Take your seats for the BabaGol weekend recap! We have three tremendous matches for you: a Mexican Clásico match, a top clash in Israel and a visit to an African superpower in Nigeria. Enjoy!
(All times are in CET local time)
Amateur (Like this guy)
What? Cruz Azul – América (Liga MX)
When? Sunday, 00:00
Where? Estadio Azul, Mexico City
Why? Two of the biggest teams in Mexico City will play in El Clásico Joven, the Juvenile Classic. After two defeats at the start of the season, América have won their last four matches and now they are in 3rd place. Cruz Azul are far behind in 14th place, but in this league the top 8 will qualify for the Liguilla, the tournament’s playoffs, so anything is possible.
Key Players: Marc Crosas is one of the biggest names for Cruz Azul. The former hot prospect at Barcelona has had much more success in Mexico than in European football. For, América, you should look out for Argentine forward Darío Benedetto, a real goal machine, with 6 goals in his first 5 league games.
Professional (like this guy)
What? Hapoel Be'er Sheva – Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israeli Ligat Ha'al)
When? Sunday, 19:45
Where? Teddy Stadium, Jerusalem
Why? Two teams with big title aspirations will play on the 2nd matchday of the league. Both of the teams won their first match, but Maccabi Tel Aviv had another great achievement as they qualified for the UEFA Champions’ League group stage. Maccabi Tel Aviv also want to win their fourth consecutive title, while Hapoel Be'er Sheva want to win their first title in 40 years.
Key Players: It's impossible to talk about Maccabi Tel Aviv without mentioning Eran Zahavi, the captain and the league’s top scorer for the last two seasons. One of the main players in Hapoel Be'er Sheva is Ovidiu Hoban, the Romanian national team midfielder, who as well as passing, knows how to score from long-distance.
World Class (like this guy)
What? Wikki Tourists – Sunshine Stars (Nigerian Premier League)
When? Sunday, 17:00
Where? Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium, Bauchi
Why? The race for the Nigerian title is still close with only 5 games left. Enyimba, maybe the best team in Nigeria, lead the league, but these two teams are still dreaming of the title. Wikki Tourists are i 4th place, 7 points off the top spot, while Sunshine Stars are in 2nd place, with a gap of just 2 points.
Key Players: Wikki Tourists’ good season is all about Mubarak Umar. As the team’s forward, Umar is one of the top scorers in the Nigerian league. At Sunshine Stars you can find Tunde Adeniji, the 19 year-old Nigerian youngster, who has the potential to star in Europe one day.