Super Saturday: Previewing six crackers from Europe’s big five leagues

With the festive football period approaching, there's action coming thick and fast most days of the week, and this Saturday is a shining example.  There's a London Derby in the Premier League and top-of-the-table matches in Germany, Italy and Spain to savour. Here's all you need to look out for with all kickoff times in (CAT).

West Ham vs Chelsea

A London derby that always gets the blood boiling, this capital collision is currently a clash of first against fourth in the Premier League. David Moyes' Hammers have actually only collected one point from the last nine on offer and they'll be disappointed they didn't get all three against Brighton after letting a lead slip in the 89th minute. Chelsea ground out a win against Watford despite being far from their best and minus a host of key personnel. That's what champion sides do, though, with Tuchel's men making 24 clearances in the second half alone at Vicarage Road. With Michail Antonio in the West Ham ranks, the Blues might well be in for another physical bombardment. West Ham has conceded after the 80th minute in four of their last five home league games – dropping four points as a result, and this is a habit that Mr Moyes will be desperate for his team to get rid of quickly.  

 Barcelona vs Real Betis

Barça is in the uncharacteristic reaches of seventh in the table, some four points behind Betis, although they do have a game in hand on their opponents before kickoff. The Catalans have just won back-to-back LaLiga matches for the first time this season though, so things may be looking up. Betis has won four consecutive matches across all competitions since defeat in El Gran Derbi to Sevilla, so this should be a high-quality contest between two sides starting to find themselves again. In-form Betis attacker, Juanmi has four goals in his last two LaLiga outings.  

 Roma vs Inter

  José Mourinho was quick to praise his team's work ethic and desire after their 1-0 defeat at Bologna but, in the cold light of day, the capital team has now collected just 25 points from their first 15 games this season. Only in 2018-19 have they claimed fewer points after 15 matches (21) in the last ten Serie A seasons, including this one. They're also now six points off fourth spot. Champions Inter has started to really hit their groove, going unbeaten in 10 matches across all competitions since a Serie A defeat to Lazio on October 16th, winning eight of those and conceding just six times in that entire sequence. Mourinho needs a big performance from his Roma team against a unit that has become a tough nut to crack, but the "Special One" will need no extra motivation against a club he managed to European treble glory in 2010.

 Dortmund vs Bayern

German football’s most famous fixture is set for its 130th instalment. Der Klassiker, a clash between the country's two most-decorated teams, Borussia Dortmund and traditional juggernauts Bayern Munich. The Bavarian visitors have won the last six competitive meetings, but Dortmund will be confident of upsetting their great rivals after making their third-best start to any Bundesliga campaign in their history (W10 L3). It's certainly set to be a tale of two world-class strikers. Dortmund’s Erling Haaland became the quickest player to 50 Bundesliga goals in the competition's history (50 matches) with his goal last time out, and he'll be sharing the limelight with the irrepressible Robert Lewandowski, who's never scored more goals (24) against any other team than his former club Dortmund. Goals should be on the menu, considering that Bayern has averaged 3.23 per game this season, but they've also failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last nine Bundesliga matches on the road. Grab the popcorn.  

Napoli vs Atalanta

Gian Piero Gasperini's enterprising Atalanta side will fancy their chances here against stuttering Serie A leaders Napoli. The Naples club's lead at the summit has been cut in recent weeks, with just five points separating them and fourth-placed Atalanta. The visitors have been leading 2-1 at halftime in four of their last five top-flight away games and they've won four consecutive top-flight matches. Napoli, on the other hand, has won just one of their last four. Croatian playmaker Mario Pašalić grabbed a hat-trick for Gasperini's team in their 4-0 thumping of Venezia. In so doing, he earned his own little slice of history, becoming only the third midfielder in the three-points-a-win era to score 2+ hat-tricks in Italy's top-flight.  

 Sociedad vs Real Madrid

It's third against first in LaLiga as Basque outfit Sociedad takes on a Real Madrid side in imperious form. Los Blancos' last ten away games in the top-flight has seen them find the net beyond the hour mark, with the sparkling Brazilian Vinícius Jr. scoring three times in his last two LaLiga away days. Carlo Ancelotti's men will be eager to put down a title marker this Saturday at the Anoeta Stadium. It won't be easy though, considering that each of the last two LaLiga H2Hs has ended all square, and Madrid will have to contend with the unpredictable and talented 22-year-old Sociedad striker Alexander Isak. What a Saturday in store!