Weekend Guide 6.11.2015

In these rainy cold days, only football can keep you warm and cozy. This weekend we have the Asian Champions League final, a close race in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the start of the Lebanese league.

(All hours are in CET)

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What? Al Ahly – Guangzhou Evergrande (AFC Champions League)

When? Saturday, 16:45

Where? Al-Rashid Stadium, Dubai

Why? It's time to decide which team is the best in the Asian football. Al Ahly will host the first leg of the final, while Guangzhou will host the second leg two weeks later. Al Ahly can be the first Emirati club to win the title since Al Ain in 2003, while Guangzhou Evergrande will try to win their second title in three years.

Key Players: Despite all the Brazilian expensive players on the squad, the best Al Ahly player in this campaign was the local Ahmed Khalil, with 6 goals and 4 assists, including some decisive goals in the knockout stages. Guangzhou Evergrande’s top player is Ricardo Goulart, the tournament’s top scorer with 8 goals and the main figure in Guangzhou’s last Chinese title.

Last Train to the Final: Al Ahly was almost eliminated in the semi final second leg, as the result was 2-2 and Al Hilal from Saudi Arabia was about to qualify by away goals. A dramatic goal in the 95th minute by Korean Kwon Kyung-Won led Al Ahly all the way to the final.

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What? Sloboda Tuzla – Zrinjski (Premijer liga, Bosnia and Herzegovina)

When? Sunday, 13:30

Where? Stadion Tušanj, Tuzla

Why? Take a look at the Bosnian league table. Zrinjski leads the table with 30 points, and behind them there are three teams, all with 28 points. Sloboda is among them. While Zrinjski knows how it feels to win the title, Sloboda will try to make a step towards their first title ever.

Key Players: Sloboda has the league’s top scorer, Mersudin Ahmetović, who came back to his former team after 7 years in Russia and Belarus. Zrinjski conceded only 4 goals in 14 matches, and they will thank Goran Karačić, the 19 year old goalkeeper who already played for the U21 Bosnia national team.

Lucky Losers: Zrinjski has a similar story to the one we had last week. In the 2008 UEFA Cup campaign, they met Partizan Belgrade and were defeated by an aggregate score of 11-1. Zrinjski still qualified, as UEFA decided to expel Partizan after crowd troubles in Mostar.

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What? Al Ahed – Racing (Lebanese Premier League)

When? Sunday, 15:30

Where? Beirut Municipal Stadium, Beirut

Why? The Lebanese league started just few weeks ago, and every team wants to have another win. Al Ahed, the reigning champions, already lost their opening match, but won their next two games. They are holding 2nd place currently. Racing wants to have a close title race, all the way to first title since 1970. They are in 4th, equaled to Al Ahed by points.

Key Players: One of the greatest players in Al Ahed is Abbas Ali Atwi, who plays for the team since 2005 and made 42 international caps. In Racing you can find Octavian Drăghici, which left the lower leagues of Romania for the first time after 12 years.

Lebanese Diaspora: While the Lebanese players are not well known in football history, there are still some players with Lebanese roots such as the legendary Faryd Mondragon and current Mexican superstar, Miguel Layún.

Weekend Guide 30.10.2015

This Weekend Guide could witness some history in the making.

Two teams are dreaming about their first title in South Africa and we also have a sensational first division debutant in Tunisia and a historical continental title in Asia.

(All times are in CET local time)

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What? Bidvest Wits – Bloemfontein Celtic (South African Premier Division)

When? Saturday, 19:15

Where? Bidvest Stadium, Johannesburg

Why? These are the early days of the season in South Africa and everything is still extremely tight. Between the 1st and the 6th place, the difference is only 3 points. Among these teams are  Bidvest Wits and Bloemfontein Celtic, neither have ever won the domestic title, but now they are both dreaming of doing so.

Key Players: During the last summer break, Bidvest Wits strengthened their squad with Daine Klate, who has previously won 5 consecutive domestic championships. The leader of Bloemfontein Celtic is the captain Bevan Fransman, who had great time abroad while playing in Belgium and Israel.

In the Middle of the Conflict: The Ugandan striker of Bloemfontein Celtic, Geofrey Massa, played for 3 years in one of the most disputed areas in the world. He played for Yenicami Ağdelen, the team from the northern side of the divided city of Nicosia, in the Turkish Cyprus league.

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What? EO Sidi Bouzid – CS Sfaxien (Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1)

When? Sunday, 14:30

Where? Stade Sidi Bouzid, Sidi Bouzid

Why? It's matchday 6 in Tunisia and we have a sensational team in the top places. Sidi Bouzid were promoted last season for the first time ever and they are currently in 2nd place after four consecutive wins. Sfaxien are the league leaders and have the best attack in the league.

Key Players: At newly promoted Sidi Bouzid, you can find the experienced

Aymen Ben Amor, who has won 4 Tunisian titles and the CAF Champions League. Also, look out for Ezechiel N'Douassel, the Chadian striker who used to play in Tunisia for Club Africain.

Egyptian Trauma: Sfaxien have lost 5 continental finals, 3 of which were against the same club, Al Ahly from Egypt. The first time was in the 2006 CAF Champions League final, while the next two were in the CAF Super Cup in 2009 and 2014.

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What? Istiklol – Johor Darul Ta'zim (AFC Cup)

When? Saturday, 13:00

Where? Pamir Stadium, Dushnabe

Why? The AFC Cup is a great chance for teams from minor Asian football nations to gain continental experience. Tajiki clubs have won the President’s Cup 4 times already, as Istiklol already won it once, in 2012. Malaysian teams have been playing at the continental levels for more than 50 years, but Johor Darul Ta'zim are the first Malaysian club ever to qualify for an Asian final.

Key Players: Istiklol will base their game around Manuchekhr Dzhalilov, one of the best players in Tajiki football and the domestic league’s top scorer with 18 goals. Johor Darul Ta'zim also has a local star, Mohd Safiq Rahim, who has led his team to two consecutive titles since his arrival.

Thanks to Kuwait: Both teams didn't think they’d qualified , as both were defeated badly in the first leg of the semi-finals. The suspension of Kuwait by FIFA led the AFC to disqualify their representatives, so both Istklol and Darul Ta’zim were given another chance

Weekend Guide 23.10.2015

It's football time! This weekend we will visit the newly created Sydney derby , a 'Good Old Times' clash in Iran and a match between the two rising clubs of the Balkans.

(All times are in CET local time)

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What? Sydney FC – Western Sydney Wanderers (Australian A-League)

When? Saturday, 10:30

Where? Allianz Stadium, Sydney

Why? It's only the 10th ever Sydney derby in the A-League era, but and it's already one of the best rivalries in this league. When Sydney FC play at home, the stadium is full with 40,000 fans that make an extraordinary atmosphere by Australian standards.

Key Players:  For Sydney FC, we should focus on the captain, Alex Brosque, who led the team to the A-League final last season. Western Sydney Wanderers have Nikolai Topor-Stanley, who has played for the club since its establishment and led the team to its greatest moment - winning the AFC Champions League in 2014.

A-Legend: In order to have legendary match, you need legendary players. Sydney FC won the first ever derby in October 2012 and the first ever scorer was Alessandro Del Piero. The Italian Prince went for it. Just watch the madness.

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What? Sepahan – Esteghlal (Iran Pro League)

When? Monday, 14:30

Where? Fooladshahr Stadium, Isfahan

Why? A clash between the two league leaders, as Esteghlal are leading the table and Sepahan are two points behind in 2nd place. Historically, it's more than just another match. It's a match between two of the largest cities, Tehran and Isfahan, and two of the biggest clubs in Iranian football.

Key Players: Sepahan have one of the hot Iranian prospects for the future, Ali Karimi. He is not the former Bayern Munich player, but a promising youngster, who is just 21 years old. Esteghlal's main figure is Omid Ebrahimi, who has scored 5 goals in his first 8 matches and was part of Iran squad for the last Asian Cup.

Continental Luxury: In 2012, the teams faced each other in an historical match in the AFC Champions League round of 16. Sepahan defeated Esteghlal 2:0 and qualified for the next stage. Sepahan were eliminated in the quarter finals after losing to the eventual runners-up, the Saudi team Al-Ahli.

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What? Feronikeli – Trepça'89 (Kosovo Superliga)

When? Saturday, 13:30

Where? Rexhep Rexhepi Stadium, Drenas

Why? Feronikeli had a sensational season last year, winning the club’s first ever title. The club is in 3rd place with 19 points at the moment, trying to defend the title. Meanwhile, Trepça'89, the smaller club in Mitrovicë, are leading the table with 21 points. It is going to be another classic Balkan clash.

Key Players: Feronikeli’s game is based around Behar Maliqi, one of the heroes of last season’s famous title, who has also won 3 caps for the Kosovo national team. For, Trepça'89, you can't ignore Blerand Kurtishaj, one of the leading youngsters in the domestic league.

All around the World: The war in Kosovo led many families to emigrate from the area. Today there are over 80 players of Kosovan descent, 46 of them in Switzerland, who plays for different European youth and senior national teams.

Weekend Guide 16.10.2015

It’s the weekend! We’ve got the battle for the title in Montenegro, the clubs trying to make it big in Japan and the next generation of Latin American youngsters. Vamos!

(All times are in CET local time)

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What? Mladost Podgorica – Rudar Pljevlja (Montenegrin Prva Liga)

When? Saturday, 14:30

Where? Stadion FK Mladost, Podgorica

Why? It's the first match of the season between the two leaders who are fighting for the national title. Mladost are currently in 1st place, dreaming about their first ever title and reigning champions Rudar are 2nd, just 1 point behind.

Key Players: Marko Šćepanović is the main player for Mladost and has scored 6 goals in 6 matches. Rudar are thankful to their goalkeeper, Miloš Radanović, who has had 5 clean sheets, while the team has the best defensive record in the league.

National revival:  Montenegrin football wasn't dominant before the country’s independence. Budućnost, the leading club in Montenegro, reached the Yugoslav cup final twice and were twice defeated by Croatian sides, Dinamo Zagreb in 1965 and Hajduk Split in 1977.

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What? Sanfrecce Hiroshima – Kawasaki Frontale (Japanese J1 League)

When? Saturday, 07:00

Where? Hiroshima Big Arch, Hiroshima

Why? The Japanese league has a new system this year. There are two stages, while the champions of each stage qualify for the play-offs alongside the two best teams. In the second stage, Sanfrecce Hiroshima is leading with 28 points and Kawasaki Frontale are in 5th place with 23 points, so each game might be decisive for the first place.

Key Players: The two top scorers of this stage will be on show and both of them will be trying to impress us. Hiroshima's Douglas has scored 16 goals and Kawasaki's Yoshito Ōkubo has scored 21 goals. Both of them are the second stage top scorers with 10 goals each.

Don't Stop Me Now: Kazuyoshi Miura, holds the Japanese records for both the oldest player and the oldest scorer. Miura is 48 years old, and has played at second division club Yokohama FC since 2005.

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What? Mexico – Argentina (U-17 World Cup)

When? Monday, 00:00

Where? Estadio Municipal Nelson Oyarzún Arenas, Chillán

Why? After the U-20 World Cup in New Zealand, Chile will host the U-17 World Cup to give some more superstars of the next generation shine. Group C will be the group of death, Australia and Germany have been drawn with another two teams that have plenty of talent. These two teams are Mexico and Argentina, both of which have a great history in the competition.

Key Players: When Mexico won the CONCACAF U-17 title, Pablo López of Pachuca was one of the team’s leading players and even was the tournament MVP. In Argentina everyone will be looking out for San Lorenzo's Tomás Conechny, who led Argentina to the second place in the South American championship.

I Believe I Can Fly: Well, apart from being our key player, Tomás Conechny has some more stories. During the South American championship, Conechny was playing the FIFA video game with his friends. He was so excited, that he fell out of the window. Thankfully, the 10 foot fall ended with only a broken leg.