Barcelona will welcome Valencis to the Nou Camp on Sunday, but Zlatan Ibrahimovic (r) will miss the match with a suspension. (Photo: ZumaPress)

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This week's list gets a little crowded as WSDigest (which, confusingly, is being used in the second person here) tips a hat to three leagues who open their seasons this week.  Let's all welcome soccer back to (amongst other places) Russia, Sweden and Finland.

In order to feature matches from those league, some good fixtures failed to make this week's list, most regrettably Bayer Leverkusen's Sunday match with Hamburger, with nothing but points separating those two clubs on the Bundesliga table.

I'd like to tell you more about that match, but I'm contractually obligated to write more about matches on the list than those off.  It's a three-party contract between Mr.s Me, Myself, and I.

10.  Kalmer versus IFK Göteberg, Sunday, Swedish Allsvenskan - Göteberg lost last season's title in the last match, letting AIK turn around a 0-1 halftime deficit in the match, a five point deficit with three matches left to win the league.  Despite that disappointment, Göteburg is considered the 2010 Alsvenskan favorite, led by striker Tobias Hysén, last season's leading scorer.  Despite being one of Sweden's traditional powers, Göteberg has one the league only once in the last twelve campaigns.

9.  Molde versus Rosenborg, Sunday, Norweigan Eliteserian - Last year's two top finishers face each other in Sunday's late match.  Rosenborg won last season's title by 13 points.  It was Rosenborg's 17th title in 22 years, and if the Troillongan can replicate the team's last meeting, a 2-0 Rosenborg win at Molde, we will have an early idea of what's in store for 2010.  Molde did get a draw at Rosenborg last season, though a lot of good that did.

8.  Shakhtar Donetsk versus Metalist Kharkiv, Sunday, Ukrainian Premier League - Skahktar was a feature on last week's list, winning the Donetsk derby over Matelurh thanks to a 45th minute goal from Aleksandr Gladkiy.  That result may have been disappointing for those hoping somebody will challenge the top two in Ukraine (Dynamo and Shakhtar), thought this weekend should given them greater hope.  Metalist getting three points at Shakhtar would be a coup, bringing them within five of second place.  Regardless of Sunday's, coach Myron Markevych and Metalist remain the best hope to breaking Ukraine's duopoly, now and into the future.

7.  Rubin Kazan versus Lokomotiv Moskva, Sunday, Russian Premier Liga - The two-time defending champions came off their disappointing mid-week draw to Wolfsburg and face the dark horse contender of this year's Liga.  Lokomotive Moskva was a steady side last season, but a series of offseason signings that strengthened their midfield could give Yuri Semin some much needed versatility.  Rubin lost their best player in January but have enough strength without Alejandro Domínguez to retain the title.  The key to their team, their defense, is in tact.

6.  Manchester United versus Fulham, Sunday, English Premier League - On the surface, not the greatest match-up, but if somebody tells you Fulham's won the last two meetings with a 5:0 aggregate, isn't your curiosity peaked?  Coming off a 4-0 Champions League win over Milan, there is also the weekly intrigue of United.  How good is this team?  Is it possible, post-Cristiano Ronaldo, that they are best positioned to reclaim the Champions League? That's the subtext of every United match from here forward.

Here's the poll listing the top five, in alphabetical order.  Click the clink below to see how I ordered them.

5.  Schalke versus Stuttgart, Friday, German Bundesliga - Because of other commitments, I didn't get this list out before the match was over.  However, I did type up the blurb I would have published: "These two teams have a scoreless first half in them, a completely unacceptable start for Felix McGath.  He will bring on Edu who will score within one minute of being on the pitch.  Serdar Tasci may quickly pull it back, but once Kevin Kuranyi scores five minutes later, Schalke will have put the match away within 12 minutes of the second half kickoff."  Apologies, but I was completely wrong.  Kuranyi's goal came at 55'.

4.  Barcelona versus Valencia, Sunday, Spanish Primera Division - Valencia has had three poor performances in a row:  a 4-1 loss to Atlético Madrid, draw with Racing Santander and a draw at the Mestalla with Werder Bremen.  Now they go to the Nou Camp to try an enact a trite sports irony (and irony be trite):  the off-their-game talent getting their act together against a good team.  Barcelona's coming off of last week's disappointment at Almería and will be without the suspended Zlatan Ibrahimovic.  Barcelona does have Stuttgart mid-week, but it's not like Guardiola to start a second choice team.

3.  Montpelier versus Auxerre, Saturday, French Ligue 1 - Second place versus third, and if Bordeaux continues their stumbles, the winner could be a first place come Saturday night.  Nobody expected these two teams to be here, particularly Montpelier, who were in Ligue 2 last year.  But they have been near the top for some time and are starting to play to their record.  Auxerre, on the other hand, have had trouble scoring goals all year, yet a four match winning streak has taken them from mid-table to one point off the pace.  Such is France, thsi year.

2.  Olympique Lyonnais versus Saint-Étienne, Sunday, French Ligue 1 - OL is fight for first, ASSE is trying to stay above the drop ... blah, blah, blah.  It's France's biggest derby, which would be enough to make this list regardless of what was happening around Europe.  That nothing much else is and thee teams have their individual, different battles makes this must see streaming (thanks, Setanta).  And then there's Bafetimbi Gomis, in his second mach against Les Verts since switching this summer.

1.  Ajax versus PSV, Sunday, Dutch Eredivisie - No explanation necessary.