Skip to content

Derby edition: 4 must-watch matches around Europe this weekend

Stuart Franklin - UEFA / UEFA / Getty

Club football returns with a proverbial bang this weekend, as the international break finally makes way for a loaded fixture list throughout Europe - one that is highlighted by a quartet of illustrious encounters between bitter rivals.

Here are four truly mouthwatering clashes on offer this weekend.

Touchline derby: Jose Mourinho vs. Arsene Wenger

  • When: Saturday, Nov. 19 (7:30 a.m. ET)
  • Where: Old Trafford

Alright, fine, it's not technically a "derby" in the traditional sense, but Manchester United against Arsenal is always one of the Premier League's most enthralling fixtures, and this season's edition is amplified by the presence of Jose Mourinho on the Red Devils' touchline, as he will once again joust with counterpart Arsene Wenger.

Steeped in bitterness and rife with a history of insults - perpetuated almost exclusively by the bombastic Portuguese - the longstanding feud between Mourinho and Wenger has thus far been a one-sided affair as it relates to results on the pitch.

Related - Mourinho: I don't get respect that Wenger does

Mourinho, whose myriad insults range from calling the Frenchman a "voyeur" to dubbing him a "specialist in failure," owns a sparkling record from his time at Chelsea against the mild mannered tactician; Wenger's won just a singular encounter (2015 Community Shield) in 15 attempts against his nemesis.

Competition Mourinho's wins  Draw Wenger's wins
Premier League 5 6 0
League Cup 2 0 0
Community Shield 1 0 1
Total 8 6 1

It's difficult not to feel as though that tide could begin to turn on Saturday at Old Trafford, as Mourinho's United, sitting a full six points behind the Gunners, will be tasked with slowing what is arguably the Premier League's most explosive attacking unit. Will Mourinho be able to craft a plan to stymie Mesut Ozil and Co. the way he did against Liverpool earlier this season? Or will Wenger's men run wild against a side that has looked fragile in defense and toothless in attack all season?

Der Klassiker: Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayern Munich

  • When: Saturday, Nov. 19 (12:30 p.m. ET)
  • Where: Signal Iduna Park

Call this one a battle of physically beleaguered behemoths.

Both Bundesliga leader Bayern Munich and perennial contender Borussia Dortmund are dealing with infirmaries that are packed to the gills. The former is without Arjen Robben, Javi Martinez, and Kingsley Coman - while Arturo Vidal is in a race against time to regain full fitness - and Thomas Tuchel's lot has been ravaged by ailments all season, with Marco Reus' fresh setback, a heel issue, the latest in a seemingly never-ending conveyor belt of injuries.

Related: Bayern missing Robben, Martinez for Dortmund tilt

Despite sputtering in the league this season, Dortmund will head into the contest knowing that a victory could close the gap to just three points on the Bavarian side. Carlo Ancelotti, meanwhile, already under fire for Bayern's drowsy start to the year, can't afford to see his side slump to a first league defeat against Die Borussen since April 2014.

It's finely poised, as they say.

El Derbi Madrileno: Atletico Madrid vs. Real Madrid

  • When: Saturday, Nov. 19 (2:45 p.m. ET)
  • Where: Vicente Calderon

If fireworks are what you're after this weekend, then your attention should be directed to the Spanish capital.

La Liga pacesetter Real Madrid will make the short trip to the inferno known as the Vicente Calderon, where an Atletico Madrid side looking to rebound from a pre-international break malaise will be waiting.

Losing two of its last three league fixtures, Diego Simeone's lot goes into Saturday's contest knowing that a defeat, even with so much of the campaign remaining, could prove crippling to the Rojiblancos' chances of once again upsetting the applecart and usurping Spain's perennial duopoly at the top of the table. Already six points back of Real, Atleti simply can't afford another setback.

History, and perhaps added motivation - if you believe in that sort of thing - is certainly on the home team's side, though. Undefeated Real, who lead La Liga despite not hitting full stride yet this season, hasn't claimed a league victory over its city rival since Jose Mourinho's time on the touchline. In addition, this will be the first meeting between the two since this past summer's Champions League final, and will also signal the last time the two clash at the Calderon - Atletico is set to move to its new 67,000-seat home, La Peineta, next season.

What better way to send off the revered ground than with a statement win over the club's most fierce peer?

Derby della Madonnina: AC Milan vs. Inter Milan

  • When: Sunday, Nov. 20 (2:45 p.m. ET)
  • Where: San Siro

Few saw this coming. Heading into the 2016-17 campaign, the two Milanese giants were thought to be heading in wildly different directions. Lavish summer expenditure led many to believe that Inter could once again challenge for the Scudetto, while AC Milan, hindered in the transfer window by the confusion and uncertainty surrounding an impending Chinese takeover, was expected to endure another middling season defined by mediocrity.

Instead, the scripts have been flipped.

A youth movement led by Vincenzo Montella, and spurred on by blossoming teenage stars Gianluigi Donnarumma and Manuel Locatelli, has rejuvenated Milan; the Rossoneri sit third in the table, owning a Champions League spot and sitting just five points off Juventus - whom they beat this season courtesy of a thunderous goal from their lanky 18-year-old midfielder and a last-second save from their gigantic 17-year-old goalkeeper.

Inter, on the other hand, is already on its third coach of the year. Roberto Mancini was axed two weeks before the season started, and his replacement Frank De Boer was himself sent packing earlier this month. In comes Stefano Pioli, the former Lazio boss, who gets thrown directly into the fire.

Languishing in ninth place, eight points back of their city rival, the Nerazzurri need a jolt to get what was supposed to be a rebound season trending back in the right direction.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox