After two weeks of introductions, it’s finally time to actually begin the series. And what a way to begin, with the way international soccer has played out the past few weeks, and not just in one league but a few of them.
Now, the other part of this series I wanted to do is get you involved. Yes, YOU! So I am going to do some polls and have you predict some of the upcoming international matches. Take some of the polls below, and if you feel so inclined, tweet at us and try and get each prediction perfect!
Premier League
To start, the Premier League has been very interesting as of late. Similar to last season, Liverpool is top of the table in December, this time eight points clear of second with 46 points. The Reds defense is not as stupendous as it was in the 2018-19 season, but the offense has offset that. Liverpool has been able to win or steal a point in multiple matches in the final 15 minutes, which will be crucial at the end of the season.
However, the difference from last season is Liverpool’s title competition. Leicester City is second in the league with 38 points. Leicester’s defense is top-notch, with Kasper Schmeichel topping the league in clean sheets. Jamie Vardy has also continued his goalscoring ways, already scoring 16 goals. Leicester might be a thorn in Liverpool’s side this season, and I am definitely looking forward to when Leicester City faces off against Liverpool the day after Christmas. Manchester City follows Leicester thanks to a loss in the Manchester derby over the weekend. Pep Guardiola’s City side has been less than top quality for a sizable portion of the season. Yes, injuries have plagued this wholeheartedly, Aymeric Laporte comes to mind. I expect City to return to top form soon, and the rest of the league better look out.
Following City are Chelsea, Manchester United, Wolves and Tottenham Hotspur vying for the Champions League and Europa League spots. I don’t expect to see another team enter the race for these spots, especially with the mediocrity of Arsenal in full effect right now.
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga will follow, and oh boy, has it been something. The leader so far in the German league is Borussia Monchengladbach with 31 points. They lead the top German division with 10 wins, and a big reason for that is because they are tied for second with the least goals allowed. In 14 matches played, Borussia Monchengladbach has allowed just 16 goals, which is a great way to make sure you get points in each match.
Following Borussia Monchengladbach are RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund and a three-way tie of Schalke 04, SC Freiburg and Bayer. Yes, Bayer, not Bayern Munich. Bayern is seventh on the table with 24 points. Leipzig and Dortmund look like contenders for sure, but if I had to choose I’d take Leipzig over Dortmund, especially with the unfortunate injury to Axel Witsel.
La Liga
Next up is the La Liga and it’s no surprise which two teams are at the top. Barcelona and Real Madrid are once again fighting for the title after a couple of years of Barcelona dominance in the league. Both teams are tied currently with 34 points. Lionel Messi leads the league with 12 goals, but right behind him is Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema. This one might go down to the wire, especially with some of the injuries Barcelona is going through. Real Madrid could end Barcelona’s streak of league wins this season.
Serie A
Lastly is Serie A. This might be a shock to some, but Inter Milan is top of the league ahead of the Cristiano Ronaldo-led Juventus squad. Antonio Conte’s team has 38 points right now, two points ahead of the former leaders of the Italian league. A big reason for that is Romelo Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez. The two have 10 and eight goals respectively for the Italian leaders, while Ronaldo is behind the pair of them with only seven goals on the season.
Lazio is also right behind the two of them with 33 points. Ciro Immobile leads the league in goals by an astounding margin of seven, tallying 17 so far this season. It also leads Serie A in goal differential with 21. It might not keep up this pace, but it’ll be interesting if this race continues.
Follow me on Twitter at @JacobClary25 and Cincinnati Soccer Talk at @CincySoccerTalk!
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