Weekend Preview

Here are a smattering of matches to look for over the weekend:

Saturday

Blackburn v. Newcastle

Blackburn went winless for the month of November and will like their chances against a Newcastle team that has also performed poorly as of late. Rovers will be without captain Ryan Nelson after he was sent-off in a mid-week loss to Aston Villa. According to ESPN Soccernet, right back Andre Ooijer will move into the center of defense, with Brett Emerton sliding to full-back and Morten Gamst Pederson being recalled to the starting eleven. Newcastle's Sam Alardyce will hope to turn his side's fortunes around against their struggling hosts with his position under increasing scrutiny.

Aston Villa v. Arsenal, Saturday

Arsenal, coming off a 3 - 1 defeat at the hands of Sevilla in the Champions League, are up against tough opposition at Villa Park. The home side have won four games in a row, including the aforementioned 4 - 0 drubbing of Blackburn. Now that the weather has turned, miserable conditions on the road may well go against the Gunners. Heavy rain today will make for a soggy pitch tomorrow, putting a damper on Arsenal's sublime passing game. This could be the match of the weekend in the Premier League. Gabriel Agbonlahor's fitness is in doubt for the home side, while Gael Clichy and Alexander Hleb are questionable for Arsenal. Villa midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker is suspended.

Werder Bremen v. Hamburg SV

It's a clash of the second and third placed teams in the Bundesliga. Bremen come into this match on the back of a 3 - 2 win over Real Madrid in the Champions League. The hosts Bremen are undefeated in nine league matches and have scored a league leading 22 goals at home. Hamburg were also on the winning side in the UEFA Cup, downing French side Rennes 3 - 0 at the HSH Nordbank Arena. The visitors have only allowed a miserly 5 goals in seven away matches so far, so this will be a stern test for Bremen.

Espanyol v. Barcelona

The fourth placed hosts will seek to thwart their local rivals again after they drew with Barcelona 2 - 2 on the second last day of the 06/07 season, helping to ruin Barca's attempt to win three consecutive championships. Barcelona sit in third place, but only managed a draw during the week against Lyon. Ernesto Valverde, the Espanyol manager, said controlling possession is the key to beating Barcelona:

"If we want to beat them, we must make Barca suffer and the best way to do that is by taking away their essence." (ESPN Soccernet)

Barca are easily frustrated and this match could get scrappy if Espanyol are on their game.

Sunday

Fiorentina v. Inter Milan

Milan play Juventus on Saturday, but I feel the game of the week in Serie A has to be Fiorentina facing the league leaders at home. Inter continue to cruise past their opposition, logging a 3 - 0 victory in mid-week away to Turkish side Fenerbahce. The hosts, who harbour Champions League aspirations, have slipped in recent weeks, going winless since their 6 -1 flogging of Elfsborg in the UEFA Cup on Oct. 8. Led by leading scorer Adrian Mutu (6 goals), the Florence side will look to halt Inter's 13 game unbeaten streak in all competitions.