Weekend Guide 23.10.2015

It's football time! This weekend we will visit the newly created Sydney derby , a 'Good Old Times' clash in Iran and a match between the two rising clubs of the Balkans.

(All times are in CET local time)

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What? Sydney FC – Western Sydney Wanderers (Australian A-League)

When? Saturday, 10:30

Where? Allianz Stadium, Sydney

Why? It's only the 10th ever Sydney derby in the A-League era, but and it's already one of the best rivalries in this league. When Sydney FC play at home, the stadium is full with 40,000 fans that make an extraordinary atmosphere by Australian standards.

Key Players:  For Sydney FC, we should focus on the captain, Alex Brosque, who led the team to the A-League final last season. Western Sydney Wanderers have Nikolai Topor-Stanley, who has played for the club since its establishment and led the team to its greatest moment - winning the AFC Champions League in 2014.

A-Legend: In order to have legendary match, you need legendary players. Sydney FC won the first ever derby in October 2012 and the first ever scorer was Alessandro Del Piero. The Italian Prince went for it. Just watch the madness.

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What? Sepahan – Esteghlal (Iran Pro League)

When? Monday, 14:30

Where? Fooladshahr Stadium, Isfahan

Why? A clash between the two league leaders, as Esteghlal are leading the table and Sepahan are two points behind in 2nd place. Historically, it's more than just another match. It's a match between two of the largest cities, Tehran and Isfahan, and two of the biggest clubs in Iranian football.

Key Players: Sepahan have one of the hot Iranian prospects for the future, Ali Karimi. He is not the former Bayern Munich player, but a promising youngster, who is just 21 years old. Esteghlal's main figure is Omid Ebrahimi, who has scored 5 goals in his first 8 matches and was part of Iran squad for the last Asian Cup.

Continental Luxury: In 2012, the teams faced each other in an historical match in the AFC Champions League round of 16. Sepahan defeated Esteghlal 2:0 and qualified for the next stage. Sepahan were eliminated in the quarter finals after losing to the eventual runners-up, the Saudi team Al-Ahli.

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What? Feronikeli – Trepça'89 (Kosovo Superliga)

When? Saturday, 13:30

Where? Rexhep Rexhepi Stadium, Drenas

Why? Feronikeli had a sensational season last year, winning the club’s first ever title. The club is in 3rd place with 19 points at the moment, trying to defend the title. Meanwhile, Trepça'89, the smaller club in Mitrovicë, are leading the table with 21 points. It is going to be another classic Balkan clash.

Key Players: Feronikeli’s game is based around Behar Maliqi, one of the heroes of last season’s famous title, who has also won 3 caps for the Kosovo national team. For, Trepça'89, you can't ignore Blerand Kurtishaj, one of the leading youngsters in the domestic league.

All around the World: The war in Kosovo led many families to emigrate from the area. Today there are over 80 players of Kosovan descent, 46 of them in Switzerland, who plays for different European youth and senior national teams.

Weekend Guide-Recap Birthday Edition

Hey Baba!

I've heard it's your birthday. As a real football enthusiast, I decided to give you the best present possible. So take your seat back, and enjoy the best matches we had on our Weekend Recap during the past year.

January 23, Iran – Iraq (AFC Asian Cup)

After the Asian Cup group stage, Iran was one of the favourites for winning the tournament. However, the Iraqis had different plans. With an amazing 90 minutes, four goals in extra time and a great penalty shootout, Iraq sensationally qualified for the semifinals.

March 14, Universidad de Chile – Colo Colo (Chilean Primera División)

Imagine it. It's the biggest derby for your club, in your opponent's stadium. Your team struggles behind but equalizes during the second half. Then, in the additional time, your team gets a penalty. This is the story of this match, and this is how it looks from the point of view of Colo Colo fans. Goosebumps.

March 22, Al Nasr – Al Ahli (Saudi Premier League)

These two teams were in the race for the title all season. Al Nasr took the lead quickly, but a great performance by Al Ahli made the difference. Despite this victory, Al Ahli failed to win any title, finished second in the league, 4 points behind Al Nasr.

April 25, Crvena Zvezda – Partizan Belgrade (Serbian Superliga)

A Goalless draw? That's not a big deal! The derby of Belgrade is always full of passion with its fans and atmosphere. You can see that although a dull result, the game was great. Maybe until your next birthday, you will visit that match! (I know a few guys who can give you some tips).

June 1, Nigeria – Brazil (U-20 World Cup)

So, Baba, I hope you will keep enjoying football, as these talented kids. Keep showing up the beautiful side of the game, and always keep it happy. By the way, Brazil were the runner-ups of the World Cup, I hope that this year you will be the World champion.

Weekend Guide 19.9.2015

The Weekend Recap is here with Assyrian refugees, the surprising teams of Peru and a league that can be played in two different continents.

(All times are in CET local time)

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What? Assyriska – Syrianska (Swedish Superettan)

When? Sunday, 14:00

Where? Södertälje Fotbollsarena, Södertälje

Why? It's not very common for us to visit Western Europe, but the Assyrian derby of Sweden is an event you don’t want to miss. The Assyrian people are originally from a wide region in West Asia, and each team is recognized with different origin – Assyriska was formed by refugees from Turkey and Syrianska was formed by a mixture of immigrants from Syria and Iraq.

Key Players: As both teams are Assyrians, the key players hold the same ethnicity. In Assyriska it’s David Durmaz, the veteran defender who started his 11th season in the club. In Syrianska, you cannot miss Saman Ghoddos, the team’s top scorer at the moment, with 7 goals.

Everything for the national team: In 2014, a team of Assyrian players won the bronze medal in the CONIFA World Cup.

Professional (like this guy)

What? Universidad San Martín – Juan Aurich (Peruvian Primera División)

When? Tuesday, 03:00

Where? Estadio Alberto Gallardo, Lima

Why? After a bad performance in the Apertura, Universidad San Martín is now the most surprising team, as they are on the 3rd place with 7 points after 4 games. Meanwhile, Juan Aurich wants to qualify once again to the league finals, and they are in 2nd place with a perfect record of 9 points in 3 games.

Key Players: Universidad San Martín will rely on midfielder Joel Sánchez, who was part of the Peruvian national team that reached the 2015 Copa América third place. Juan Aurich hopes to see some goals from Luis Tejada, one of the heroes of the club's sensational title win in 2011.

Yes, sir: You probably ask yourself, who is Juan Aurich? Well, the answer is strange – the team was founded by workers from hacienda Batán Grande, which Don Juan Aurich used to own and manage.

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What? Saint-Pauloise – AS Excelsior (Championnat de La Réunion)

When? Saturday, 18:00

Where? Stade Paul-Julius-Bénard, Saint-Paul

Why? The French overseas territory of Réunion has a very interesting league with a close race for the title. After 14 rounds, there are only 5 points between the 1st and the 5th place.

Saint-Pauloise is on 3rd place, while AS Excelsior is leading the league.

Key Players: Last summer, the Réunion national team won the luxurious gold medal in the Indian Ocean Games, with some of these clubs’ key players. Alexandre Loricourt, Saint-Pauloise’s midfielder, was the scorer of the decisive goal in the semifinals, and Gaël Payet, AS Excelsior’s defender, helped his team keep a clean sheet.

Between Europe and Africa: If one of the teams in Réunion will win the double, it can theoretically play in two continental competitions from different continents; As champions at the African CAF Champions League, and as the cup winners, they will qualify for the French Cup and the Europa League. The final remains of colonialism, anyone?

Weekend Guide 12.9.2015

This weekend we are off for two South American spicy derbies, and a decisive match in the African Champions League. Don't waste your time, here we go!

(All times are in CET local time)

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What? Independiente – Racing Club (Argentine Primera División)

When? Saturday, 21:10

Where? Estadio Libertadores de América, Avellanda

Why? A few hundred meters, that's the distance between the stadiums of these two teams. As one of the craziest derbies of Argentina, the Avellaneda derby will show you great football and an amazing atmosphere. Racing Club is in 4th place with 43 points, while Independiente are on 6th place with 38 points, both fighting for a Copa Libertadores place.

Key Players: Independiente will rely on Matías Pisano, a talented 23 year old player that could be the next big Argentine talent in Europe. Racing Club will put their faith on legendary Diego Milito, a former Champions League winner who returned to his youth club 11 years after leaving.

Always rivals: This rivalry doesn’t end with football. The clubs have teams in other sports as well. For example, check out how it looks in futsal.

Professional (like this guy)

What? Emelec – Barcelona SC (Serie A de Ecuador)

When? Monday, 00:00

Where? Estadio George Capwell, Guayaquil

Why? The immortal Ecuadorian football macth, unlike similar matches in South America, played far from the capital city. Guayaquil is ready for the match of Emelec and Barcelona SC. Emelec are in 4th place, Barcelona in 6th, but everything changes quickly, as there are only 7 points separating the 1st and the 9th place.

Key Players: Look for Miller Bolaños, Emelec's top scorer this season with 14 goals, which earned him a national team spot which he justified with 5 goals in 8 caps. For Barcelona, the leader will be Ismael Blanco, who made long career trip in Greece, Poland and Germany, and is a player who can make the difference for his team.

That's my name: There are nice stories behind the team’s names. Emelec is an acronym of Empresa Eléctrica del Ecuador, a local electric company who founded the team. Barcelona's name was given as honor to the origin city of the club’s founders.

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What? TP Mazembe – Moghreb Tétouan (CAF Champions League)

When? Saturday, 15:30

Where? Stade TP Mazembe, Lubumbashi

Why? The last matchday of CAF Champions League will have a tight race for the two semifinal spots. TP Mazembe, the D.R. of Congo champions, and Moghreb Tétouan, the Moroccan champions, are both with 8 points, the same as Al-Hilal, the Sudanese champions.

Key Players: Mazembe key player is Rainford Kalaba, a Zambian midfielder who made 77 caps in his national team and played in Portugal for two years. The most dominant player in Moghreb is Yassine Lakhal, local player who left the team in 2011 to Wydad Casablanca, but returned last January.

Colonial Times: Both of the teams have interesting stories from colonial times. Moghreb Tétouan played as Atlético Tetouán in the Spanish Primera División in 1952. Mazembe's original name is Engelbert, named after a Belgian tires manufacturing company, who used to sponsor the club.

Weekend Guide 3.9.2015

This weekend we have a bunch of international clashes, and it is a great chance to take a tour to Asia. A top clash in Argentina will be our appetizer before we will roam to the east.

(All times are in CET local time)

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What? Boca Juniors – San Lorenzo (Argentine Primera División)

When? Sunday, 23:15

Where? Estadio Alberto J. Armando, Buenos Aires (La Bombonera)

Why? The weird marathon called the Argentine league is close to its end. This week, the two leaders of the league will face off, on the 23rd matchday. Boca Juniors is leading the table with 49 points, as San Lorenzo is just 2 points behind, on 2nd place.

Key Players: In Boca Juniors, the absence of Carlos Tevez and Fernando Gago will be a great opportunity for Sebastián Palacios, to show his talent. San Lorenzo have an impressive defensive record of just 13 goals conceded, and one of the players that are responsible for that is the veteran Colombian, Mario Yepes, who is still playing in the age of 39.

Amazing Numbers: In August 2006, Boca Juniors defeated San Lorenzo in an unusual result - 7:1. Good old Martín Palermo scored a hat-trick, while Rodrigo Palacio scored twice.

Professional (like this guy)

What? China – Hong Kong (2018 World Cup Qualifiers)

When? Thursday, 13:35

Where? Bao'an Stadium, Shenzhen

Why? In 1997, Hong Kong became a Chinese territory and during the past year the tension between China and the region aroused. This World Cup qualifier match will be some kind of a derby. China started their campaign perfectly with an easy 6:0 victory against Bhutan. For Hong Kong it will be their third match, after defeating Bhutan (7:0) and Maldives (2:0).

Key Players: It's not common to find Chinese players in Europe, but they have one in their current squad, Zhang Chengdong, who previously played in Portugal and Germany, and now he is part of Spanish side Rayo Vallecano’s squad. The dominant player in Hong Kong is Huang Yang, who led his team Kitchee to another local championship title.

Amazing numbers: In 2004 Hong Kong lost to China 7:0, its biggest defeat ever.

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What? Palestine – United Arab Emirates (2018 World Cup Qualifiers)

When? Tuesday, 16:00

Where? Faisal Al-Husseini International Stadium, Al-Ram

Why? Palestinian football has made an impressive progress in the past two years, and the UAE team would be one of the best visiting teams to play on Palestinian soil. The United Arab Emirates team, semifinalist’s of the last AFC Asian Cup, wishes for their first World Cup appearance since 1990, and opened their campaign with 1:0 against Timor-Leste. Palestine are the clear underdogs in this match, and they already lost 3:2 to Saudi Arabia and won 6:0 against Malaysia.

Key Players: Palestine will be missing Ashraf Nu’man due to injury, but will display a line of foreign-based Palestinian-origin players from Chile, Paraguay, Sweden and more. Slovenian-born Jaka Ihbeisheh, the 29 years old left back, who scored the historic goal for Palestine in the last Asian Cup, will be there as well. For the UAE it's clear that Omar Abdulrahman, the most promising player in Asian football, will dominate the game.

Amazing Numbers: The most capped player in the history of UAE is Adnan Al Talyani, who made 161 caps. He ranks as the 10th most capped player in the history of international football.