Serie A leaders Napoli, depleted by injuries to Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku, head to fifth-placed Bologna on Sunday with a trio of rivals just a point behind and hoping they can take advantage of any slip-up by Antonio Conte’s side. This weekend’s European action also includes a historic derby in the Rhine region of Germany, French leaders PSG making a tricky trip to Lyon and high-flying Real Betis facing strugglers Valencia. Here are your five to watch this weekend in Europe:
Borussia Monchengladbach v Koln, Borussia-Park
Saturday 8 November, 5:30 p.m. BST (Sky Sports Football)
You know you’ve made your mark when you’ve got an entire fixture named after you.
The Weisweiler derby between Monchengladbach and Koln, the biggest of the various Rhine rivalries, is a feisty homage to Hans Weisweiler, a decent midfielder turned legendary coach of both clubs in the mid-20th century.
A player and then player-coach in Cologne until 1952, Weisweiler ushered in a golden era at Gladbach after taking the reins in 1964. Buoyed by an array of local young talent, including future Bayern boss Jupp Heynckes, Weisweiler rocketed his Foals (a nickname that has stuck until today) from the second division to three Bundesliga crowns and UEFA Cup glory.
After a markedly less successful one-year stint butting heads with Johan Cruyff at Barcelona, Weisweiler returned to where it all began to bring Koln its first league title in 14 years and fall just short of a famous European Cup triumph in 1979, losing 4-3 on aggregate to eventual victors Nottingham Forest.
More than four decades on from his death, neither side has won the league since, and it doesn’t look likely to happen anytime soon.
That’s perhaps a little harsh on Koln, who are ticking along nicely under summer appointment Lukas Kwasniok after springing back from relegation immediately. A rather eventful 4-1 win Sunday against Hamburg, who had two goals disallowed and two players sent off, lifted them into seventh after nine games.
It’s 8 points better off than Gladbach, who at last banked out of their nosediving start to the campaign with a 4-0 rout at free-falling St. Pauli. It marked a first Bundesliga victory since March and a much-needed boost for interim coach Eugen Polanski, who watched his side ship 6 in 47 nightmarish minutes against Eintracht Frankfurt at the end of September.
They have been breached only four times in the roughly 360 minutes subsequently, three of them slipping through while down to 10 men against Bayern.
With a crucial trip to Heidenheim, the only side below Gladbach, to come after the international break, a derby victory would be sweeter than ever.
PSG coach Luis Enrique continues to face a lengthy injury list. (Sven Hoppe / Getty Images)
Lyon v Paris Saint-Germain, Groupama Stadium
Sunday 9 November, 7:45 p.m. BST (Amazon Prime PPV/Ligue1+)
Paris Saint-Germain have grown accustomed to dispensing humblings in recent times. Tuesday night, they got a taste of their own medicine.
Medicine being the summarizing word. The surgical precision with which Bayern Munich pressed the Parisians into submission was startling enough, but losing Achraf Hakimi, Nuno Mendes and Ousmane Dembele made it an even bleaker night for Luis Enrique.
The Spanish coach has been presiding over some form of injury crisis since the start of the season, with his key trio set to be out for several weeks at least. The upcoming international break provides a welcome recovery period, but the subsequent pre-Christmas crush sees the treble winners play six games in four weeks.
As French champions in 11 of the last 13 seasons, PSG could perhaps afford to conserve energy in Ligue 1 in previous campaigns, but a canter does not look likely as yet: Lyon bring up the rear of a five-strong chasing pack that all sit within 4 points or fewer of the capital giants.
Granted, Sunday’s hosts don’t look like kingslaying material at the moment. A season that looked brimming with promise as they opened up with six wins from seven in all competitions, including a 1-0 win over Marseille, has stalled in recent weeks, with Paulo Fonseca’s side winning just one of their last five league games.
A chaotic 3-3 draw at Paris FC, which saw both sides end the game with 10 men, was followed up by a goal-less affair at struggling Brest, where ill discipline cost Lyon once again, as Dutch right back Hans Hateboer saw red after just eight minutes for a lunging late tackle.
Keeping a full 11 on the pitch will be the minimum required against a team still more than capable of belittling their opposition, even if they can’t keep anything close to a full squad fit.
Valencia v Real Betis, Mestalla
Sunday 9 November, 5:30 p.m. BST (Premier Sports 2)
The year is 2015. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are in their prime, Valencia are closing in on fourth, and Real Betis are on course for promotion back to the top flight.
How times change.
Just as Messi and Ronaldo were once the ultimate comparison in La Liga, a decade on, it is hard not to contrast the recent fortunes — and, in one case, misfortunes — of two historic Spanish clubs.
A much-admired and highly successful revolutionary in the face of Clasico hegemony in the early 2000s, Valencia are a far cry from the side who came within 90 minutes of Champions League glory two years running at the turn of the century.
Protests against the ownership of Singaporean billionaire Peter Lim, who took charge in 2014, have intensified in recent years as the sales of key stars have compounded a steady slide towards the relegation plughole.
Murciélagos (The Bats) have not finished in the top eight since coming fourth in 2019, a rare recent season of joy as they lifted the Copa Del Rey, and sat rooted to the bottom of La Liga last Christmas before rallying under Carlos Corberan after he replaced Ruben Baraja.
Winless in six league games and goal-less in the last three, former West Brom boss Corberan faces an almighty task to prevent Valencia from tumbling out of the top flight for the first time since 1986.
By contrast, Real Betis are basking in what — for all but the very oldest Béticos — is a golden age for supporters.
After flirting with relegation several times and succumbing twice in the last two decades, Betis lifted the Copa Del Rey at Valencia’s expense in 2022 (only their third major trophy since winning La Liga in 1935) before falling just short of European glory in the Conference League final last year.
Having finished no lower than seventh in the league across the last five seasons, Manuel Pellegrini is well on course to keep the good times rolling after a brace from a rejuvenated Antony against Mallorca on Sunday helped lift Betis into the top five. The former Manchester United winger was also on target in Thursday’s 2-0 Europa League win over Lyon.
Former Manchester United winger Antony has scored in back-to-back games for Real Betis (Joaquin Corchero / Europa Press via Getty Images)
Bologna v Napoli, Renato Dall’Ara
Sunday 9 November, 2 p.m. BST (DAZN)
There have been scant few fireworks to be found in Naples at the start of November.
Not a goal has been scored in either game to open up the month for the reigning Italian champions, as home frustration against Como was followed up by the continuation of Antonio Conte’s peculiar European struggles in a drab midweek affair at Eintracht Frankfurt.
Not the greatest time then, to be without the magisterial creative talents of Kevin De Bruyne, who is expected to be out for several months after undergoing surgery on his hamstring this week. His Belgian compatriot Romelu Lukaku, who notched 14 goals and 10 assists last campaign, is yet to kick a ball after suffering a thigh injury in preseason.
It’s not all doom and gloom by any means, though. Cameroon midfielder Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa has emerged as an unlikely goal threat to win Serie A Player of the Month and take some burden off Scott McTominay, who is already up to four goals in all competitions for the league leaders.
Yet with their Milanese rivals and Roma just a point behind, there is little room for error as Napoli head to an in-form Bologna who haven’t tasted defeat in the league since a 1-0 loss at Milan in mid-September.
Having conceded just eight league goals to date, Vincenzo Italiano’s side are a stubborn nut to crack and pack a sting in the tail through Italian winger Riccardo Orsolini, who has scored six across Serie A and Europa League games.
Napoli have not won away at the reigning Coppa Italia winners since 2022 and were frustrated at Renato Dall’Ara in April in an ultimately affordable draw en route to the Scudetto after a stunning equalizer from Dan Ndoye, who joined Nottingham Forest in the summer.
Inter Milan v Lazio, San Siro
Sunday 9 November, 7:45 p.m. BST (TNT Sports 2/DAZN)
Convincing it was not, but Inter host Lazio is chasing a third win in a row as they bid to reclaim their crown from Napoli.
After breaking relegation-threatened Hellas Verona hearts with a 93rd-minute winner, clinched via an own goal no less, Inter made hard work of plucky Kairat at home to narrowly preserve their perfect European start midweek.
The Kazakh champions were in sight of a first-ever Champions League point after seizing on some mannequin-like set-piece defending before Brazilian defender Carlos Augusto fizzed home a brilliant strike from range to spare the blushes of last year’s finalists.
The Nerazzurri (Black and Blues) return to the San Siro firmly in the hunt for the Scudetto after rebounding well from a sloppy start to the campaign, defeat at Napoli the only blip in a run of 10 wins from 11 games.
Scoring 26 across that period despite being without Marcus Thuram for much of it, Cristian Chivu’s side will fancy their chances of finding a way through a well-drilled Lazio backline now that the French striker is back fit.
Having been breached only seven times in the league, three arriving in a barnstorming draw against Torino last month, Maurizio Sarri’s team are unbeaten since a painful 1-0 Derby della Capitale defeat against Roma in September.
Sarri, who resigned in March 2024 only to rejoin ahead of this season after a 15-month sabbatical, is bidding to get closer to his Serie A runner-up campaign from 2023 after Lazio’s subsequent back-to-back seventh-place finishes.
