Matt Jones

Following on from winter breaks, domestic cup competitions and even Club World Cups, a sense of normality returns to European soccer again this weekend. The Bundesliga is back after their hiatus, with two eye-catching contests on the schedule. Elsewhere, in the Premier League the runaway leaders face what promises to be their most difficult challenge […]

The definition of a derby alters across world soccer. But when any game is slapped with that tag, typically it's going to be a 90 minutes worth watching. This weekend, three of the five selections on offer fall into that category. In Italy on Saturday there’s the Derby D’Italia between two of the main contenders […]

One of the most fascinating parts of the 2017-18 season so far has been watching Serie A, where it feels as though a genuine title race may be on the cards. On Friday we’ll get another indicator as to whether that’ll be the case, as the vibrant league leaders host the champions for the last […]

Although it’s still relatively early in the campaign across the major European leagues, already some title races appear on the cusp of being called off. Some of the clashes across the continent this weekend may leave some teams with margins that appear insurmountable at the summit of their respective divisions. It’s certainly the case in […]

With all 32 places for next summer’s World Cup dished out, domestic soccer will be the focus again until preparations begin for the Russia showpiece. And for a lot of teams, this weekend is the trigger for a congested spell of fixtures, with matches coming thick and fast in a variety of different competitions. We’ve […]

The Premier League scheduling on a Sunday can often make or break a weekend of football watching. This Sunday, there’s nothing else to do other than settle down and enjoy what promises to be a brilliant double header. The top two in English football’s top flight will take on the teams currently occupying fifth and […]

Five different leagues, five different games; it’s shaping up to be a fantastic weekend for those who enjoy sampling different types of football. Kickstarting the weekend will be a showdown between the second and third best teams in France last season on Friday night. That precedes a bumper Saturday, as there are entertaining and important […]

The Premier League dominates the soccer landscape in Europe once again this weekend, with a trio of fascinating fixtures to savor from Week 9 of the 2017-18 season. On Saturday the champions take on this season’s surprise package in what should be an absorbing clash of styles. Then on Sunday two teams from Merseyside take […]

In recent years Serie A has shed its reputation as a league of defensively-minded and one-paced soccer. Now the Italian top flight is packed with enterprising and aesthetic outfits, and with so many illustrious names in the division, regular big-name clashes. This weekend there are three of those. One sees the Italian champions against one […]

Soak it up. Soak it all up. It’s that time again, the weekend before an international break. Soak up the domestic soccer from around the world. It’s a weekend that’ll inevitably lead us to wanting more too. In the Premier League the defending champions host the favorites for glory this term in what will potentially […]

Sometimes the soccer calendar opts not to churn out a string of heavyweight fixtures over the course of a weekend. This is one of them. Yet while there aren’t glamour ties across the globe to include in our selections, often that’s not a bad thing. With the pressure somewhat off, class outfits can relax into […]

We’re just four games into the Premier League season and the competitive division has bared its sharp teeth already. No team has a perfect record, we have our first managerial casualty of the campaign and as the season gets into gear again, the fascinating contests come thick and fast. There are two selections this week […]

Football, the American version, will be back on a lot of screens across the United States this weekend after a prolonged absence. But soccer, following a two-week international break that felt like a summer layoff, still takes centre stage here. In Europe the top divisions can settle into a groove until the next international layoff, […]

Just when we’re back in the swing of things across Europe, the international break punctures the domestic season; something really should be done about that. Anyway, it means this weekend’s matches should be cherished, as the big leagues complete what is effectively a false start to 2017-18. And there’s always the added significance about these […]

The Premier League returned in bombastic fashion last weekend and in the coming days three more major European competitions will get underway. In La Liga, Real Madrid resume as the dominant force in European football, with Barcelona reeling from the loss of Neymar. But there are matches elsewhere that stand out, with two potentially brilliant […]