After a tricky spell in October where they lost 6 and drew 1 game AZ have bounced back and proceeded to only lose 1 out of their last 10 games. On the road they haven’t kept a cleansheet in last 8 games but have scored 2 goals in each of their last 4 away games including a 3-2 loss at Feyenoord. Last season PSV won this game 5-1 and won the away fixture this season 2-1 with a couple of first half goals after an early red card for Moller-Wolfe but AZ fought valiantly and did well to only concede 2 goals. In Eindhoven it’s a different beast though where PSV have scored at least 3 goals in each of their last 7 home games! Each of PSV’s last 8 home games have seen at least 2 first half goals, and only 1 out of 13 home games in all competitions hasn’t seen at least 2 first half goals which was the 1-1 draw with Sporting. 

Two underperforming giants of Spanish football will lock horns in La Liga on Saturday night, with Sevilla welcoming Valencia to Estadio Ramon, and both teams are desperate for the points due to their struggles this term.

Sevilla are currently down in 14th spot in the La Liga table, only picking up 22 points from their 18 league matches this season, while Valencia sit 19th, with Los Che collecting just 12 points from their 18 games in Spain’s top flight this term.

Last season’s 14th-placed finish proved to be Sevilla’s worst final position in Spain’s top flight since being relegated in 1999-2000, but new head coach Garcia Pimienta has also found it difficult to get the team going this term.

Los Nervionenses have a record of six wins, four draws and eight defeats from their 18 league matches this season, with a total of 22 points leaving them in 14th spot in the table, seven points above the relegation zone.

Sevilla’s last La Liga match ended in a 4-2 defeat to Real Madrid on December 22, before suffering a shock 4-1 loss to Almeria in the last-32 stage of the Copa del Rey last time out.

The hosts have been relatively strong at Estadio Ramon this season, though, picking up 16 points from nine matches, and they will be welcoming a Valencia outfit that have not won a single La Liga game on their travels in 2024-25.

Valencia will enter this match off the back of a 2-0 victory over Eldense in the Copa del Rey, and they will now take on Ourense CF next week for a spot in the quarter-finals of the competition.

Los Che opened their 2025 with a 2-1 home defeat to Real Madrid in La Liga, though, with the reigning champions scoring twice in the latter stages to turn the game around, and Valencia were left wondering just how they managed to lose.

Carlos Corberan‘s side are currently 19th in the La Liga table, boasting a record of two wins, six draws and 10 defeats from 18 matches, which has seen them collect 12 points – the same number as basement side Real Valladolid.

It is not quite time to hit the panic button, with Valencia only four points behind 17th-placed Getafe on the same number of matches, but there is a real concern that Los Che could drop out of La Liga for the first time since 1986-87.

Valencia recorded a 2-1 win over Sevilla in the corresponding match last season, but three of the last five top-flight contests between these two teams have ended in a share of the spoils.

Sevilla welcomed Adria Pedrosa back into their squad against Almeria in the Copa del Rey after a recent injury problem, but Kelechi Iheanacho, Djibril Sow, Chidera Ejuke, Rafa Mir and Tanguy Nianzou are all doubts for the hosts.

Head coach Garcia Pimienta will make changes to the side that started against Almeria, with Jose Angel Carmona, Alvaro Fernandez and Lucien Agoume set to return to the side.

Juanlu Sanchez played further forward against Real Madrid in Sevilla’s last league match, and that is expected to be the case this weekend, with Isaac Romero also featuring in the final third of the field.

As for Valencia, Fran Perez, Jose Gaya, Mouctar Diakhaby and Thierry Correia are out of the match through injury, but Pepelu is available after serving a league suspension against Real Madrid.

Head coach Corberan named a strong side against Eldense in the Copa del Rey, and it will be a similar side here, but Andre Almeida, Luis Rioja, Yarek Gasiorowski and Enzo Barrenechea are expected to be introduced.

Hugo Duro has scored five times in 15 La Liga appearances during the 2024-25 campaign, and the Spaniard is set for another start in the final third of the field on Saturday night.

Sevilla possible starting lineup:
Fernandez; Carmona, Bade, Gudelj, Salas; Lukebakio, Agoume, Lokonga, Idumbo; Sanchez, Romero

Valencia possible starting lineup:
Dimitrievski; Foulquier, Tarrega, Mosquera, Gasiorowski; D Lopez, Guerra, Barrenechea, Rioja; Duro, Almeida

Following defeat in their first outing of the calendar year, Rennes will be eager to dust themselves off and respond when they welcome Marseille to Roazhon Park for round 17 of Ligue 1 this weekend, hoping to reignite their campaign after a stuttering start to 2025.

Les Rennais returned from the winter break with a 3-2 loss to Nice at the Allianz Riviera, a result that saw them slip one spot down the standings to 13th with 17 points to their name – just two clear of the relegation playoff place.

That loss marked Jorge Sampaoli‘s third consecutive away defeat in the top flight since he took over on November 11 following the dismissal of Julien Stephan, with the Argentine yet to pick up a single point on his travels in Ligue 1 – though his fortunes at Roazhon have painted a more encouraging picture.

Since arriving in Rennes, Sampaoli has guided his side to two league victories on home turf – a ruthless 5-0 demolition of Saint-Etienne followed by a comfortable 2-0 win over Angers – with the Red and Blacks now boasting the fifth-best such record in the division, having claimed five wins, one draw, and just two losses.

Their attacking prowess has also been on display in front of their own fans, with Rennes ranking joint-fourth for goals scored at home (16) while conceding the fewest in the league (5), and they will be keen to draw on that resilience when they face a familiar foe in Marseille this weekend.

This will be the 115th top-flight meeting between the sides – a fixture Rennes have contested more than any other – and while Marseille have historically held the upper hand, Les Rennais earned a 2-0 victory in their most recent encounter and will now aim to secure consecutive wins against their old rivals for the first time since achieving the feat between March and September 2016.

The task, however, remains daunting for the hosts given Marseille’s formidable form on the road this season, with the Olympians boasting the best away record in Ligue 1, having claimed seven wins from eight outings while suffering just one defeat.

Roberto De Zerbi‘s side enter this encounter brimming with confidence after kicking off the new year in emphatic fashion, thrashing Le Havre 5-1 at Stade Velodrome last weekend.

That victory leaves Marseille sitting second in the standings with 33 points from 16 games, though they remain seven points adrift of runaway leaders Paris Saint-Germain, leaving little room for error if they harbour hopes of clinching their first title in 15 years.

Back on their favourite adventures, having won each of their last five trips across all competitions, including four in the top flight, Les Olympiens will look to continue their perfect record on the road this weekend as they set their sights on another crucial three points to keep pace at the top.

Their dominance away from home is no coincidence, with Marseille’s final-third prowess setting them apart from the rest of the division, having scored 23 goals in their eight away games – an average of nearly three goals per outing – which is comfortably the best tally in the league.

However, their formidable attack will be tested against the league’s best home defence this weekend, though the visitors can draw confidence from their overall success in this fixture, having emerged victorious 48 times in their previous 114 meetings.

While they have inflicted the second-most Ligue 1 defeats on Rennes – with only Monaco bettering that record – recent trips to the Roazhon have been far from straightforward, with Marseille managing just one victory in their last four visits, leaving them with a huge mountain to climb.

French international goalkeeper Brice Samba, who joined Rennes from Lens earlier this week, could make the matchday squad, though veteran Steve Mandanda is expected to retain his place between the sticks against Marseille.

On the injury front, Alidu Seidu (ACL) remains sidelined until the end of the season, while Henrik Meister is ruled out through illness.

Marseille made their first signing of the winter window with the arrival of Luiz Felipe as a free agent in midweek, but Saturday’s clash may come too soon for the defender.

The visitors will be without Geoffrey Kondogbia (calf), Faris Moumbagna (knee) and Ruben Blanco (knee), with all three players expected to return later this month, while Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg will miss a second consecutive game as he recovers from illness.

Mason Greenwood, who sits joint-second in the Ligue 1 top scorers list with 10 goals to his name, will be looking to get back among the goals after failing to find the net in his last two league outings.

Rennes possible starting lineup:
Mandanda; Hateboer, Ostigard, Faye; Truffert, Matusiwa, James, Assignon; Blas, Gronbaek, Kalimuendo

Marseille possible starting lineup:
Rulli; Murillo, Balerdi, Cornelius; Henrique, Rongier, Nadir, Merlin; Rabiot, Greenwood; Maupay

Seeking their first victory of 2025, Brest continue their Ligue 1 campaign on Saturday when they welcome Lyon to Stade Francis-Le Ble.

Les Pirates began the year with a 2-0 defeat at Angers, dropping them down to 12th in the table, while OL pulled out a 1-0 triumph over Montpellier HSC.

That was the first of seven competitive fixtures that the side from Brittany will play in January, with their previous defeat being the first time they had failed to score since a 3-0 loss at Barcelona in a November Champions League fixture.

Eric Roy‘s side enter this contest on a three-match home winning run across all competitions, suffering just one defeat in their previous seven league games at Stade Francis-Le Ble.

While they are already assured of a place in the Champions League knockout stage, Brest have not been able to duplicate their domestic success from last season, claiming 19 points thus far, nine fewer than they had at this stage of the 2023-24 campaign.

One thing they have done well in the league is play solid defensively in Brittany, conceding just 16 goals at Stade Francis-Le Ble, the lowest amount at home among sides present in the French top flight all year round.

This weekend, Brest have an opportunity to win consecutive top-flight home contests against Lyon for the first time since 1979-1982 (three), claiming a 1-0 triumph in this exact fixture a season ago.

Pierre Sage‘s side have points in 11 of their previous 12 competitive contests, with their only defeat over that stretch coming away to the league leaders Paris Saint-Germain (3-1).

They are already assured of a place in the knockout portion of the Europa League, and amid the sanctions levied against them domestically, Les Gones are still fifth in the Ligue 1 table, just two points below Monaco for a place in the Champions League group stage next season.

Lyon have points in six of their previous seven top-flight affairs away from home but are in danger of losing consecutive league fixtures as the visitors this weekend for the first time since December 2023.

Lately, they have been nearly perfect when finding the back of the net in this competition, winning 12 consecutive matches in the top flight when doing so.

While Brest are well off their pace from 2023-24, Lyon are well ahead of where they were at this stage of the previous campaign, collecting 28 points this time around, 15 more than they had after 16 matchdays a season ago.

Not only do Brest have a busy schedule this month, but they also have plenty of players currently nursing injuries, including Bradley Locko (lower leg), Julien Le Cardinal (hamstring) and Jonas Martin (muscle).

The club could have Pierre Lees-Melou back from a calf strain, and Marco Bizot was between the sticks last weekend after previously suffering a knock.

Bizot collected a clean sheet in this exact fixture last season, with the only goal of that match coming courtesy of former Stade Brestois forward Steve Mounie.

On the Lyon side, Maxence Caqueret is doubtful because of an injury, while Nicolas Tagliafico is eligible to return from his yellow card suspension.

As you may expect, given their financial problems, the club have been busy selling players, with Anthony Lopes going to Nantes, while Jeffinho signed for Botafogo, Gift Orban joined Hoffenheim and Thiago Almada reportedly has undergone a medical exam to come to OL despite the transfer ban imposed on them.

An own-goal from Khalil Fayad in second-half stoppage time gave them a narrow victory in their previous league encounter, as Lucas Perri made six stops to pick up the clean sheet.

Brest possible starting lineup:
Bizot; Lala, Chardonnet, Ndiaye, Haidara; Doumbia, Fernandes, Faivre; Del Castillo, Ajorque, Balde

Lyon possible starting lineup:
Perri; Maitland-Niles, Mata, Caleta-Car, Abner; Veretout, Matic, Benrahma; Cherki, Lacazette, Fofana