Super soccer Sunday is coming your way

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This article was published 22/10/2021 (1758 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Footy fans, you should probably rest up. Because what you have in front of you is one of the best days of club football this season.

Oh, and have your PVRs ready. The schedule-makers didn’t exactly collaborate here. If you do the multiple screens thing, even better.

All told, there are five major derbies across four major leagues, beginning just after 9 a.m. and finishing up around 4 in the afternoon.

Following is your primer for this Super Soccer Sunday.

Barcelona-Real Madrid, 9:15 a.m. (TSN)

What, exactly, is a Clasico without at least one of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo? It’s a question we’ve only had to ponder twice in the last 14 years, and both times because Messi was injured.

This time, however, neither player is even on the books at the club for which they won trophies and broke records, and given the reluctance of Barcelona fans to return to Camp Nou following Messi’s summer departure, we certainly won’t have the scenes that defined a generation of Europe’s most famous derby.

Still, there are players to watch, among them Barcelona’s teenaged maestro Gavi and electrifying attacker Ansu Fati, who has the best goals-to-minutes ratio in La Liga this season. On the other side of the ball, veteran striker Karim Benzema is well on his way to another Pichichi while 21-year-old forward Vinicius Junior is enjoying a break-out season

Manchester United-Liverpool, 10:30 a.m. (DAZN)

If Manchester United play like they did against Atalanta during the week, they’ll lose to Liverpool on Sunday. Heavily.

Individual attacking talent is papering over a lot of cracks at United, and their lack of any semblance of organization among the midfield and back-line is just asking to be found out by the Premier League’s top-scorers.

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah, who bagged a brace against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday, is probably the form player in the world right now, and then there’s the fact he and his teammates have only lost one of their last 10 league showdowns with their arch-rivals

AS Roma-Napoli, 11 a.m. (fuboTV)

It probably shouldn’t be, but Sunday’s Derby del Sole will be all about Jose Mourinho.

On Thursday, following a 6-1 humiliation at Norway’s Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League, the Roma manager publicly criticized his players and lamented a perceived lack of depth at the club — putting himself on a collision course with both his team and its administration.

We’ve seen this before, and it doesn’t end well for anyone.

Napoli, meanwhile, have a 100 per cent record through eight rounds of Serie A and have conceded a paltry three goals. Up top, 22-year-old Nigeria international Victor Osmihen has been quietly establishing himself as one of Italian football’s top young marksmen

Inter Milan-Juventus, 1:45 p.m. (fuboTV)

Juventus may be seventh in Serie A, but they enter Sunday’s Derby d’Italia with seven straight wins in all competitions. They’re certainly trending in the right direction, but they’re still struggling mightily to find the back of the net. Six different players are responsible for the Bianconeri’s last seven goals. (Manuel Locatelli is the only one with two.)

Champions Inter Milan, on the other hand, boast the division’s best attack — and this after losing Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea during the summer. Credit new manager Simone Inzaghi with steadying the ship following Antonio Conte’s departure.

Sunday’s match is more a test for Juventus than their hosts.

Marseille-PSG, 1:45 (beIN Sports)

France’s Interior Ministry has banned Paris Saint-Germain supporters from attending Le Classique at Marseille’s Stade Velodrome out of fears of fan violence. That pretty much tells you all you need to know about the emotions attached to this derby.

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Marseille boss Jorge Sampaoli, a managerial embodiment of intensity if ever there was one, will no doubt have his players psyched to bully their high-profile opponents on Sunday, and a good prop bet might be if/when PSG midfielder Marco Verratti is shown a red card for lashing out in retaliation.

Naturally, a lot of attention will be paid to Lionel Messi, who scored twice against RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Tuesday.

For what it’s worth, Marseille have only won one of their last 24 matches against PSG in all competitions.

jerradpeters@gmail.comTwitter @JerradPeters