Weekend Guide 30.10.2015

This Weekend Guide could witness some history in the making.

Two teams are dreaming about their first title in South Africa and we also have a sensational first division debutant in Tunisia and a historical continental title in Asia.

(All times are in CET local time)

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What? Bidvest Wits – Bloemfontein Celtic (South African Premier Division)

When? Saturday, 19:15

Where? Bidvest Stadium, Johannesburg

Why? These are the early days of the season in South Africa and everything is still extremely tight. Between the 1st and the 6th place, the difference is only 3 points. Among these teams are  Bidvest Wits and Bloemfontein Celtic, neither have ever won the domestic title, but now they are both dreaming of doing so.

Key Players: During the last summer break, Bidvest Wits strengthened their squad with Daine Klate, who has previously won 5 consecutive domestic championships. The leader of Bloemfontein Celtic is the captain Bevan Fransman, who had great time abroad while playing in Belgium and Israel.

In the Middle of the Conflict: The Ugandan striker of Bloemfontein Celtic, Geofrey Massa, played for 3 years in one of the most disputed areas in the world. He played for Yenicami Ağdelen, the team from the northern side of the divided city of Nicosia, in the Turkish Cyprus league.

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What? EO Sidi Bouzid – CS Sfaxien (Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1)

When? Sunday, 14:30

Where? Stade Sidi Bouzid, Sidi Bouzid

Why? It's matchday 6 in Tunisia and we have a sensational team in the top places. Sidi Bouzid were promoted last season for the first time ever and they are currently in 2nd place after four consecutive wins. Sfaxien are the league leaders and have the best attack in the league.

Key Players: At newly promoted Sidi Bouzid, you can find the experienced

Aymen Ben Amor, who has won 4 Tunisian titles and the CAF Champions League. Also, look out for Ezechiel N'Douassel, the Chadian striker who used to play in Tunisia for Club Africain.

Egyptian Trauma: Sfaxien have lost 5 continental finals, 3 of which were against the same club, Al Ahly from Egypt. The first time was in the 2006 CAF Champions League final, while the next two were in the CAF Super Cup in 2009 and 2014.

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What? Istiklol – Johor Darul Ta'zim (AFC Cup)

When? Saturday, 13:00

Where? Pamir Stadium, Dushnabe

Why? The AFC Cup is a great chance for teams from minor Asian football nations to gain continental experience. Tajiki clubs have won the President’s Cup 4 times already, as Istiklol already won it once, in 2012. Malaysian teams have been playing at the continental levels for more than 50 years, but Johor Darul Ta'zim are the first Malaysian club ever to qualify for an Asian final.

Key Players: Istiklol will base their game around Manuchekhr Dzhalilov, one of the best players in Tajiki football and the domestic league’s top scorer with 18 goals. Johor Darul Ta'zim also has a local star, Mohd Safiq Rahim, who has led his team to two consecutive titles since his arrival.

Thanks to Kuwait: Both teams didn't think they’d qualified , as both were defeated badly in the first leg of the semi-finals. The suspension of Kuwait by FIFA led the AFC to disqualify their representatives, so both Istklol and Darul Ta’zim were given another chance

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 16.10.2015

It’s the weekend! We’ve got the battle for the title in Montenegro, the clubs trying to make it big in Japan and the next generation of Latin American youngsters. Vamos!

(All times are in CET local time)

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What? Mladost Podgorica – Rudar Pljevlja (Montenegrin Prva Liga)

When? Saturday, 14:30

Where? Stadion FK Mladost, Podgorica

Why? It's the first match of the season between the two leaders who are fighting for the national title. Mladost are currently in 1st place, dreaming about their first ever title and reigning champions Rudar are 2nd, just 1 point behind.

Key Players: Marko Šćepanović is the main player for Mladost and has scored 6 goals in 6 matches. Rudar are thankful to their goalkeeper, Miloš Radanović, who has had 5 clean sheets, while the team has the best defensive record in the league.

National revival:  Montenegrin football wasn't dominant before the country’s independence. Budućnost, the leading club in Montenegro, reached the Yugoslav cup final twice and were twice defeated by Croatian sides, Dinamo Zagreb in 1965 and Hajduk Split in 1977.

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What? Sanfrecce Hiroshima – Kawasaki Frontale (Japanese J1 League)

When? Saturday, 07:00

Where? Hiroshima Big Arch, Hiroshima

Why? The Japanese league has a new system this year. There are two stages, while the champions of each stage qualify for the play-offs alongside the two best teams. In the second stage, Sanfrecce Hiroshima is leading with 28 points and Kawasaki Frontale are in 5th place with 23 points, so each game might be decisive for the first place.

Key Players: The two top scorers of this stage will be on show and both of them will be trying to impress us. Hiroshima's Douglas has scored 16 goals and Kawasaki's Yoshito Ōkubo has scored 21 goals. Both of them are the second stage top scorers with 10 goals each.

Don't Stop Me Now: Kazuyoshi Miura, holds the Japanese records for both the oldest player and the oldest scorer. Miura is 48 years old, and has played at second division club Yokohama FC since 2005.

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What? Mexico – Argentina (U-17 World Cup)

When? Monday, 00:00

Where? Estadio Municipal Nelson Oyarzún Arenas, Chillán

Why? After the U-20 World Cup in New Zealand, Chile will host the U-17 World Cup to give some more superstars of the next generation shine. Group C will be the group of death, Australia and Germany have been drawn with another two teams that have plenty of talent. These two teams are Mexico and Argentina, both of which have a great history in the competition.

Key Players: When Mexico won the CONCACAF U-17 title, Pablo López of Pachuca was one of the team’s leading players and even was the tournament MVP. In Argentina everyone will be looking out for San Lorenzo's Tomás Conechny, who led Argentina to the second place in the South American championship.

I Believe I Can Fly: Well, apart from being our key player, Tomás Conechny has some more stories. During the South American championship, Conechny was playing the FIFA video game with his friends. He was so excited, that he fell out of the window. Thankfully, the 10 foot fall ended with only a broken leg.

Weekend Guide 10.10.2015

The Weekend Guide is back after a short break. This time we're at the North American Super Cup, an independent league in a disputed territory and the historical moments of a new nation in the African World Cup qualifiers.

(All times are in CET local time)

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What? United States – Mexico (CONCACAF Cup)

When? Sunday, 03:00

Where? Rose Bowl, Pasadena

Why? It's going to be a special North American Super Cup. The winner of the 2013 Gold Cup and the winner of the 2015 Gold Cup will face each other in order to decide which team is the best in the region. There is special prize for the winners: a place at the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia.

Key Players: As we know the big stars of the teams, let's take a look at the next generation of youngsters. Sunderland’s DeAndre Yedlin is just 23 years old and already has 25 international caps for the USA. In Mexico, we have another talented Latino youngster, Jesús Corona, known as Tecatito, who has already scored 4 goals in 4 matches as a Porto player this season.

This is our guy: The referee in the match will be the Salvadoran Joel Aguilar, who has officiated at the last 3 Gold Cups, including the 4:2 win for Mexico against USA in 2011.

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What? Simferopol – Sevastopol (Crimea Premier League)

When? Saturday, 17:00

Where? Lokomotiv Stadium, Simferopol

Why? Since Crimea is still a disputed territory, the local clubs decided to neither play in the Ukraine, nor register for the Russian leagues. They decided to run their own independent league. Simferopol are the league leaders, Sevastopol are in 2nd place, with only 7 points between them.

Key Players: Yevhen Odyntsov is the man to watch for Simferopol, as he is the league’s top scorer with 5 goals. Sevastopol's talisman is Aleksandr Danishevsky, a local born veteran striker who has previously won the Russian title with Spartak Moscow.

Back in the the day: As a Ukrainian club, Tavriya Simferopol was the only club to win the championship other than Dynamo Kiyv and Shakhtar Donetsk. They won the title in 1992, after a 1:0 victory against Dynamo at the end of the season.

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What? Mauritania – South Sudan (2018 World Cup qualifiers)

When? Tuesday, 19:00

Where? Stade Olympique, Nouakchott

Why? South Sudan made a history last week when they played their first ever World Cup qualification match. This match started on Wednesday, was abandoned after 15 minutes and resumed the next day. The sensational result, 1:1, give South Sudan hopes for the future, but playing in Mauritania would be extremely difficult.

Key Players: The leading player for Mauritania is Oumar N'Diaye, who left France after 6 years and now plays for the Algerian side MO Béjaïa. The best of player for South Sudan is Athir Thomas, who even played twice for the Sudan national team before independence. He still plays for Al-Ahli Khartoum in the Sudanese league.

History in the making: In the last month, after 2 draws and 10 losses, South Sudan achieved their first ever win. It was a 1:0 win against Equatorial Guinea in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

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.

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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?