Leicester, Brentford meet today to get the Premier League underway
Leicester City and Brentford get the Premier League weekend underway when they meet at the King Power Stadium on Friday night.
The Foxes remain rooted in deep relegation trouble, while recent positive form has moved Brentford a clear distance away from the bottom three. Despite suffering a ninth defeat in 10 league games last weekend, there were some positives for Leicester boss Ruud van Nistelrooy to take from their 2-0 defeat at home to Arsenal.
A win would take Van Nistelrooy’s men a point above 17th-place Wolves in the four-horse race for survival, and the hosts are unbeaten in their last four home league games against Brentford.
However, the tide could be turning in this fixture, because Brentford’s 4-1 win over Leicester earlier this season ended a 12-game winless run against the Foxes.
It also provides the Bees with an opportunity to do the league double over their upcoming opponents for the first time in a whopping 72 years, and their recent away form suggests that is a real possibility.
Another away trip here will give the Bees the chance to win four straight away league games for the first time since they were a League One club in September 2011, and it is something they have never managed in the top flight.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Lecce and Udinese hope to extend their run today
Both on a three-game unbeaten streak, Lecce and Udinese will hope to extend their run on Friday evening, when the pair clash at Stadio Via del Mare.
While the Salentini’s recent revival has edged them clear of the Serie A drop zone, their visitors are intent on claiming a top-10 finish.
While they may have been targeting victory given the circumstances, the Salento club still moved five points clear of 18th-placed Parma and further improved their survival prospects.
Along with Juventus, Lecce have now recorded the most goalless draws this season (four), following another stalemate at home to Bologna in their first February fixture.
While their hosts are still battling the grim spectre of relegation, Udinese are on track to secure mid-table safety this season – a sweet relief, after last year’s close brush with the drop.
The Bianconeri seek a repeat of October’s reverse fixture against Lecce, when Jordan Zemura scored the only goal in Udine. After suffering a mid-season dip, Udinese have recently put together an impressive run of results – and they now have the firepower to test teams of all statures.
Lecce are also improving, but their home record remains weak, so the visitors may prevail. Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Aston Villa welcome inconsistent Chelsea to Villa Park
Aston Villa come into this one on the back of a 2-2 draw with league leaders Liverpool at Villa Park in an entertaining clash in midweek. After going behind, Villa went into half-time in the lead before Trent Alexander-Arnold equalised for the Reds in the second-half.
The Villains had to rescue a point against relegation battling Ipswich Town at home last weekend and there will be a growing frustration that the level of their performances varies so much dependent on the perceived importance of their fixture.
Heading into Christmas, Chelsea were very much involved in the Premier League title race but the Blues’ form has dipped majorly in the last couple of months to now mean they begin the weekend’s round of fixtures sitting outside of the top five in the English top-flight.
The Blues most recently suffered back-to-back defeats to Brighton and Hove Albion; firstly in the FA Cup and then in the league. They have earned just three victories in their last 11 matches across all competitions.
Chelsea are a bit of a mess and the clarity and cohesion that Enzo Maresca had seemingly found or built in the first-half of the season, both on and off the pitch, appears to have gone. Neither of these sides can necessarily be trusted to win a game at the moment but it should well be quite entertaining.
Credit: thestatszone.com
Barcelona in revenge matchup against Las Palmas
Barcelona and Robert Lewandowski have a good-looking matchup versus Las Palmas on Saturday. Lewandowski is first in LaLiga with 20 goals, while UD Las Palmas ranks 19th in the league defensively allowing 41 goals.
Barcelona’s last game was a 1-0 victory at home over Rayo Vallecano. Barcelona was led by Lewandowski, who scored his side’s lone goal against Rayo Vallecano.
UD Las Palmas fell on the road 3-1 to Mallorca in its most recent game on February 16. Las Palmas’ Stefan BajceticMaquieira scored its only goal in the match.
Las Palmas won the last matchup between these teams, on November 30. The final score was 2-1.
Barcelona returned to the top of the table for the first time in two months after a tight 1-0 win against Rayo Vallecano. Robert Lewandowski converted a penalty. Lamine Yamal did not start in Barcelona’s previous game against Las Palmas, which ended in a 2-1 defeat for the Catalans. Flick will know better than to underestimate this Canarian side. Having failed to score in that 2-1 defeat, Yamal will be eager to make an impact this weekend.
This will not be an easy match for the visitors.
Credit: news.22bet.com
Leicester City 20:00 Brentford Saturday, 22nd February
Everton 12:30 Manchester United
Bournemouth 15:00 Wolverhampton
Spanish La Liga
Friday 21st February
Saturday 22nd February
Deportivo Alavés13:00 Espanyol
Rayo Vallecano 15:15 Villarreal
Valencia 17:30 Atlético Madrid
Sunday 23rd February
Athletic Club13:00 Real Valladolid
Italian Serie A
Friday 21st February
Saturday 22nd February
Sunday 23rd February
Hellas Verona 14:00 Fiorentina
The post Weekend European Leagues Fixtures & Previews appeared first on The Ghanaian Chronicle.
Read Full Story
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
Google+
YouTube
LinkedIn
RSS