3 To See – Rangers, Chelsea, Sevilla – The Weekend’s Football (2.10.09 – 4.10.09)

Last week’s ‘3 To See’ brought wins for Schalke 04, FC Porto and Independiente in a weekend of derby matches and bitter rivalries. This week 5 of the 6 teams chosen were in Champions League action in midweek, with mixed results. How will they fare heading into what are some big, tasty looking games?

1, Glasgow Rangers v Glasgow Celtic (Scottish Premier League) 12.30 GMT, Sunday 4th October 2009

“I can’t find a word to describe it,” says Graeme Souness on the advert Sky are using to promote this weekend’s Old Firm clash between Rangers and Celtic. This could be taken in either of two ways. Either the former Rangers player and manager genuinely cannot think of a single word to describe a game he played in and managed several times, which brings into question whether Souness is best suited to a job as a pundit. Or, hopefully for his sake, Souness is just so pants-wettingly enthralled by this weekend’s battle of Glasgow that he has nothing to say, reduced instead to mumbling a load of over-excited, incoherent babble like a baby having it’s belly rubbed.

Games between Rangers and Celtic are hugely important to the two sets of supporters not just because of their fundamentally different political and religious ideologies but also because the two are in direct competition with each other for domestic honours year in year out. You can pretty much guarantee that if Celtic don’t win the league Rangers will and vice versa.

This year that trend is going to form. After 6 games Celtic top the Scottish Premier League with a 4 point lead over Rangers in second. Walter Smith’s men have a chance to close that gap at Ibrox on Sunday, and while the quality of football may not be the best, the intensity of supporters in the stands will doubtless transmit to the field to create an entertaining game.

2, Chelsea v Liverpool (English Premier League) 16.00 GMT, Sunday 4th October 2009

The 385,214th instalment of Chelsea vs Liverpool takes place this weekend as 2nd meet 3rd in the English Premier League. Liverpool are smarting after defeat to Fiorentina in the Champions League in midweek, while Chelsea are also wobbling somewhat after Carlo Ancelotti’s 100% record as Blues boss crumbled before his steely blue eyes in Chelsea’s 3-1 loss at Wigan last weekend.

According to Fabio Aurelio, Rafa Benitez was the angriest he’d ever seen him in Florence as Liverpool were comprehensively outplayed by a vibrant Fiorentina side. But the Reds are marching on okay in the league so far despite early defeats to Spurs and Aston Villa, and go into the match at Stamford Bridge having scored 9 goals in their last two league games. Liverpool’s 6-1 destruction of Hull City put the spotlight on Fernando Torres who hit a hat-trick, and a big part of the build-up to Sunday’s game has been the question – who is the better striker, Torres or Chelsea’s Didier Drogba?

Ancelotti will certainly be delighted to have Drogba back again after he missed the 1-0 Champions League win against APOEL FC in Cyprus through suspension. It’s not that Nicolas Anelka isn’t doing it – he scored the winner in that game. But Drogba brings so much to Chelsea that they are almost a completely different prospect with the Ivorian in the team.

One key to Sunday’s game could be the absence of Petr Cech. Sent off at Wigan, Ancelotti has to decide whether to put Ross Turnbull or Hilario in goal as a replacement, but in truth neither is top class and Benitez will surely look to exploit that. Torres must be licking his lips.

3, Sevilla v Real Madrid (Spanish La Liga) 20.00 GMT, Sunday 4th October 2009

If it’s a day of football you’re after on Sunday then Sevilla vs Real Madrid is the perfect way to cap off your weekend as 1st meet 3rd in Spain’s La Liga. Though Real and FC Barcelona are running away with the title race having both made 100% starts to the season, if anyone in Spain is going to catch the big two it looks like being Sevilla, who themselves have started brightly with 4 wins and just 1 defeat in 5 games.

Coach Manolo Jimenez has got his Sevilla side playing some wonderful football at the moment, as demonstrated by their 4-1 destruction of Rangers at Ibrox in the Champions League, and with the goals flowing Sevilla are making a mockery of early season claims that Jimenez was not up to the task and should be sacked. The high intensity attacking play of Los Rojiblancos has been too much for many teams – Athletic Bilbao were spanked 4-0 at home last weekend, and with the likes of Fredi Kanoute, Luis Fabiano, Alvaro Negredo, Jesus Navas and Diego Capel available to Jimenez it is clear to see why many consider Sevilla as the only likely challengers to Barca and Real for the Spanish title.

Real Madrid will not have it easy this weekend, particularly as 9-goal revelation Cristiano Ronaldo looks like missing out through injury. Still, Real have been impressive so far this season. Talk all you like about Kaka, Ronaldo, Benzema et al. For me, Manuel Pellegrini has been the key man at the Bernabeu so far, with his tactical nous, clever squad rotation and willingness to include everyone creating both a positive team spirit and a squad focussed and hungry to meet the challenges ahead. A look at the vastly improved performances of players like Guti and Royston Drenthe is testament to Pellegrini’s good work so far.

Real’s defence is still the source of worry for many, but they are getting results by virtue of their incredible wealth of creative talent and look to be the real deal this season. A trip to Sevilla is a huge test for them and no doubt makes for a very exciting match.

Which games are you looking forward to this weekend? Comments welcome.

Chelsea, English Premier League, Glasgow Celtic, Glasgow Rangers, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Scottish Premier League, Sevilla, Spanish Primera Liga, Three to See