Talking points and games to watch from the latest round of European football action
Is M’Baye Niang the new Mario Balotelli (in a good way)?
AC Milan have made an pretty good start to the season, with 16 points from eight games leaving them third in Serie A. One of the players who has impressed in that run is 21-year-old French striker Niang, with three goals in six starts.
The youngster has been on Milan’s books for a while — they signed him from Caen where he made his debut at 16 — but is only just getting a proper chance after two loan spells.
He has been compared with another ridiculously talented striker, former Milan man Mario Balotelli, who is ironically now playing in France.
The Balotelli link is obvious — the pair share physical attributes and playing style all the way down to the lanky build and wacky hair. But Niang has the makings of a bad boy too.
He has already been banned from the French Under 21 team for breaking curfew, crashed his Ferrari twice, allegedly pretended to be someone else to police and jumped of the roof of a building into a swimming pool just after recovering from injury.
When you have a section title “controversies” on your Wikipedia page, it is not a good thing.
Niang is a long way from going off the rails like Balotelli and, for now, Milan fans can get excited about his electric pace and eye for goal. He could translate his potential into results in a way Balotelli has never properly managed.
Is Cristiano Ronaldo done?
These are Ronaldo’s goal totals in the last six seasons at Real Madrid: 53, 60, 55, 51, 61, 51. All but the first season equated to more than a goal per game.
It makes this campaign’s four goals in eight games look a bit meagre and Ronaldo has come in for some criticism. But is this a case of fans and the Spanish press holding Ronaldo too a standard that is far too high? Or is the Portuguese superstar on the down slope of his career?
Madrid have won two games this season where they have scored five goals and in each Ronaldo only netted once. That would not have happened in the past.
He turns 32 this season and suffered a bad injury in the final of Euro 2016 that delayed the start to this season for him. There’s always a point where a player starts to decline — it’s too early to write Ronaldo off but maybe Madrid fans should expect a little less of him in the early stages of this season as he finds form.
GAMES TO WATCH
• Arsenal v Middlesborough, Saturday, 6pm: This won't be a tight match, if the game follows the form book, but Arsenal are playing some fantastic football at the moment. It's one for the neutral to sit back and enjoy. They just put six goals past sorry Ludogorets in the Champions League and all of their attacking players — Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Theo Walcott in particular — are in fantastic form. Expect goals and fancy football.
• AC Milan v Juventus, Saturday, 10.45pm: Milan's recent struggles are well publicised but they have made a pretty decent start to the Serie A season and are only five points behind leaders Juve. The mighty Juve that is, who have dropped just three points and conceded only five in eight games. Milan have players such as Keisuke Honda and Carlos Bacca, who can produce moments of magic. In a tight game, they could sneak a special win.
• Sevilla v Atletico Madrid, 6.15pm You're looking at the two teams most likely to deny Barcelona and Real Madrid from winning all the trophies in Spain this season. League leaders Atletico are coming off a 7-1 win over Granada. Sevilla, winners of the last three Europa Leagues and led by the likes of Samir Nasri and Luciano Vietto, are a point ahead of fourth-placed Barcelona. This could be a cracker.
• Chelsea v Manchester United, Sunday, 7pm: OK, so United's last trip to one of their title rivals was a dull affair — a 0-0 draw at Liverpool. This game could go the same way, but there is the added friction of manager Jose Mourinho returning to face his old club. With personalities such as Diego Costa and Zlatan Ibrahimovic on show, we should see some spice even if we don't get a lot of style.
• PSG v Marseille, Sunday, 10.45pm: In European football rivalries, they don't come much more bitter and often violent than this one. A clash between the establishment and a city that likes to see itself as different to the rest of France. Away fans have been banned from the fixture since 2010. On the pitch, PSG have far more resources and talent but they haven't been as impressive this season. There's a shock waiting if Marseille play well.
Your footballing weekend — the pick of the TV games
(All kick-off times are UAE, all games on BeIN Sports)
Saturday
• Premier League: Bournemouth v Tottenham, 3.30pm
• Premier League: Arsenal v Middlesbrough, 6pm
• Bundesliga: Ingolstadt v Borussia Dortmund, 5.30pm
• Primera Liga: Valencia v Barcelona, 6.15pm
• Bundesliga: Bayern Munich v Borussia Munchengladbach, 8.30pm
• Premier League: Liverpool v West Brom, 8.30pm
• Serie A: AC Milan v Juventus, 10.45pm
Sunday
• Premier League: Man City v Southampton, 4.30pm
• Dutch Eredivisie: Feyenoord v Ajax, 4.30pm
• Scottish League Cup, Rangers v Celtic, 5.15pm
• Primera Liga: Sevilla v Atletico Madrid, 6.15pm
• Premier League: Chelsea v Manchester United, 8pm
• Primera Liga: Real Madrid v Atletico Bilbao, 10.45pm
• Serie A: Roma v Palermo, 10.45pm
• Ligue 1: PSG v Marseille, Sunday, 10.45pm
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