The pick of Premier League matches in this curtailed round (due to the Carabao Cup final between Chelsea and Liverpool at Wembley Stadium on Sunday 27 February) sees Everton welcome Manchester City to Goodison Park on Saturday evening.
The Toffees have endured a tough campaign and parted ways with manager Rafael Benitez last month, before installing Premier League legend Frank Lampard as their new boss. The former England international midfielder knows that the Citizens will be tough opponents, but he is determined to make Everton a relevant force again.
“I understand in the short term the job is to improve our league position,” said Lampard. “In the long term, it is clear it is a club with big ambition, big history, a huge fanbase and a desire throughout to improve. There is a lot of work to be done but I am very proud to be given this opportunity to be at the front of it.”
The weekend’s Premier League action opens on Friday night with Southampton hosting Norwich City, while Saturday’s early kick-off is a potential thriller between Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur, with the tactical battle between respective managers Marcelo Bielsa and Antonio Conte set to be one that gets the football purists purring.
Saturday also features Manchester United at home to Watford, with the latter club recently handing over the reins to veteran Roy Hodgson in the hope that he can get them out of relegation trouble.
“It’s [avoiding relegation] more than possible. I wouldn’t have accepted the challenge had I not believed we could help the club stay in the Premier League,” said the 74-year-old, who replaced Claudio Ranieri at the helm of the Hornets.
“The proof of the pudding is in the eating and it’s important the players react well and they can produce the level of performances that are going to be necessary. This league, in terms of relegation, is a dogfight.”
Finally, Sunday’s lone league match sees West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers meet at the London Stadium in a key clash for the fight for European qualification.
SuperSport is also the only place to get English commentary on the legendary La Liga, where the top match for this round is the Seville derby (or ‘Derby Sevillano’) in which Sevilla will welcome cross-town rivals Real Betis to Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on the afternoon of Sunday 27 February.
This heated battle between Los Nervionenses and Los Verdiblancos is not always one in which the two teams are situated in the upper reaches of the table, but that is very much the case this season: Sevilla has been Real Madrid’s most credible challengers for the title, while Betis are fighting hard to finish in the top four and qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League.
The derby is given even greater spice by an incident between the teams when they met in the Copa del Rey last month: the game was suspended in the 39th minute after a Betis supporter threw a missile at Sevilla midfielder Joan Jordan, striking him in the head.
“There was an attack,” Sevilla manager Julen Lopetegui explained. “I immediately told the referee that the conditions to continue playing aren’t met. Joan Jordan is beginning to feel worse and I urged him to sit down and have the doctor come in. That’s all that happened.”
Elsewhere in La Liga this weekend, Barcelona face a test at home to Athletic Bilbao in the late game on Sunday. The Catalan giants were very active in the transfer market, signing the likes of Ferran Torres, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Adama Traore, but it remains to be seen whether manager Xavi can get his mix-and-match squad all playing the same tune on a consistent basis.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, will have a short trip to Estadio de Vallecas to face fellow capital city club Rayo Vallecano, who have been one of the revelations of this La Liga season and would love to further add to their burgeoning reputation by defeating Los Blancos.
The weekend also features Valencia visiting Mallorca on Friday night, Atletico Madrid hosting Celta Vigo at Estadio Wanda Metropolitano on Saturday evening, and a Monday battle between Granada and relegation candidates Cadiz.
The top clash from this weekend in Serie A is the meeting of Lazio and Napoli at the Stadio Olimpico. The Neapolitans are still scrapping to keep themselves in the fight for the Scudetto, while Le Aquile’s ambitions are all about European qualification for next season.
“We know the challenge that awaits us, it will be a very difficult and very complicated match, because each team has their own ambitions,” explained Napoli boss Luciano Spalletti. “Still, we will travel with the hope that we can come back to Naples with the three points – this is always the goal.”
With Napoli facing a testing game, title rivals Internazionale and AC Milan will look to ensure that they pick up a full haul of points for their clashes with Genoa (away) and Udinese (home) respectively.
Rossoneri manager Stefano Pioli recently revealed that a major part of his philosophy is ensuring that his player’s still retain a sense of joy in playing the game – even in the hyper-competitive world of elite-level football.
“Having fun is fundamental. That’s a thing that we look for. We try to be as serious as possible, committed and professional. But football is passion, enjoyment. When you train lads who are very young, you need them to put their enthusiasm on the pitch,” said Pioli.
Heavyweights Juventus, with star signing Dusan Vlahovic in tow, will fancy their chances of overcoming the challenge of Empoli. The Serbian striker says he and the Turin club have “similar DNA” and he is hopeful of becoming an idol in the famous Bianconeri colours.
“There were many rumours about foreign clubs, but the choice was easy because the club and I have a similar DNA. Fight and suffer when needed. I think it’s part of my mentality as well, so the choice was not difficult,” said the 22-year-old.
Elsewhere in Italy this round, Atalanta will host Sampdoria, Sassuolo will hope to get the better of Fiorentina, and Jose Mourinho’s Roma will face a test away to plucky Spezia at Stadio Alberto Picco.
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Premier League broadcast details, 25-27 February 2022
All times CAT
Friday 25 February
22:00: Southampton v Norwich City – LIVE on SuperSport Premier League, SuperSport Maximo 1, SuperSport Maximo 360 and SuperSport GOtv Football
Saturday 26 February
14:30: Leeds United v Tottenham Hotspur – LIVE on SuperSport Premier League, SuperSport Maximo 1 and SuperSport Maximo 360
17:00: Brentford v Newcastle United – LIVE on SuperSport Variety 2
17:00: Brighton & Hove Albion v Aston Villa – LIVE on SuperSport Variety 3
17:00: Crystal Palace v Burnley – LIVE on SuperSport OTT2
17:00: Manchester United v Watford – LIVE on SuperSport Premier League, SuperSport Maximo 1 and SuperSport GOtv Football
19:30: Everton v Manchester City – LIVE on SuperSport Premier League and SuperSport Maximo 1
Sunday 27 February
16:00: West Ham United v Wolverhampton Wanderers – LIVE on SuperSport Premier League and SuperSport Maximo 1
Postponed due to Carabao Cup Final:
– Arsenal v Liverpool
– Chelsea v Leicester City
La Liga broadcast details, 25-28 February 2022
All times CAT
Friday 25 February
22:00: Mallorca v Valencia – LIVE on SuperSport La Liga, SuperSport Maximo 2 and SuperSport GOtv La Liga
Saturday 26 February
15:00: Levante v Elche – LIVE on SuperSport La Liga, SuperSport Maximo 2 and SuperSport GOtv La Liga
17:15: Getafe v Alaves – LIVE on SuperSport La Liga, SuperSport Maximo 2 and SuperSport GOtv La Liga
19:30: Rayo Vallecano v Real Madrid – LIVE on SuperSport La Liga, SuperSport Maximo 2 and SuperSport GOtv La Liga
22:00: Atletico Madrid v Celta Vigo – LIVE on SuperSport La Liga, SuperSport Maximo 2, SuperSport Maximo 360, SuperSport GOtv Football and SuperSport GOtv La Liga
Sunday 27 February
15:00: Villarreal v Espanyol – LIVE on SuperSport La Liga, SuperSport Maximo 2 and SuperSport GOtv La Liga
17:15: Sevilla v Real Betis – LIVE on SuperSport La Liga, SuperSport Maximo 2 and SuperSport GOtv La Liga
19:30: Real Sociedad v Osasuna – LIVE on SuperSport La Liga, SuperSport Maximo 2 and SuperSport GOtv La Liga
22:00: Barcelona v Athletic Bilbao – LIVE on SuperSport La Liga, SuperSport Maximo 2 and SuperSport GOtv La Liga
Monday 28 February
22:00: Granada v Cadiz – LIVE on SuperSport La Liga, SuperSport Maximo 2, SuperSport Maximo 360, SuperSport GOtv Football and SuperSport GOtv La Liga
Serie A broadcast details, 25-28 February 2022
All times CAT
Friday 25 February
19:45: AC Milan v Udinese – LIVE on SuperSport Football, SuperSport Maximo 1, SuperSport Maximo 360 and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
22:00: Genoa v Internazionale – LIVE on SuperSport Football and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
Saturday 26 February
16:00: Salernitana v Bologna – LIVE on SuperSport Football and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
19:00: Empoli v Juventus – LIVE on SuperSport Football, SuperSport GOtv Football and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
21:45: Sassuolo v Fiorentina – LIVE on SuperSport Football, SuperSport Maximo 1 and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
Sunday 27 February
13:30: Torino v Cagliari – LIVE on SuperSport Football, SuperSport Maximo 1, SuperSport Maximo 360 and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
16:00: Verona v Venezia – LIVE on SuperSport Football and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
19:00: Spezia v Roma – LIVE on SuperSport Football and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
21:45: Lazio v Napoli – LIVE on SuperSport Football, SuperSport Maximo 1 and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
Monday 28 February
21:45: Atalanta v Sampdoria – LIVE on SuperSport Football, SuperSport Maximo 1 and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
