Ten Matches to Watch - Europe

This was the first week in a while that I had trouble picking out ten matches worth your attention, and although I fell like the set is comprised entirely of quality games, you'll notice a gap between five and six.

This week, it was not difficult to decide what to put below the fold.

That is why the Scottish Premier League makes the list for the first time.  Likewise, the Polish Ekstraklasa represents, with a battle for second being sufficient to pull it out of the unfortunate Eastern Europe back hole the keep us from information about Poland, Romania, Ukraine, the Czech Republic.

But thanks to Spain, France, Italy, Portugal and the Netherlands having a dearth of competitive matches, Lech and Legia get some attention:

10.  Lech Poznan versus Legia Warszawa, Saturday, Polish Ekstraklasa

About the enter the last quarter of the season, Lech sits four points back of league leading Wisla Kraków.  Only one point behind them is Legia, two teams in a three team group vying to the Ekstraklasa's last Europa League spots.  The reverse fixture in September saw Legia win 2-0, but with the best player in the league, Lech is almost always favored (even if they currently sit second).

Robert Lewandowski is not long for the league.  Rumors have circled around the 22-year-old striker for the last year, and with a league-leading 13 goals (three more than the next-highest league total), the Polish international is showing he's beyond the league.  Before he moves to Russia, Germany or England, Lewandowski needs to take his team to the title, their first in 17 years.

A win over Legia is critical to the question, particularly with the league leaders visiting the team at the bottom of the table.

9. Sporting Braga versus Vitória Guimarãres, Saturday, Portuguese Liga

Braga lost last weekend to Benfica, effectively ended their title hopes.  Six points back is not mathematical elimination, but in a league where the leader is dropping points at a Barcelona, Real Madrid-esque rate, the goal shifts to holding on the the Liga's second Champions League pot.

Vitória Guimarãres is only two points back of Sporting Lisbon for fourth and (most importantly, as it concerns Europe), three up on sixth place União de Leiria.  

Winners of four of their last five, they have the form to continue Braga's woes, with the sporting club having won only twice in five.

As always against Braga, the key will be finding goals.  For Guimarãres, that's a tall order, as they have only 25 goals in 24 matches, with no player having scored more than four goals this season.

While this is an important match in the Liga's table, it also shapes up to be a tranquil one.  With Braga off their game, one goal could be enough.

8. Hibernian versus Celtic, Sunday, Scottish Premier League

The Scottish league is approaching their split - the point of the season where the top six (and bottom six) only play each other.  Ten points behind Rangers, Celtic's hopes of a title have faded, as have Hibs chance of catching them for second and a Champions League qualifying spot.  Yet this match still has implications for each.

In fourth place, Hibs are trying to hold on to Europe, not sure how the Scottish Cup will play out.  Likewise, Celtic is only five points up on third place Dundee United.

Celtic, though, looks well situated to hold their spot thanks to the loan arrival of Robbie Keane.  The Spurs forward has 11 goals in as many matches since his January loan move.

7. Barcelona versus Athletic Bilbao, Saturday, Spanish Primera Division

One week ahead of their title-defining match with Real Madrid, Barcelona has a trap game on Saturday.  Bilbao is a willing team that can be physical (if not outright chippy) at times, and with Barcelona coming off a trip to London and looking forward to a Champions League match before Real Madrid, Bilbao could surprise.

Of course, this is a Barcelona team that has lost only three times all year in all competitions.  Surely there were other trap games this year, traps they transcended.  In addition to being extremely talented and employing an attractive approach, this team plays like a machine.  Even their bad matches are quite good.

And with Zlatan Ibrahimovic's scoring tour re-found, there are more resources to save them from slipping in league.  Ibra now has five goals in his last four matches, coming off a brace at Arsenal.

For their part, Bilbao is in the middle of a fight for the league's fourth Champions League spot.  They currently sit sixth, two points back of Mallorca.

6. Stade Rennes versus Olympique Lyonnais, Saturday, French Ligue 1

There will be a lot of pressure on Ligue 1's six title contenders to get full points, with each side facing a team below them in the table.  None of their tasks is as great a Lyon's, who face a Rennes side who has won four in a row and sit seventh in league.

Rennes has one of the better defenses in the league, having allowed the third-fewest goals, and with attackers like Ghanian international Asamoah Gyan and emerging French talent Sylvain Marveaux, they are a challenge under even the best of circumstances.

For Lyon, this weekend does not provide those circumstances.  They are in-between Champions League legs and need to prioritize.  That prioritization is made easier by Lisandro's suspension for the second Bordeaux match, meaning he likely plays Saturday, but beyond that, Claude Puel is going to be tempted to look to Wednesday when making his Saturday selection.

After the jump, the matches get much better, and as is tradition, you get a sneak-peak with the poll:

5. Borussia Dortmund versus Werder Bremen, Saturday, German Bundesliga

Dortmund and Bremen, each with ten points in their last four matches, have put some room between them (fourth and fifth) and sixth place.  Each have done it through attack.

Dortmund has one of the Bundesliga's best players, Argentine Lucas Barrios, in splendid form.  Last week's nil-nil draw at Hertha Berlin snapped a "string" of consecutive matches where Barrios had registered braces.  Along with Mohamed Zidan, Barrios forms the league's best striking tandem.

For Bremen it has been more of an all-around effort, but they have still surged on the back of their attack, with nine goals in their last three matches.  In that time, Claudio Pizarro has two goals, Marko Marin has scored twice - even Per Mertesacker had a brace last week.

With a struggling Bayer Leverkusen going to Eintracht Frankfurt, the winner of this match (if there is one) will remain in contention for the league's last Champions League stop.  A loser could find Hamburg (playing Hannover) on their heals for fifth.

4. Anderlecht versus Club Brugge, Saturday, Belgian Pro (Juliper) League

The second phase of the Belgian league has started, but Anderlecht's control remains the same.  With two wins to start the six team round-robin, the Purple and White are eight points up with eight to play.

The team most capable of tracking Anderlecht down is Club Brugge, having finished second in the league's first phase.  Having already stumbled to open the phase against Sint-Truiden, Brugge needs a win this weekend to keep their title hopes off life support.  Even a draw leaves them eight back with seven to play, with only one match remaining against Anderlecht.

Brugge has not allowed a goal in the phases first two matches, a level of performance they'll need against an Anderlect side that has nine goals in the last two matches.  Mbark Boussoufa has three goals in that time, with Guillaime Gillat chipping in two more from midfield.

3. CSKA Moskva versus Zenit St. Petersburg, Saturday, Russian Premier Liga

Though they are not necessarily the favorites, CSKA and Zenit are the two most talented teams in Russian and part of a four team group that's jumped out to seven points through the league's first three match days.

Zenit's start as been slightly more difficult, having already faced fellow title contender Spartak Moskva (their one draw), a strong start for new coach Luciano Spalletti.  The former Roma coach has revitalized Danny's Zenit career, with the Portuguese, Arshavin-replacement already tallying two league goals.

Like Lyon, CSKA needs to balance their Wednesday, Champions League needs against this weekend's fixtures.  Possibly the deepest team in Russia, CSKA could rotate half their lineup, bring in players like Kiril Nababkin, Chidi Odiah, Elvir Rahimic and Guilherme without throwing away their chances in this match.

But if Zenit can get a win here, taking advantage of CSKA's league-Europe balancing act, this could be the type of match that, come November, we look back on as say "and the difference between them has turned out to be ..."

2. Schalke versus Bayern Munich, Saturday, German Bundesliga

Bayern Munich's home loss to Stuttgart last week allowed Schalke to move into first place after their convincing win over Bayer Leverkusen.  Kevin Kuranyi is on form for Schalke, leading the league in goals and forcing Joachim Low to reconsider the Brazilian-born German's exclusion from the national team.  Likewise, goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is making Low regret prematurely naming Leverkusen's René Adler his number one.

It's been Neuer and the defensive that have been the keep to Schalke's season.  As Felix Magath has brought a number of younger players into the midfield, the back line has been a near constant.  All of Rafinha, Heiko Westermann, Marcelo Bordon and Benedikt Höwedes deserve mention in the conversation discussing the league's best at their positions.

With Jefferson Farfán's increased contribution and the emergence of players like young Cameroonian Joel Matip (playing himself to South Africa), Schalke has the best all-around team in the league.

But that can all be usurped by one man.

If Arjen Robben is back - an reports are, he will be - then all Munich need to win this match is brilliance from their Dutch star.  True, Munich did beat Manchester United mid-week without him, but that is not a viable long-term prospect, and it would be wishful thinking to expect Schalke to be as off-their-game as United was on Tuesday.

I wish I had more words to say about Munich.  After all, I do like to balance these summaries.  But for all the description I gave Schalke you really only need know one thing:  Robben can win matches.

1. Manchester United versus Chelsea, Saturday, English Premier League

Just a couple of random teams, though I do think Alex Ferguson should think outside the box.