Manchester City host Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur in a heavyweight Premier League clash at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday evening
The pick of Premier League matches for this round sees Manchester City host Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday 19 February. This clash sees the Citizens looking to stay on course for a second successive title triumph, while Spurs are looking to boost their hopes of finishing in the top four come to the end of the season.
“We will do everything to try to reach the [Champions League],” said Tottenham manager Antonio Conte. “But to use this word ‘win’ is more simple than to [actually] win. To win, you must build something important and have an important squad. Then you are ready to win. Otherwise, you have to hope to do something outstanding.”
Another major clash sees Leeds United welcome Manchester United to Elland Road, with the Whites and the Red Devils renewing their fierce rivalry. Man United, like Spurs, are very much in the race for a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League and have made some progress under interim manager Ralf Rangnick, though the German says he is still not satisfied.
“I am still not quite happy with the way that we play in possession of the ball, so this will have to be the next steps in the next couple of weeks that we also find better solutions in possession of the ball,” said Rangnick.
Elsewhere in the Premier League this weekend, Arsenal will chase revenge over Brentford at the Emirates Stadium – with the Bees having claimed a famous win over the Gunners when the teams met on the opening evening of the season – while another London derby sees Crystal Palace play host to Chelsea at Selhurst Park.
Liverpool will back themselves to beat Norwich City, Everton face a crunch clash away to Southampton, and Wolverhampton Wanderers will welcome Leicester City to Molineux for a Midlands derby in which Bruno Lage will hope to again prove his tactical acumen.
SuperSport is also the only place to get English commentary on the legendary La Liga, where the top match for this round is the Basque derby between Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad at San Mames Barria on the evening of Sunday 20 February. This clash will not only be about bragging rights but also sees both Los Leones and Los Txuri-Urdin looking to boost their hopes of European qualification.
Athletic manager Marcelino Garcia Toral says he is excited by the future of his team, which features several up-and-coming youngsters, including the highly-regarded Nico Serrano: “To arrive and kiss the saint, he is a player who has a goal,” said Marcelino.
“You can see it in training, it’s still young, with the selection he scores a goal and in training. The goal has put in a very good technical action. It’s comforting that guys so young come with that enthusiasm and with that competitiveness. Athletic has a future with important players.”
Another Basque club to watch will be Deportivo Alaves, who have a tough trip to the capital city to take on Real Madrid, with Los Blancos continuing to look strong in their quest to reclaim championship glory. Real manager Carlo Ancelotti recently insisted that midfielder Luka Modric deserves a “life-long” contract with the club and will be hoping the Croatian is fit and firing for their clash on Saturday night.
Elsewhere in Spain’s top flight, Barcelona has a tricky trip to face Valencia at Estadio de Mestalla, with the Catalans hoping that influential young midfielder Pedri can lead them to three points against Los Che.
“These months, being [injured], have helped me mature, to see that I have to work and improve,” said the 19-year-old. “They have made me realise that everything has gone very quickly and I have been privileged. But obviously, I don’t regret all that has happened up until now. I wouldn’t change anything.”
Also keep an eye out for Sevilla’s trip to Espanyol, Real Betis tackling Mallorca and Atletico Madrid head to Estadio El Sadar to tackle Osasuna.
The top clash from this weekend in Serie A is the Turin derby – known as the ‘Derby della Mole’ – which sees Juventus host Torino at the Allianz Stadium on Friday 18 February. While the Bianconeri are fighting to finish in the top four, Il Toro is targeting a spot in the upper half of the log and would love nothing more than to put a spanner in the works in regards to their rival’s ambitions.
“This match means so much to the city of Turin and we are always looking to defend the pride of our club,” said Torino star Antonio Sanabria. “Juve have great quality and it will be tough playing away, but we know we will have a great chance of making life very difficult for them. Who knows what will happen on the day?”
Saturday in Italy’s top-flight features Roma, who have been wildly entertaining for both good and bad reasons recently, welcome Verona to the Stadio Olimpico, while title hopefuls AC Milan will need to pick up all three points away to Salernitana – with striker Olivier Giroud hoping for less frustration at refereeing decisions.
“It’s more about adapting to the referees who have a tendency to whistle for lighter contacts than they do in the Premier League,” said the Frenchman, who had spent nine years in England before signing with the Rossoneri.
Sunday afternoon brings a potential thriller when Fiorentina welcome Atalanta, while champions Internazionale will be in action later in the day when they welcome Sassuolo to the San Siro, and Monday has Napoli travelling to Cagliari.
The Neapolitans will bid goodbye to Lorenzo Insigne at the end of the season, with the veteran agreeing on a deal to join Toronto FC in the MLS. Dries Mertens has paid dividends to the diminutive winger.
“Insigne made a choice and we will miss him because he’s an important person for us. We will never forget what he did for us,” explained Mertens. “We’re a little sad, but must give him a great send-off. After 11 years here, he is Neapolitan, and we should always thank him.”
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Premier League broadcast details, 19-20 February 2022
All times CAT
Saturday 19 February
14:30: West Ham United v Newcastle United – LIVE on SuperSport Premier League, SuperSport Maximo 1, SuperSport Maximo 360 and SuperSport GOtv Football
17:00: Arsenal v Brentford – LIVE on SuperSport Variety 2
17:00: Aston Villa v Watford – LIVE on SuperSport Action
17:00: Brighton & Hove Albion v Burnley – LIVE on SuperSport OTT3
17:00: Crystal Palace v Chelsea – LIVE on SuperSport Variety 3 and SuperSport Maximo 1
17:00: Liverpool v Norwich City – LIVE on SuperSport Premier League, SuperSport Maximo 360 and SuperSport GOtv Football
17:00: Southampton v Everton – LIVE on SuperSport Variety 1
19:30: Manchester City v Tottenham Hotspur – LIVE on SuperSport Premier League and SuperSport Maximo 1
Sunday 20 February
16:00: Leeds United v Manchester United – LIVE on SuperSport Premier League and SuperSport Maximo 1
18:30: Wolverhampton Wanderers v Leicester City – LIVE on SuperSport Premier League and SuperSport Maximo 1
La Liga broadcast details, 18-21 February 2022
All times CAT
Friday 18 February
22:00: Elche v Rayo Vallecano – LIVE on SuperSport La Liga, SuperSport Maximo 2 and SuperSport GOtv La Liga
Saturday 19 February
15:00: Granada v Villarreal – LIVE on SuperSport La Liga, SuperSport Maximo 2 and SuperSport GOtv La Liga
17:15: Osasuna v Atletico Madrid – LIVE on SuperSport La Liga, SuperSport Maximo 2 and SuperSport GOtv La Liga
19:30: Cadiz v Getafe – LIVE on SuperSport La Liga, SuperSport Maximo 2, SuperSport GOtv Football and SuperSport GOtv La Liga
22:00: Real Madrid v Alaves – LIVE on SuperSport La Liga, SuperSport Maximo 2 and SuperSport GOtv La Liga
Sunday 20 February
15:00: Espanyol v Sevilla – LIVE on SuperSport La Liga, SuperSport Maximo 2 and SuperSport GOtv La Liga
17:15: Valencia v Barcelona – LIVE on SuperSport La Liga, SuperSport Maximo 2 and SuperSport GOtv La Liga
19:30: Real Betis v Mallorca – LIVE on SuperSport La Liga, SuperSport Maximo 2 and SuperSport GOtv La Liga
22:00: Athletic Bilbao v Real Sociedad – LIVE on SuperSport La Liga, SuperSport Maximo 2, SuperSport Maximo 360, SuperSport GOtv Football and SuperSport GOtv La Liga
Monday 21 February
22:00: Celta Vigo v Levante – LIVE on SuperSport La Liga, SuperSport Maximo 2, SuperSport Maximo 360 and SuperSport GOtv La Liga
Serie A broadcast details, 18-21 February 2022
All times CAT
Friday 18 February
21:45: Juventus v Torino – LIVE on SuperSport Football, SuperSport Maximo 1 and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
Saturday 19 February
16:00: Sampdoria v Empoli – LIVE on SuperSport Football and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
19:00: Roma v Verona – LIVE on SuperSport Football, SuperSport Maximo 360 and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
21:45: Salernitana v AC Milan – LIVE on SuperSport Football, SuperSport Maximo 1 and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
Sunday 20 February
13:30: Fiorentina v Atalanta – LIVE on SuperSport Football, SuperSport Maximo 1, SuperSport Maximo 360, SuperSport GOtv Football and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
16:00: Venezia v Genoa – LIVE on SuperSport Football and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
19:00: Internazionale v Sassuolo – LIVE on SuperSport Football, SuperSport Maximo 360, SuperSport GOtv Football and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
21:45: Udinese v Lazio – LIVE on SuperSport Football, SuperSport Maximo 1 and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
Monday 21 February
20:00: Cagliari v Napoli – LIVE on SuperSport Football, SuperSport Maximo 360 and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
22:00: Bologna v Spezia – LIVE on SuperSport Football, SuperSport Maximo 1 and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
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