5️⃣ spicy fixtures you must watch this weekend 🌶

It’s our Friday rundown of the best football fixtures for you to watch this weekend, featuring local grudge matches and a Serie A title showdown.

Here are our five must-watch games of the weekend.

5️⃣ spicy fixtures you must watch this weekend 🌶

Brighton vs Crystal Palace

One of English football’s more unusual ‘derbies’ takes place this weekend, as Brighton and Crystal Palace contest the ‘M23 derby’.

Tensions between the teams first surfaced in the 1970s and recent years have seen them play regularly in the Premier League. Brighton are unbeaten in the last six showdowns and will start as favourites against a Palace team struggling in 17th. The former are unbeaten at home this season, though a meeting with the club’s bitter rivals could be the ideal fixture to ignite Palace’s season.

Spice rating: Mild 🌶

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Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa

Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa competing for a place in Europe. Is this the 1980s? Aston Villa upset the odds to secure Champions League football last season and are enjoying a memorable run in the competition.

Forest fancy a bit of that themselves with Nuno Espirito Santo’s side the surprise package of the Premier League campaign. Fresh from a win at Manchester United, Forest will be aiming to take another scalp and continue their challenge to bring European nights back to the City Ground.

Spice rating: Medium 🌶🌶

Eintracht Frankfurt vs RB Leipzig 

Eintracht Frankfurt are currently the closest challengers to Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, following a superb start under Dino Toppmöller. Propelled by the goals of Omar Marmoush, Frankfurt sit second and are also well placed for progress in the Europa League.

Leipzig started the season on fire but have struggled since to drop to fourth. It’s also six straight defeats in the Champions League for the Germans, after a 3-2 reverse at home to Aston Villa in midweek. However, Leipzig can take heart from a 3-0 win over Frankfurt in the DFB-Pokal, just nine days ago.

Spice rating: Hot 🌶🌶🌶

Lazio vs Inter Milan

It seems there is a title-race showdown every week in Serie A at the moment. Just three points separate the top five, with Lazio and Inter Milan jostling for position at the top.

The former earned two big wins over Napoli in league and cup last week, before continuing their excellent start in the Europa League by beating Ajax in Amsterdam. Lazio next welcome the champions to the Stadio Olimpico in a true test of both teams credentials. Inter are three points adrift of leaders Atalanta, with a game in hand.

Spice rating: Fire 🌶 🌶 🌶 🌶

Manchester City vs Manchester United

The Manchester Derby returns this weekend with both teams in desperate need of a lift.

Manchester City’s woes continued in midweek after defeat to Juventus, a result that extended their run to one win in 10 games. Pep Guardiola’s side are struggling to keep their season alive, ahead of the visit of Manchester United to the Etihad.

Ruben Amorim has endured an up-and-down start and will want to avoid a third consecutive league loss this weekend. This fixture, however, has not been kind to the Red Devils in recent seasons.

The victors will gain a much-needed boost, while the losers will lurch to a new low.

Spice rating: Insane 🌶 🌶 🌶 🌶 🌶

Read – 📈 Power Rankings: Atletico arrive, Liverpool lead

See more – Eight talking points ahead of the Premier League weekend

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