Now that the World Cup guest list has finally been sorted, we can get back to club business. There’s a full programme of Premier League and Football League fixtures, plus some attractive fixtures on the continent and beyond too. As ever, Sportsmail has the pick of the weekend’s action.
Borussia Dortmund v Bayern Munich
Der Klassiker has come to rival the Clasico in recent times as Europe’s most important club fixture and every meeting of Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich is to be savoured.
The pair proved the current pre-eminence of German football with that richly entertaining Champions League final at Wembley in May and this season’s first clash between the old rivals in the Super Cup was a goal fest.
Their first Bundesliga meeting of the season (Saturday, 5.30pm, BT Sport 1) has huge implications. The two teams were neck-and-neck at the top until Dortmund lost at Wolfsburg the other week and, all of a sudden, defending champions Bayern have the opportunity to open a seven-point gap.
For all Dortmund’s artistry, you have to say that is an almighty deficit to make up, even at this stage of the season. Bayern are merrily marching along into winter, still unbeaten. Indeed, they’ve been unbeaten for the last 37 league matches and their aura of invincibility is hard to see through.
They will be without the talismanic Franck Ribery, who cracked a rib in the process of helping France qualify for the World Cup on Tuesday, but that problem pales into insignificance compared to Jurgen Klopp’s defensive injury list.
Mats Hummels limped off after tearing heel ligaments in Germany’s win over England, Marcel Schmelzer is out for three weeks with a muscle injury in the same game and Neven Subotic is out for the rest of the season.
Whatever the implications, though, we can all sit back and appreciate two magnificent teams in what will hopefully be an absorbing game.
Everton v Liverpool
The Premier League returns from its international slumber with a bang on Saturday lunchtime as Everton and Liverpool lock horns for the 221st time (for those wondering, Liverpool have won 88, Everton 66 and there have been 66 draws).
It’s an encounter that brings out the best of Merseyside, a friendly rivalry that sees families divided down the middle but still sitting together in the stands.
However, it can be an affair that brings out the worst in the players, with full-bloodied challenges mandatory and red cards inevitable.
Having said that, there hasn’t been a dismissal in the fixture since Jack Rodwell went off at Goodison in October 2011 – a red card that was subsequently rescinded.
Still, you wouldn’t bet against it on Saturday given that both are currently enjoying great seasons and sit in the top six
With the devastating form of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge powering them along (though the latter is an injury doubt for this one), Liverpool look capable of mounting a sustained title challenge for the first time in five or six years. They will go back ahead of Arsenal – at least temporarily – with a win on the other side of Stanley Park.
But Everton, just three points behind, remain unbeatable at home this season and are proving hard to break down defensively so it’s a tough one to call.
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