TUE 5TH NOV 2019

PREMIER LEAGUE (HIGHLIGHTS IN THE HEADLINES)
Late Mane magic robs Villans. Saints valiant in defeat. Jamie Vardy’s having another party. Frank’s kids keep doing the business. Emery in denial at Emirates. Sheffield going from strength to strength. King ends mini Manchester revival. Gulls soar as Canaries nosedive. Steve longs for Geordie love. Tragic varce to end all varces.

LA LIGA WEEK 11 HIGHLIGHTS WEEK 12 HIGHLIGHTS
Indifferent starts to the season continued for Real and Barca as they followed up 5-star performances midweek (Messi sublime) with dropped points at the weekend in home matches against Betis and Leganes. Sociedad did the opposite, losing at Levante before winning at Granada to move level on points with the big two. A rejuvenated Morata helped Atletico keep in touch as they and Sevilla lie just a point behind. Osasuna extended their incredible unbeaten run at El Sadar to a record breaking 31 games and lie ninth. At the other end of the table, it was a bad week for the bottom three with Celta, Espanyol and Leganes all losing both their matches. For Vigo, it is now four defeats in a row.

SERIE A WEEK 10 HIGHLIGHTS WEEK 11 HIGHLIGHTS
De Ligt made it four handballs in four games, two of which he has got away with. The weekend one in the Turin derby reeked of Calciopoli, and was compounded by the fact the culprit also scored the winner. Inter picked up two 2-1 away wins with Lukaku knocking in 3 of their goals to keep pace. A Zaniolo powered Roma moved third with 3 wins from 3 in a week, the most impressive being in the Derby del Sole 2-1. Lazio also picked up a couple of wins with Immobile in irresistible form, breaking their 30 year AC San Siro hoodoo in the process. Atalanta and Napoli both stumbled to a single point in a bad week for both, but Cagliari’s form continues to impress. Elsewhere, Lecce can’t stop drawing and Hellas Verona subjected Balotelli to yet more racist abuse, with the league once again doing absolutely nothing. Samp moved off the bottom thanks to a win at SPAL, who take their place at the foot of the table.

BUNDESLIGA WEEK 10 HIGHLIGHTS
Marcus Thuram (son of Lilian) kept up his sensational form to extend the Foals’ stay at the top to a fourth week and their lead to 3, as Leon Bailey saw straight red on his return from injury. Dortmund moved second as they made it a week to forget for Wolfsburg. Bayern’s indifferent form turned disastrous as Eintracht destroyed them 5-1, with Niko Kovac being shown the door. Their one was Lewandowski, though, who has now scored in every one of the first ten matches. Amine Harit secured Schalke 3 points late on in Augsburg, Hoffenheim’s hot streak continued and Leipzig are well and truly back at the races after dismantling Mainz 8-0 with a Timo Werner hat-trick the icing on the cake of a superb team performance. In the Rhine Derby, Fortuna ran out comfortable victors, but Union left it late to claim the historic first-ever Berlin Bundesliga derby 1-0. Elsewhere, Nils Petersen pegged back Werder twice to edge ever closer to becoming Freiburg’s all-time leading scorer.

LIGUE 1 WEEK 12 HIGHLIGHTS
Bottom stunned top as lowly Dijon defeated PSG, who nevertheless remain 7 points clear of their closest rivals, Angers, who took full advantage of Nantes’ loss to Girondins in the Derby de l’Atlantique to regain second spot. Marseille bounced back from their thumping in Paris to edge out Lille and move fourth, as Lyon made it two wins from two in Toulouse thanks to an exquisite last minute solo effort from Memphis Depay. Elsewhere, St Etienne saw off Monaco at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard and there were home wins for Nice and Amiens. Metz and Montpellier drew 2-2, while Rennes vs Nimes was abandoned due to heavy rain. Nimes now prop up the table.

TUE 29th OCT 2019

PREMIER LEAGUE (HIGHLIGHTS IN THE HEADLINES)
Reds serge past Spurs after Kane’s opener sends Chivers down Martin’s spine. Sterling’s scoring streak sees City home. Hungry Foxes feast on fallen Saints. Pulisic treble helps Chelsea capitalise on Barnes’ broken radar. Captain Granit crumbles. Penalty saves Krul comfort as Martial lays down the law in Norwich. Indignant Everton fall to first VAR pen in the Prem. Short shrift for Longstaff in Tyneside draw. Sheffield show steel to pick up a point at the Hammers. Hornets lacking sting, as Bournemouth draw blank.

LA LIGA WEEK 10 HIGHLIGHTS
Granada took full advantage of El Clasico’s postponement to claim a hugely improbable top spot with a win over Betis. Sociedad moved up to the third after sneaking a victory in Vigo at the death. Atletico beat Bilbao in a routine 2-0 home win, while Sevilla did the same to Getafe. Toko Ekambi’s fine scoring form continued as the Yellow Submarine downed Eibar 4-1. Osasuna made it 32 games unbeaten at home by defeating Valencia. Valladolid picked up a useful home win, while Mallorca failed to reproduce the form they showed against Real going down to Leganes, who remain bottom. Espanyol got a vital three points to make it a good week for the bottom two.

SERIE A WEEK 9 HIGHLIGHTS
Serie A’s big hitters were pegged back this week, as Juventus were held at Lecce and Inter limited to a point at home to Parma. Sarri’s decision to rest Cristiano Ronaldo was not capitalised on by Napoli, though, who couldn’t get past SPAL in Ferrara. Atalanta, however, did not pass up the opportunity to close the gap on the top two as La Dea reached seventh heaven in a rout of Udinese. Goals from talismen Dzeko and Immobile saw both Roman clubs secure two-one wins at the expense of Milan and Fiorentina respectively. Cagliari picked up a point in Turin, Sassuolo got all three in Verona, whilst Genoa’s new boss Thiago Motta got off to a winning start at home. Ranieri’s Samp remain bottom after defeat at Bologna.

BUNDESLIGA WEEK 9 HIGHLIGHTS
Monchengladbach extended their stay at the top of the table to 3 weeks with a 4-2 home win over the Eagles. Lewandowski netted again to make it 13 scoring games in a row in all competitions and a new Bundesliga record of 9 in a row to start the season. Bayern were made to sweat it out though and were grateful to Neuer for saving one of the two penalties they conceded against a feisty Union. Freiburg proved they are no flash in the pan by beating Leipzig to take third. Wolfsburg slipped to fourth after a disappointing goalless draw with Augsburg. The Revier derby also lacked goals, but Schalke were clearly the better of the teams on display. Bayer and Werder drew 2-2, and Hoffenheim made it 3 wins on the bounce at Hertha. In the basement, Mainz won to move out of the bottom three, whilst Paderborn got their first win of the season, but stay in last position.

LIGUE 1 WEEK 11 HIGHLIGHTS
As I hinted at previously, Ligue 1 is already over. If you were planning on betting against another PSG title, don’t. Marseille were the latest to be dispatched this week and, to make matters worse, Mauro Icardi is now firing on all cylinders. It just seems unfair. There was, however, a return to form for the other big guns as Lyon, Monaco and Lille all won. Pity they’re all so far behind already. Promoted Brest reached the dizzy heights of fifth with a win that put Dijon bottom, as Strasbourg vacated that position with victory over Nice. Elsewhere, Rennes pipped Toulouse in a 3-2 thriller, and Wahbi Khazri finally ended his goal drought as St Etienne drew with Amiens. Montpellier vs Angers and Reims vs Nimes yielded no goals.

TUE 22ND OCT 2019

PREMIER LEAGUE (HIGHLIGHTS IN THE HEADLINES)
Reds run ended by familiar foe. City polish off Palace. Foxes in the hunt for top four. Good times continue to roll for young Blues. Gunners can’t blast through Sheffield steel. Spurs slide continues, but Dele’s drought ends. Cherries and Canaries keep first clean sheets. Toffees come out of a sticky patch. Villa on Targett as they snatch a late win. Third time lucky for Jimenez.

LA LIGA WEEK 9 HIGHLIGHTS
The shock of the week occurred at relegation threatened Mallorca, where Real went down 1-0, further increasing the pressure on Zinedine Zidane. This slip-up allowed Barca to steal top spot after a routine 3-0 win at Eibar. Granada now sit an impressive third thanks to a home win over Osasuna. Sociedad won at home to go fourth, putting Betis into the relegation zone. Atletico were held at home by Valencia thanks to a late Dani Parejo goal, whilst Sevilla picked up 3 points beating Levante. Leganes are rooted to the bottom already seven points from safety after losing at Getafe. Espanyol gave the woodwork a hammering at home to Villarreal but succumbed 1-0 to stay 19th. Elsewhere, Alaves beat Celta to leave them on the brink of the bottom three.

SERIE A WEEK 8 HIGHLIGHTS
The Old Lady held onto top spot with a narrow home victory over Bologna, but Inter managed to stay on their heels after a 4-1 lead turned into a nervy 4-3 win at mourning Sassuolo. Immobile fell over twice to help Lazio back to 3-3 from 3-0 down to Atalanta leaving La Dea’s Gasperini exasperated. A Milik double kept Napoli in fourth ahead of surprise package, Cagliari, who won against SPAL to go 5th. Claudio Ranieri has been deemed the man to rescue Samp, and he got off to a good start by holding Roma at home. Stefano Pioli’s reign at the Rossoneri started in a rather less commendable draw at home to Lecce. Elsewhere, Genoa’s season went from bad to worse, as a thunderous Cornelius hat-trick saw them thrashed 5-1 and manager Andreazzoli out of employment. Elsewhere, Udinese defeated Il Toro at home and Fiorentina played out a goalless draw at Brescia.

BUNDESLIGA WEEK 8 HIGHLIGHTS
It’s absurdly tight at the top of the Bundesliga with the top 9 sides separated by just 2 points. Monchengladbach remain top, despite going down to a Marco Reus winner at Dortmund. They are joined on 16 points by undefeated Wolfsburg, who scraped a point at Leipzig through a late Wout Weghorst goal. Bayern are on 15 after throwing away a couple of points in Augsburg, who turned 2 shots on target into 2 goals, but Lewandowski’s incredible scoring run continued. Union got a win to move out of the relegation zone and keep Freiburg off an improbable top spot. Schalke and Bayer also missed the chance to move top after defeats to Hoffenheim and Eintracht respectively. Elsewhere, Werder drew with Hertha, Fortuna beat Mainz and Paderborn are now cut well adrift at the bottom after a 3-0 loss to the Billy Goats.

LIGUE 1 WEEK 10 HIGHLIGHTS
PSG moved an ominous 5 points clear in Ligue 1, despite only just starting to hit form. It seems that no side is properly equipped to mount a decent challenge to them this year, as their three closest challengers – Nantes, Bordeaux and Angers – all lost. Reims and Montpellier took full advantage to fill third and fourth place respectively. Toulouse got a new manager bounce as Antoine Kombouare took them straight out of the relegation zone with a win, but Rudi Garcia taking the helm at OL did not have the same effect as they failed to put away Dijon at home. Brest made it two wins on the bounce and move into the top half, whilst Monaco came out on top 3-2 in a topsy-turvy encounter with Rennes in the principality.

TUE 8TH OCT 2019

PREMIER LEAGUE (HIGHLIGHTS IN THE HEADLINES)
Sadio stumble sneaks Reds to seventeen. Traore trips up City on the counter. Shocking Spurs surrender as Connolly capitalises. Longstaff brothers beat up bleary-eyed Solskjaer. Wesley whips Canaries at Carrow Road. Frank feelgood factor continues to flow. Gunners pip the Cherries. Palace plunder 3 points to enhance Roy’s remarkable record. Hendrick hurts travelling Toffees. Wasteful Watford pick up a point.

LA LIGA WEEK 8 HIGHLIGHTS
Messi was back and straight on the scoresheet in a 4-0 victory over Sevilla, slightly marred by a couple of pointless red cards at the end. This put them just behind leaders Real, who got 4 of their own against Granada, including Eden Hazard’s first in La Liga. Atletico’s stutter continued with a draw in Valladolid, and it wasn’t a good weekend for the Basque country either, with Sociedad losing at home to Getafe, Athletic going down in Balaidos and Alaves doing the same in the Mestalla. Eibar at least managed a point at Betis. Elsewhere, there were good wins for Osasuna and Mallorca, whilst Leganes’ home loss to Levante sees them rooted to the bottom.

SERIE A WEEK 7 HIGHLIGHTS
A thrilling Derby d’Italia saw the Old Lady ruin the Nerazzurri’s 100% record and take top spot with it. Atalanta kept hold of third as they returned home to a renovated and renamed stadium with a 3-1 win. Napoli played out a scoreless draw with Il Toro to fall further behind, whilst Roma were held by Cagliari. The Biancocelesti drew a bad-tempered affair in Bologna, with Rossoblu manager Mihajlovic returning to the bench after lengthy treatment for leukaemia. This game featured 2 red cards, but Milan’s bottom of the table clash with Genoa yielded 4. More importantly for the Rossoneri, it also yielded 3 points. Elsewhere, Fiorentina made it 3 on the bounce, Samp’s struggles intensified in Verona and SPAL got a crucial home win. Brescia and Sassuolo’s match was postponed following the passing of Sassuolo’s owner and president, for whom minute silences were observed across the country.

BUNDESLIGA WEEK 7 HIGHLIGHTS
Bayern came down to earth with a bump, following up their Spurs trouncing with a home defeat to Hoffenheim. Monchengladbach took full advantage by seeing off Augsburg with a flurry of first half goals that sees them top the table. Bayer and Leipzig are level with Bayern on 14 after a draw in their encounter. Also on 14 are Schalke, who were pegged back by a late Koln equaliser, and Freiburg, who did the late pegging back themselves against Dortmund. Wolfsburg are up to second after seeing off Union, who slip into the bottom three alongside the other promoted sides, Koln and Paderborn. In the remaining games, Frankfurt drew 2-2 with Werder and Hertha continued their winning run at home to Fortuna.

LIGUE 1 WEEK 9 HIGHLIGHTS
PSG remembered where the back of the net was and reasserted their dominance in the league with a 4-0 win over their closest rivals, Angers, who were replaced in second by high flying Nantes. Bordeaux continue to impress with a win in Toulouse taking them up to fourth, just ahead of Lille, who were held at home by Nimes. St Etienne poached the Rhone-Alpes derby in the final minute to heap further woe on a beleaguered OL, whilst Marseille and Monaco’s recent resurgence was checked in 3-1 defeats at Amiens and Montpellier respectively. Reims continued their strong start at Rennes, and there were important home wins near the bottom for Dijon and Brest. Metz are now propping up the table.