weekend picks

the most apprehensive managerial unveiling face ever? you decide. but more about him later, onto my choices for this weekend.

roma v palermo, serie a, 5pm saturday.

two teams that started poorly, changed their manager, then started to play better. an oversimplified argument? undoubtedly, but it's the one that every italian journalist, and, it would appear, chairman subscribes to. serie has had 14 managerial changes this season, and the only surprise is that palermo president maurizio zamparini (you wouldn't like him when he's angry) has only pulled the trigger once, on walter zenga. perhaps that's because the replacement, delio rossi, has done so well that even zampa can't find any reason to fire him. yet. i say yet because palermo's away form has been fairly dismal this season, and if they don't qualify for europe, there will probably be another change.

this will be a good test for them, and it will, fitness permitting, pit the old against the new, the lazy against the lazier, red against pink- francesco totti against javier pastore, two of the best creative players in the league. i'm fully aware that i'm choosing this game on the strength of 2 players, but i promise it should be quite a good game. plus, no totti no party.

vasco da gama v fluminense, campeonato carioca, 8.30 pm sunday.

this is undoubtedly the more attractive of the two semi-finals in the opening competition of the rio state championship, the taca guanabara. if the notion of a state championship confuses you, i recommend perusing this excellent guide before you read on.

vasco have been the team of the tournament thus far, boasting the best goal difference and the best performance, a 6-0 hammering of botafogo. spearheaded by ex-bremen playmaker carlos alberto, and wunderkid philippe coutinho (who's heading to internazionale in june), they're doing that thing which is unique to south american clubs- getting relegated only to return rejuvenated. such is the banana republic economics of brazilian football.

flu have also been impressive following their impressive escape from relegation in the campeonato brasilerao 2009, and are also led by a forward exiled from european football, despite clearly being talented enough to play there- fred, once of lyon. but the player to watch (if he's fit) is maicon, who is a promising winger with, as andy gray would say, frightening pace. he's tricky, still raw enough to be unpredictable, and probably playing his last campeonato carioca.

it's hard to call a winner here, but it's going to be good. as with most brazilian games, justin tv is the place to start.

atletico madrid v barcelona, primera division, 8pm sunday.

er, do i need to explain this one? the best team in the world facing the most comical? this game has produced more goals than any other la liga fixture in recent years, and it really isn't hard to work out why.

somehow, atletico have managed to get themselves into the final of the copa del rey (if you think the fa cup is useless...), which is threatening to save their disastrous season. especially seeing as the most likely venue is...the bernabeu. perhaps quique will crack a smile if they win there, i know i will. but i'm pretty sure he won't be smiling at 10pm tomorrow.