5 Big Sports Matches You Need to Watch this Weekend

We’re edging towards the Christmas break, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some colossal encounters going down this weekend — and we’ve got a handy guide to the biggest of them all, so that you don’t miss a thing.

Manchester City v Tottenham Hotspur

Saturday – 19:30

After their narrow win against rivals United, it looks like City are all set to storm to the title this Premier League season. They’ll come up against a struggling Tottenham side that did however convincingly win their most recent PL match against Stoke though, and who may feel boosted by that victory. That said, all signs point to Pep’s men outsmarting all opposition, so something extraordinary will have to happen for Spurs to get the better of a City side that has only dropped two points thus far this season.

Predicted Score: Manchester City 3 – 1 Tottenham Hotspur

Borussia Dortmund v Hoffenheim

Saturday – 18:30

Borussia Dortmund’s horrendous spell of recent losses and draws came to an end when they managed a victory over Mainz in the midweek, which may end up signalling an upturn in their form. They’ll need to maintain that positive momentum as they play Hoffenheim, the team directly above them in fifth place, who Dortmund can leapfrog if they get a win. Dortmund will have to do everything in their power to reverse their bad form if they’re going to work their way back into contention for a coveted Champions League place – especially considering that they’ve already been dumped out in the group stages.

Predicted Result: Borussia Dortmund 2- 0 Hoffenheim

Eibar v Valencia

Saturday – 18:30

Surprisingly, the primary drama in La Liga right now is Valencia’s miraculous performances keeping them within touching distance of first place Barcelona. Each time pundits and fans expect Valencia to stumble, they somehow manage to come away with a victory and maintain their potential title bid. They’re going away to an Eibar side that have recorded three wins in their last five though, while Valencia’s top striker Simone Zaza has been struggling with an injury that may require surgery. An away match combined with their unfit talisman could mean that a touch Eibar side may end up taking points off Barcelona’s primary title challengers.

Predicted Result: Eibar 1 – 1 Valencia

Bath v Toulon

Saturday – 19:30 

Bath will be hunting for revenge when they host Toulon at the ‘Rec’ this Saturday evening. The English club went down 20-24 at the Stade Felix Mayol on the weekend, in what proved to be a real opportunity to upset the Pool 5 leaders. Toulon themselves, meanwhile, can count themselves lucky for having snuck the win despite the error-riddled performance. The star-studded French side seems to be lacking a bit of direction and leadership, relying on their individual efforts to give them an edge. Bath should come out firing and cause some trouble for Toulon come Saturday.

Predicted Result: Bath by 7.

Bournemouth v Liverpool

Sunday – 18:30

Liverpool suffered a frustrating midweek draw against West Brom that pushed them out of the top four by virtue of their goal difference, but on an identical 31 points with Chelsea. The Reds have developed an unfortunate trend of missing vital points against smaller sides that they theoretically should be beating, and it’s a trend that manager Jurgen Klopp is going to have to find a solution for sooner rather than later if Liverpool aim to reappear in the Champions League next season. Bournemouth is a tenacious and robust side will make life difficult for Liverpool, and the added dimension of being at home will give the smaller side additional belief that they can get points from this match.

Predicted Result: Bournemouth 1 – 2 Liverpool

What are your predictions for this weekend? Which teams will come out on top in the respective encounters? Let us know by tweeting us @MenStuffZA!

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