Two games you cannot afford to miss

Saturday 10th September 2016 is a day all football fans will look forward whether a fan of the teams involved or a neutral you are going to want to watch wherever you are in the world. These games bare so much significance for so many reasons and some different, in this edition I will analyse and preview these two enormous matches that will have us taking and will be the talk of the back pages in both England and Scotland.

Rangers vs Celtic: A fierce rivalry renewed 

This match is one of the most bitterly contested games in all of sport to which so much is on the line and so much pride at stake for winning this. It ain’t just about dominance in Glasgow it’s about or might win the league who can rise to the occasion and who feel the pain of defeat. As a long time fan of this match its one of those that I look forward to because of so many things some include the atmosphere, the high intensity, and the feel of a big occasion that you will never know unless you attend. This game also known as the Old Firm has been described as thunder lightning by many journalists and players who have played in this, you can expect many things in this match some maybe a Red Card, some scuffles and managers going at each other some of the things you would expect.

Why is it so important:

This match is Absaloutly important to both sides for a whole load of reasons pride, silverware and bragging rights. For some fans this game is their life to which they wait day in and day out for. In some parts of Glasgow some pubs are exclusively to Rangers or Celtic fans and don’t allow opposite fans in, these games can make players and ruin players it can make a manager great or get him fired. Players like Graeme Souness, Paul Gascoigne, Mo Johnston, Henrik Larsson, Chris Sutton and John Hartson have made their names in this match and can tell anyone what an occasion it is and how at times you sometimes can’t breathe during the game. It’s also important because these are the two teams are expected to be challenging for the league title so it can go a huge way in deciding whether the title will be heading to Celtic Park or Ibrox come May. For Managers Mark Warburton and Brenden Rodgers this is the biggest games of their managerial careers and they will both have butterflies when they wake up knowing that they will either be a winner or a loser come 3pm.

Key Battle: 

In terms of the key battle on the pitch the tussle we are all expecting to see is Joey Barton vs Scott Brown in the midfield. Brown has been Celtic through and through and is the linchpin of the team and captain, he doesn’t shy away from a battle on the pitch with whoever squares up to him. Brown ain’t everyone’s favourite but he would perhaps say that he doesn’t really care as he only lives to give his all for Celtic and expect him to that on Saturday.

On the other team you will have Joey Barton for Rangers. Barton arrived in the summer on a free from Burnley and isn’t afraid of taking a good game throughout his career. Barton is controversial figure in british football who could describe him like Marmite some love him and some hate him. Barton hasn’t had a brilliant start to his time in Scotland since he arrived but you can imagine this as the game he would love to get going in in his career at Ibrox, he isn’t afraid to speak his mind on anything with it being religion, society and politics and very vocal on Twitter. If Barton can do his usual role of doing the dirty work and playing the sweeper role then and get the ball to Niko Krancher who can unlock passes then Barton will have a good game.

If Brown and Barton clash then expect fireworks, I for one will be surprised if either of these two don’t get sent off which will be the taking point of the highlights.

Whatever the result sit back and and enjoy this match as its unlike any footballing experience you will ever see.

Prediction: Celtic 1-2 Rangers

Manchester United vs Manchester City: A Derby that both want to win but not to lose:  

Another Derby on Saturday will see the two Machester clubs come face to face at Old Trafford during lunchtime and I can say this is perhaps the game of the season and could decide who is top for the first half of this season and it’s one that you will be glued to.

José Mourinho vs Pep Guardiola: Best friends now Bitter Enemies: 

One massive thing about this match is the managers and arguably the two best managers in the world right now.

Pep Guardiola was announced by City as far back as February even though it was the worst kept secret that City hierarchy made up of some his friends at Barcelona where courting him and he finally agreed to join them to to the joy of City fans all over the country. Guardiola is regarded as one the best managers in the world having dominated at Barcelona and Bayern Munich and winning countless trophies and introducing systems that we hadn’t seen before, Pep took over a Barcelona team in 2008 that wasn’t in great shape and shipped out a few names and revamped everything about the team, as a student of Johan Cruyff and his dream team Guardiola has played a lot of the Dutch legends system in his teams. Pep has won two Champions leagues and multiple league titles and league cups with both Barca and Bayern which is why City wanted him a lot and why he’ll perhaps win a lot at City to.

On the Red side of Manchester is Jose Mourinho a manager who is renowned as the one of the best modern managers today. Mourinho has won trophies everywhere he has been including Portugal, England, Italy and Spain he is a manager who will do anything to win and doesn’t care how he does it. Mourinho dubbed the special one can be devicesive he is known for making digs at other managers and dividing opinions amongst everyone. As a student of Sir Bobby Robson and Louis Van Gaal Mourinho can play really exciting football at times and football that might not but Mourinho won’t really care if it wins the match, all in all Mourinho will want to win this match because he is a winner and that’s what he was brought into Man United to do and you can guarantee that he will bring glory back to Old Trafford very soon.

These two managers have known each other for twenty years since Mourinho was assistant and translator for then Barcelona manager Sir Bobby Robson and Guardiola was captain of the team, it is said that the two where very close and would decide how the team played. The recent history between the two was in Spain when the Barcelona job was vancant in 2008 and Mourinho was being looked at by the Barca hierarchy and was very close to getting the job but a few Barca directors and Johan Cruyff advised then President Juan Laporta to appoint Guardiola who had done well with the B team and he did to the disgust of Mourinho. After this Mourinho took over at Inter Milan but it was two years later that these two finally crossed paths in the Champions League semi finals to the shock of loads of Jose’s Inter knocked out Barca in the Nou camp and what is remembered of that game is Mourinho running out onto the pitch to celebrate to which that caught of the eyes of the hierarchy at Real Madrid Barca’s deadliest rivals. What followed between Mourinho’s Madrid and Pep’s Barcelona for the next two years was some the most aggressive, feisty and physical encounters between these two teams ad both managers wanted to win so badly and did not want to lose and you normally saw a red card or a tussle between both teams, both managers made digs at each other with Mourinho flaming that Guardiola didn’t enjoy his football because he was bald and Pep calling him the fu***** chief of press conferences.

Wth both managers now managin these teams and this match you’ll be hoping for fireworks between both but this game is as much about the players as it is the managers. So let’s just hope for a classic that we’ll be taking about in many years to come.