3 To See - Portsmouth, Valencia, Blackburn Rovers - The Weekend's Football (17.10.09 - 19.10.09)

Portsmouth's "best ever manager." His words.

After a break for internationals last weekend '3 To See' is back to provide your guide to three of the most attractive games the weekend has to offer. This week we travel to the north and south of England, sandwiching a trip to the Iberian Peninsula in between:

1, Portsmouth vs Tottenham Hotspur (English Premier League) 15.00 GMT, Saturday 17th October 2009

"I've been the best manager they've ever had," former Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp said about his old club this week. "If people want to shout and holler they need treatment." This seems an interesting way of defusing tension ahead of what has the potential to be an incendiary situation at Fratton Park this weekend, but then again Redknapp has never been one to miss out on a spot of self-promotion, so perhaps he's just sticking to form.

Redknapp makes his first visit to Portsmouth since leaving them for Spurs this weekend, and though he appears to feel a hostile reception would be unwarranted, it is almost certainly guaranteed. Pompey fans haven't really been won over by their former manager's 'you should all be grateful' attempt at a charm offensive, so while he did win the FA Cup at Fratton Park and get the club into Europe (and get them £5million compensation!) he will not receive too warm a welcome on the South Coast this weekend.

Redknapp is not the only one returning to a former club on Saturday. Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch and Nico Kranjcar are all in the Tottenham squad to face Pompey, while Younes Kaboul and Kevin Prince-Boateng could also face their former side. Jamie O'Hara however is ineligible under the terms of his loan deal.

On the pitch the game also has added relevance because of Portsmouth's poor league position. Propping up the table in 20th, Paul Hart's side did at least get their first win a fortnight ago by beating Wolves 1-0 away. Spurs drew 2-2 at Bolton but are flying high under Redknapp's guidance and currently sit 3rd. They are also on a hot goalscoring streak and have scored 12 goals in their last 3 games. Redknapp getting the booing of his life should only add to the drama of what should be an intriguing game.

2, Valencia vs FC Barcelona (Spanish Primera Liga) 21.00 GMT, Saturday 17th October 2009

Juan Mata - a man on the up

Lionel Messi can breathe a sigh of relief this weekend, as the pains of international duty with Argentina are over and he can now get back to being one of the best players in the world at Barcelona again. Today marks the 5th anniversary of Messi's debut for Barça. It brings a nice end to a tough week for the little wizard, who has found himself criticised from pillar to post in his homeland because of a string of sub-standard performances for the national team. Simply put, Leo Messi is not the same awe-inspiring player when wearing the light blue and white stripes of Argentina, and people over there want to know why. (Clue: Maradona).

Messi looks a lot happier in Barça colours, and will hope to maintain his side's 100% league record in Saturday's tricky looking trip to the Mestalla.

This season it really is remarkable to look around Valencia and still see the names Villa, Silva and Mata on the teamsheet. Due to financial problems I and I think everyone else was expecting a firesale from Los Che, but for various reasons none of the key players have left the club and Valencia are profiting from that bit of fortune. A good start to the season sees them in 5th. With Vicente, Carlos Marchena and potentially Villa all missing Saturday's clash through injury, coach Unai Emery does have some juggling to do to balance his team, but the growing influence of Juan Mata should at least provide Pep Guardiola's team with some food for thought.

Barça are chasing a club record 7th successive victory this weekend, but will have to do so without the injured Thierry Henry. Xavi also faces a late fitness test. But do Valencia have enough to stop the European champions?

3, Blackburn Rovers vs Burnley (English Premier League) 13.00 GMT, Saturday 17th October 2009

Can Coyle lead Burnley to their first Premier League away win?

One of the oldest derby matches in world football renews itself this weekend as Blackburn Rovers take on Burnley at Ewood Park. First played all the way back in 1888 when Blackburn won 7-1, the East Lancashire derby conjures up sepia-tinted images of cotton mill workers and engineers, men taking a break from the intense physical exertions of the coal mines in order to entertain themselves with the rather more light-hearted recreational exertions of the football field.

The last time these two local rivals met in league football was back in 2001 when both were in the Championship. Blackburn won 5-0, and Rovers fans will be dreaming of capitalising on an onimous statistical trend in Burnley's away form this season - Owen Coyle's team have lost every game on the road so far and their last four away games have finished 2-0, 3-0, 4-0 and 5-0. Surely that pattern can't continue on Sunday, can it? Burnley have not won at Ewood Park in 30 years.

Factoring in the two clubs' supporters' mutual dislike, their first meeting in English football's top flight since 1965/1966 was always going to be a passionate affair. But Lancashire Constabulary's bizarre plans for policing Sunday's game has so far done little to help matters and could even create more trouble than there may originally have been.

As a 'bubble match', away fans can only get tickets to this if they use special transport arranged from specific pick-up points. This means Burnley fans living outside the town must travel back into Burnley just to use police-monitored transport to Ewood Park. A Burnley fan living in, say Blackburn therefore must head all the way to a pick-up point in Burnley, only to travel back to their own home town again. Ludicrous.

Many away fans have therefore bought tickets in the home end simply to avoid the ridiculous inconvenience, which could lead to trouble in stands where there might never have been were it not for these odd policing methods in the first place.

Given the two towns' borderline hatred for one another, this should be spicy.

Which games will you be watching? Any predictions? Feel free to have your say on these 3 games and all the weekend's football in the comments section below.