The familiar Weekend Guide will be a bit Asian this time. From West to East, we will visit the classic matchup of Saudi Arabia, the big money of the Chinese Super Cup, and finally a match between the Koreas.
(All the hours are in CET)
Amateur (Like this miss)
What? Al-Hilal – Al-Ittihad (Saudi Professional League)
When? Saturday, 18:45
Where? King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh
Why? When you talk about a real Arab Clasico, you can't miss this match. The two all-time leading Saudi clubs, each representing a different big city, will meet in one of the decisive matches of the season. Al-Hilal from Riyadh is in 1st place with 40 points, while Al-Ittihad from Jeddah is 3rd, four points behind.
Key Players: Al-Hilal midfielder, home-grown Salman Al-Faraj, is responsible for many of the team’s recent success, and plays for the first team since 2008. In Al-Ittihad everyone will focus on Gelmin Rivas, the league’s top scorer from Venezuela with 17 goals in 17 matches.
Foreign Staff: Since their first season in the Saudi top tier in 1977, Al-Ittihad appointed only one Saudi manager – Khalid Al-Koroni, who led the team for 6 months in 2014.
Professional (like this touch)
What? Guangzhou Evergrande – Jiangsu Suning (Chinese Super Cup)
When? Saturday, 12:35
Where? Olympic Sports Center, Chongqing
Why? After a crazy transfer window, Chinese football is getting ready for the new season with the Super Cup. Champions Guangzhou Evergrande will hope to have another great season, after they won the league and the AFC Champions League. FA Cup holders, Jiangsu Suning, formerly named Jiangsu Sainty, will show off their new cannons as they dream about first ever championship title.
Key Players: Let's forget about the expensive foreigners and check some Chinese stars. Gao Lin of Guangzhou Evergrande is one of the dominant local players with 13 goals last season. Meanwhile, watch out fot Jiangsu Suning midfielder Wu Xi, who became an integral part of the national team.
A Legend from the Past: The big money didn't skip the lower levels. In the Chinese third tier, Shenzhen Renren recruited Siniša Gogić, one of the all-time legends of Cypriot football as a manager.
World Class (like this girl)
What? North Korea – South Korea (AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament)
When? Monday, 11:35
Where? Nagai Stadium, Osaka, Japan
Why? More Olympic tournament spots are on the line, as just two teams will qualify from the Asian qualifiers in Japan. In the opening day we will see the Derby of the Koreas, both will try to catch the flights to Brazil on time.
Key Players: Keep your eyes on Ra Un-Sim, the captain of North Korea that led her team to win the East Asian Cup in 2015. Ji So-yun of South Korea is one the talented players in Asia, playing for Chelsea and was part of their first ever championship last season.
Don’t Dope: It's North Korea’s first chance to participate in an international tournament since the 2012 Olympics. They were excluded from the 2015 World Cup qualifiers after their players failed a doping test during the 2011 World Cup.