arsenal got their revenge a year later (4-1). Now, Liverpool has already defeated Arsenal 4-0 in August. It is Arsenal's turn, who reserved Alexis in the League Cup for this match, and they cannot fail if they do not want the fourth place currently occupied by their rival to slip away with one point more.
- Real Madrid vs Barcelona
The great Spanish classic arrives, in the morning, during the Christmas season, and turned into a final... for Real Madrid.
Eleven points away from Barcelona, although with one less match, Zinedine Zidane's team has nothing more than victory to avoid ending its successful 2017 with the certainty that La Liga is a chimera.
But it's not just that. Like every match between Madrid and Barcelona, Messi and Cristiano attract attention, but this time the duel comes after the Portuguese has proclaimed himself "the best player in history".
- Napoli vs Sampdoria
After regaining the top spot in Serie A, Napoli faces a tricky match.
Sampdoria arrives at San Paolo after a disastrous month, with three defeats and one draw. Just when they were beginning to claim the status of a revelation team, after defeating Juventus, "Samp" opened up a crisis that has led them to sixth place.
But no one doubts that they will resurge under the guidance of Marco Giampaolo, a coach who is linked as a possible successor to Maurizio Sarri on the Napoli bench, because there are already similarities between both teams. Master against pupil, the duel could put the leader in trouble.
- Celtic vs Aberdeen
Celtic, who won the Scottish League undefeated in 2016-17, suffered their first defeat after 69 matches last week, a 4-0 loss to Hearts. That unexpected thrashing and the imminent visit of Aberdeen, the second-placed team, have raised the first doubts in Brendan Rodgers' team.
Despite having a five-point cushion, the "hoops" would not take another setback kindly. And there is also Aberdeen. The only team that found a way to break the Old Firm's dominance (Celtic-Rangers) for more than three decades, dreams of repeating the feat.
- Juventus vs Roma
Dybala is back. A goal and an assist against Genoa in the Italian Cup (2-0) have returned "La Joya" to the starting lineup for his game, for the first time in a month. The drop in form of the Argentine, which led him to the bench due to personal problems ("he must reconcile the person with the character", sporting director Giuseppe Marotta said), raised alarms until Wednesday.
Now, Roma comes, another title candidate, who despite being in fourth place (four points behind Napoli and three behind Juventus) and not having the same form that led them to eliminate Atletico and Chelsea from the Champions League, has been able to capitalize on their goals to not lose sight of the title.