Every Friday, we pick the best or most exciting matches to watch in football every weekend. From derbies to top-flight showdowns, from relegation six-point battles to world-class battles and other interesting tactical battles, there’s something for everyone.
This week we take you through big derbies, possible big bench managerial debuts, big upsets and knockout games in England, Italy, Spain, France, Scotland and Morocco.
French Ligue 1 Round 17
Kickoff: Sunday, 2:45pm ET, 7:45pm GMT
For the first time since the end of the 1970s, a Paris derby has taken place in France’s top league!
On Sunday, local rivals Paris Saint-Germain and Paris Football Club will face off for the first time this season. Both teams’ stadiums are located on the west side of the French capital, just a few yards from each other, but this time they will face off at the Parc des Princes.
The European champions did not become winter champions as usual, as Reims are the league leaders at the moment, but PSG needs to get off to a strong start, like in 2025, when the second half of the season was much better than the first half. Coach Luis Enrique has everyone available for this match, with the exception of Achraf Hakimi, who is participating in the AFCON with Morocco. This is still a huge boost as it has been very rare so far this season.
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For Paris FC, the situation is very different. The team have not won in Ligue 1 since November 1, with three consecutive losses and two draws putting manager Stephane Gil under enormous pressure. PFC will invest in the January transfer window to strengthen their squad, who go into this game in 14th place, just four points above the relegation zone, but they face a big mountain to climb in early 2026.
They already won in Monaco this season, proving they can perform well away from home. What’s even more interesting is that the two sides will face each other twice next week, in the league and in the French Cup, so there’s a lot at stake.
My prediction: PSG 3, Paris FC 1. PSG would be too strong for their neighbors as I don’t think Paris FC is ready to compete with them yet. They will try to defend deep and compact, but that is not enough.
Serie A Round 16
Kickoff: Saturday, 2:45pm ET / 7:45pm GMT
This is a special match for Roma manager Gian Piero Gasperini. He will return to Atalanta, where he spent nine great seasons and established the club as one of the best in Italy. “Gasp” transformed Atalanta and became a hero in Bergamo, but he influenced and inspired many managers in the Italian league.
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This will be a tough match for him to start 2026. Roma are in fourth place, three points behind leaders Inter Milan, but they have lost three of their last five Serie A games, adding to the bleakness of the first half of the season. Even though they won against Genoa on December 29th, the 2-1 loss to Juventus before Christmas was a big blow for them. Atalanta, currently in 10th place, need a strong away performance after losing at home to Inter in their last match.
The team has improved significantly since Raffaele Palladino took over as manager in November. Atalanta have won six games in all competitions and have endured three losses while sitting on the bench. They are more structured, organized and better on the ball than they were under their predecessor Ivan Juric. There is a 10 point difference between them and fifth place, with a chance of qualifying for the Champions League. It’s not impossible, but we need to win against Roma to get 2026 off to a good start.
My prediction: Atalanta 1, AS Roma 1. Atalanta’s players will be highly motivated not to let their former manager win after returning to Bergamo. It should be a very close game, with a tied score expected.
La Liga Round 18
Kickoff: Saturday, 3pm ET / 8pm GMT
1:39
Why Barcelona is the perfect place for Marcus Rashford
Shaka Hislop and Steve Nicol discuss Marcus Rashford’s evolution at Barcelona compared to his time at Manchester United.
The 2026 La Liga season will also start with a spectacular Barcelona derby.
Espanyol are having a great season. They sit in 5th place with 10 wins, 3 draws and 4 losses, and are clearly the biggest surprise of the La Liga season. No one expected this much success to come from a team that finished 14th last season.
They haven’t scored many goals, with just 22 goals in 17 games so far, but they have the fourth best defense in the league this season, better than, say, Barcelona. They finished 2025 with five consecutive wins in the league, defeating Atlético Madrid at home (2-1) at the beginning of the season. For the first time in a very long time, they won’t feel like complete underdogs against their biggest rivals. Pere Mila, the top scorer with six goals this season, will lead the team.
It will be a difficult match for Barça to start the year. Hansi Flick and his team have achieved an incredible run of eight consecutive league wins, going from five points behind Real Madrid to four points clear of the leaders. They have real momentum, even though their recent games haven’t been perfect and their defensive weaknesses are creeping back in. However, they scored so many goals and were so good in attack that they proved difficult to beat.
My prediction: Espanyol 2, Barcelona 3. As always, there will be a lot of goals in Barcelona’s games, but just like in recent weeks, Barcelona will win by scoring more goals than their opponents.
The post-Maresca era begins with a tough journey.
manchester city vs chelsea
Premier League Round 20
Kickoff: Sunday, 11:30am ET / 4:30pm GMT
1:38
Should Chelsea target Cesc Fabregas to replace Enzo Maresca?
Janusz Michalik discusses whether Cesc Fabregas is a good appointment for Chelsea.
This will be their first match against Chelsea since the end of the Enzo Maresca era. What a coincidence that he left the Blues’ bench just days before the game against his old club, who have been linked with him taking over whenever manager Josep Guardiola decides to resign.
At the time of writing, it is unclear who will take over as manager, and there is a good chance that Chelsea will have a new permanent manager on the bench ahead of Sunday’s big game. or not. In any case, they need a lot of points, having won just two of their last nine official games.
It’s true that Maresca made a number of mistakes before leaving, but players from Cole Palmer to Moises Caicedo will have to take responsibility and whoever the new manager becomes will have a point to prove. They have the quality to trouble City, especially in transition, but this is a really tough game to start the year with and regardless of who is on the bench.
Manchester City had won eight consecutive games in all competitions, but dropped two valuable points with a 0-0 draw against Sunderland on Thursday night. They are now four points behind league leaders Arsenal, making the gap even more important for Guardiola and his players. We can’t afford to drop points again. Rayan Cherki was the best player at the Stadium of Light, but Erling Haaland hasn’t scored in two games in a row and while that may not sound like a cause for concern, it is a problem for a team that relies heavily on his goalscoring.
My prediction: Man City 2, Chelsea 1. This Chelsea team is struggling with form and results. The last thing they want now that they have lost their manager is to face City at the Etihad.
Old Firm team in transition
celtic vs rangers
Scottish Premiership Round 20
Kickoff: Saturday 7:30am ET / 12:30pm GMT
The Old Firm derby between Celtic and Rangers is always a special match, but this one is perhaps even more special given the situation both clubs find themselves in heading into 2026! Both sides have changed managers already this season, and both are chasing league leaders Hearts (Celtic with a three-point lead and Rangers with a six-point lead), and the one who loses this big showdown could be in big trouble.
Speaking of struggles, Wilfried Nancy has been through a lot since taking over from Martin O’Neill at Celtic. With two wins and five losses in seven matches, he will be under a lot of pressure ahead of this derby. Danny Rolle has improved slightly since taking over as Rangers manager in October, with eight wins, five losses and three draws in all competitions.
Both coaches have changed a lot in a short amount of time, but both teams are still far from where they want to be. Style and performance aren’t important in this game. All that matters is the result and the victory.
The first match of the season against OID Farm at the end of August ended in a 0-0 draw, but this is unusual enough to mention. Celtic won the League Cup in November (3-1), but this is perhaps the most important of the three games. Rangers’ Thero Asgord has been in good form of late, scoring in the last two games. At Celtic, Benjamin Nygren has also been shining recently. On Saturday it’s Sweden vs Norway and Boyz vs Gers!
My prediction: Celtic 2, Rangers 1. There’s a lot at stake at Celtic Park and the game will be hectic and intense. The atmosphere will be different and Celtic should be good enough to win.
Africa Cup of Nations, Round of 16
Kickoff: Sunday 11am ET / 4pm GMT
This is the third match in the last 16 of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and is probably one of the most interesting given that it is a battle between two potential surprise picks to win it all. This is the biggest match of the tournament, with the winner advancing to face hosts and favorites Morocco in the quarter-finals.
South Africa head coach Hugo Broude, 73, won two group games against Angola (2-1) and Zimbabwe (3-2), but lost against Egypt (1-0) and finished second in Group B behind Mohamed Salah & Co. They aren’t very convincing, but they have talent on every line. Burnley’s Lyle Foster has also had an excellent performance so far with two goals and two assists.
Cameroon also finished second in the group behind Ivory Coast with two wins against Gabon (1-0) and Mozambique (2-1) and a draw against Holder (1-1). They are in second place, having scored just one goal less than the Elephants, and new head coach David Pagou, who took over after former manager Samuel Eto’o’s pranks, is doing some really good things and the fans are very much in agreement. The 2017 AFCON winners also have a strong squad led by Premier League stars Carlos Baleba and Brian Mbeumo.
My prediction: South Africa 1, Cameroon 1, Cameroon advances on penalties. There is not much difference between these two teams, so it will be an unstable situation. It is clear that Cameroon will gain the upper hand and advance to the penalty shootout.
