Five football matches you should not miss today

From the Derby della Capitale to an Eredivisie top-of-the-table clash, here are five games to look out for on Sunday.

arsenal chelsea
Arsenal have won 11 of their last 13 league matches [David Klein/Reuters]

We are just two weeks from the start of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, with only a handful of domestic fixtures remaining before the world’s top leagues will break for the tournament.

As we head into another Super Sunday, we pick out the top five matches to keep an eye on today:

Chelsea v Arsenal

Where: Stamford Bridge, London
When: 12pm (12:00 GMT)

  • Chelsea’s current form: WLWDDW
  • Arsenal’s current form: WWLDWW

Arsenal will travel to west London, hoping to regain the top spot in the league with a win over Chelsea.

The Gunners have been in fine form, having won 11 of their last 13 Premier League matches and thrashing Nottingham Forest 5-0 last Sunday.

Only last year, the Gunners ended a 10-year winless streak at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League, beating Chelsea by a single goal. In April, they notched up a 4-2 win.

Chelsea manager Graham Potter will be eager to bounce back from Chelsea’s humiliating 4-1 defeat to his former club, Brighton, last week. He will be without defender Ben Chilwell and goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, who are both injured.

Ajax v PSV Eindhoven

Where: Amsterdam Arena, Amsterdam
When: 3:45pm (15:45 GMT)

  • Ajax’s current form: WLWWLW
  • PSV’s current form: WWWLLW

These two giants of Dutch football will face off against each other today in a high-stakes top-of-the-table clash.

Ajax head into the fixture at the top of the Dutch Eredivisie, one point ahead of PSV with a game in hand. They have won 24 of their last 29 matches against their Eindhoven-based rivals. However, PSV have enjoyed better success against the current champions, beating them in three of their last five meetings.

PSV will hope that Cody Gapko will continue his fine run of form. The 23-year-old winger is currently the top scorer in the Dutch Eredivisie with nine goals and 11 assists.

Tottenham v Liverpool

Where: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
When: 4:30pm (16:30 GMT)

  • Tottenham’s current form: WWDLLW
  • Liverpool’s current form: WLWLWW

The Hotspurs will fancy their chances as they host an out-of-sorts Liverpool, who have picked up just two points on the road this season.

The north London team have been criticised for starting games slowly. During the midweek clash, Spurs beat Olympique de Marseille 2-1 in the Champions League after a 95th-minute winner from Pierre Emile Højbjerg. The visitors had failed to register a single touch in Marseille’s half during the first 45 minutes.

Liverpool Spurs
Tottenham Hotspur will be without Son who was injured on Tuesday [Phil Noble/Reuters]

Liverpool, who are currently 10 matches undefeated in all competitions against Tottenham, will hope to see a similar performance to their team’s midweek win over an in-form Napoli side. Spurs will be without Son Heung-min after he suffered a facial injury on Tuesday.

Roma v Lazio

Where: Stadio Olimpico, Rome
When: 5pm (17:00 GMT)

  • Roma’s current form: WWWLWD
  • Lazio’s current form: LLWWDD

The two rivals will head into the derby equal on points as each team will look to cement their sport in the top four before the World Cup break.

Lazio are experiencing a poor run of form, having suffered a shock 3-1 defeat in their last Serie A fixture against Salernitana. They also finished third in their Europa League group this week and were relegated to the Europa Conference League.

Roma are currently undefeated in nine of their last 10 home matches against Lazio.

Juventus v Inter Milan

Where: Juventus Stadium, Turin
When: 7:45pm (19:45 GMT)

  • Juventus’ current form: LWLWWL
  • Inter’s current form: LWWWWD

Juventus trail Inter Milan by two points as the two giants of Italian football face each other in Turin this evening.

Their last meeting in the Coppa Italia final in May was marred by controversy. In consultation with VAR officials, the referee ordered a penalty that Juventus’ keeper Szczesny saved to be retaken due to encroachment. This decision infuriated manager Massimiliano Allegri who threw his jacket on the floor in protest. Inter won the final 4-2 in extra time.

inter juve
Inter Milan’s Stefan de Vrij tackles Juventus’ Dusan Vlahovic during the heated Coppa Italia final in May 2022 [Ciro De Luca/Reuters]

In the last six league matches, Juventus have scored six goals and conceded none. In Europe, however, they have lost their last three matches, including a 2-0 defeat away at Maccabi Haifa before crashing out of the Champions League midweek after losing to PSG.

Inter secured a spot in the Champions League round of 16 despite a 2-0 loss away at Bayern Munich. The Nerazzurri put three past Sampdoria in their last Serie A match. They will be without Romelu Lukaku after he suffered another injury last week.

Source: Al Jazeera