News-EPL, Serie A, La Liga - Nigerian footballers. Exclusive match reviews, recap videos and Match of the Week selections curated by My11.

Six-time Ballon d’Or winner, Lionel Messi put another Messi-class match against Sevilla, as he leads My11’s team of the week along with former rival Gareth Bale and Ghana’s Emmanuel Quartsin Gyasi. We will be looking at a 4-3-3 formation

Goalkeeper:

Lukasz Skorupski | The Polish international had in blinder as Bologna shocked Lazio in a 2-0 victory. He made quality saves – 8 in total, to help his side keep a clean sheet and win all 3 points.

Defenders:

Adama Soumaoro | The Frenchman matched his goalkeeper’s brilliant display to shut out everything Lazio sent towards their direction. He won 3 tackles, had a game-high of 9 clearances and 3 blocked shots.

Kyle Bartley | The Englishman led WestBromwich Albion’s charge for survival from the back, as he had a solid game against wasteful Brighton & Hove Albion. Bartley blocked a shot, had 2 interceptions, and made 4 clearances, helping the Baggies keep a clean sheet. He scored the only goal of the encounter.

Robin Gosens | Atlanta got back to winning ways after the Champions League loss to Real Madrid, and Gosens scored one of the goals from his 4 shots in the 2-0 win over Sampdoria. He won 4 aerial duels, 3 tackles, and 2 clearances, helping his team keep a clean sheet.

Matteo Darmian | The former Manchester United full-back returned the manager’s faith in him with an impressive performance against Genoa. He won 4 tackles and 3 clearances and capped it up with a goal.

Midfielder:

Antonin Barak | The Czech international was the reason Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal was not enough to win all 3 points for Juventus. Barak scored the leveller in the 77th minute for Hellas Verona.

Anwar El-Ghazi | The Dutchman was the hero as Aston Villa, who were under pressure for 90 minutes snatched all 3 points, as his goal in the 5th minute was the winner for the away side against Leeds United. Almost all of Villa’s offensive play came through him, giving 3 key passes and having 5 shots in total.

Lionel Messi | The Argentine’s return to form seems to be rubbing off his teammate. In Barcelona's 2-0 away win against Sevilla, Messi had another brilliant display with a game-high of 4 shots (3 on target) and 94 touches. He provided the assist for the first goal and scored the second goal by himself.

Forward:

Emmanuel Quartsin Gyasi | The Ghanaian had a game to forget as Spezia came from 2 goals down to pick up an important point against Parma. Spezia were down by two goals in the first half, but Gyasi’s brace in the second half was enough for the game to end 2-2.

Nicolas Pepe | The Ivorian played his best football for the Gunners this season as Arsenal shocked Wilfred Ndidi, Kelechi Iheanach, and their Leicester City teammates. Pepe won the Penalty that gave the London club a 2-1 lead just before the break, he then scored the third goal of the clash to secure all 3 points for Arsenal.

Gareth Bale | The Welshman showed the Tottenham Hotspur supporters why Jose Mourinho brought him back from Real Madrid with a superb performance in their 4-0 thumping of Burnley. He scored the opening goal just after 1 minute, gave a brilliant cross-field pass to Harry Kane to score the second goal, then he got his brace, following a lovely counter-attack from Son Heung-Min.

Manager:

Stefano Pioli | The Italian got his AC Milan side back into the discussion of the Scudetto, following a 2-1 win over Roma, away at the Stadio Olympico in Rome. Despite Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s injury, Pioli still managed to pick up all 3 points.

My11 looks at the biggest performing Nigerians in the world of football at the weekend, and below are the selected Naija superstars.

Christian Ekong | The Akwa Ibom-born midfielder was the hero as Dakkada came from 2 goals down to beat Kano Pillars at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo. He scored the opening goal before the break, he then won the winning penalty for his side. Ekong had a man-of-the-match performance in the NPFL clash.

Paul Onuachu | There is no stopping the Super Eagles striker, as he scored his 24th league goal of the season in Genk’s 2-1 win over Sporting Charleroi. He scored the opening goal of the class before coming out for compatriot, Cyriel Dessers. Onuachu is the league’s top scorer.

Sadiq Umar | The former under 23 star has been in fine for all season for Almeria in the Spanish second division. In their 4-1 win over Lugo. Umar scored the opening goal in the 11th minute, before providing an assist for the 4th goal in the 75th minute. He has now scored 13 goals this campaign.

Who do you think is missing?

Following the drabby draw against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea will turn their attention to the team that has lost their last 4 home games as they will be visiting Liverpool at Anfield.

In 57 Premier League meetings between these two teams, Liverpool have won 23 games, while Chelsea have won 20 matches, with the other 14 games ending in a draw. The Reds have won their last 4 encounters, scoring 10 goals.

Liverpool will be without Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Joel Matip, Joe Gomez, and Virgil Van Dijk due to injury, while Caoimhin Kelleher and Diogo Jota are a major doubt. Chelsea, on the other hand, will be without Callum Hudson-Odoi and Thiago Silva due to sight knock.

Liverpool are on a terrible run of form, losing their last 4 games at home in the EPL, while Chelsea are still unbeaten under Thomas Tuchel. Jurgen Klopp needs to find a solution to his team’s poor performance and he needs answers quickly. This looks like a clash that can end in a draw.

You can catch the game live on DSTV channel 203, SuperSport Premier League on Thursday, March 4 2021, by 9:15 pm Naija time.

Defending champions Real Madrid suffered another setback in their hunt to defend La Liga, as they played out a 1-1 draw against Real Sociedad at the Alfredo di Stefano Stadium on Monday night.

The Blancos had a few chances to have scored in the first half, but could not break the deadlock, hitting the woodwork twice. Cristian Portu scored the opening goal in the 55th minute with a lovely curling header from a Nacho Monreal cross. Second-half substitute, Vinicius Junior levelled matters for the host in the 89th minute, but it was not enough to win all 3 points.

Real Madrid missed the chance to go second on the log and stay 3 points behind leaders, but sit third, level on points with Barcelona. Real Sociedad, on the other hand, fifth on the La Liga table, 6 points behind Champions League place.

Do you think Real Madrid can defend their title?

video source: La Liga YouTube

Following a 2-1 loss at the Stadio Olympico to end their 3-games unbeaten run, AS Roma will be travelling to Florence to face Fiorentina at the Artemio Franchi Stadium.

In the last 28 Serie A meetings between these two teams, Fiorentina have won 5 games, while Roma have won 17 matches, with the other 6 games ending in a draw. Fiorentina have won just 1 of their last 5 clashes, and that was a 7-1 thumping in 2019.

Fiorentina will be without Christian Kouamé and Giacomo Bonaventura due to injury. Roma, on the other hand, will be without Edin Dzeko, Davide Santon, Roger Ibañez, and former Manchester United defender, Chris Smalling due to injury.

The home side have one of the poorest run of form in Serie A, losing 5 of their last 8 games. Roma, on the other hand, are pushing a top 4 finish and will aim to get back to winning ways, against a team outside the top half.

AC Milan put up an impressive performance against Roma in Rome, as the Rossoneri defeated the capital club 2-1 at the Stadio Olympico on Sunday night.

Nigerian-born defender Fikayo Tomori, who is on loan from Chelsea, thought he had given the away side the lead early in the game, but the goal was ruled out for offside. In the 43rd minute, Roma defender Federico Fazio stepped on the left foot of Milan’s full-back Davide Calabria in the 18-yard box and a penalty was awarded after the VAR review. Ivorian midfielder, Franck Kessie scored the resulting spot-kick. Jordan Veretout equalized for the Romans just 5 minutes after the restart with a beautiful curler. In the 58th minute, two   2 minutes after Zlatan Ibrahimovic was subbed off, Ante Rebic scored the winning goal for the Rossoneri.

Roma missed the chance to move to third on the log and close the gap between them and their visitors, and have now dropped to fifth. AC Milan, on the other hand, closed the gap between them and rivals Inter to 4, and extend their lead over defending champions, Juventus.

Do you think AC Milan can win the Serie A title?

video source: Serie A YouTube

Manchester United's clash with another big team ends goalless as the Red Devils played out 0-0 with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday night.

Manchester United could have scored a goal in the first half after the VAR team called the referee's attention to a handball by Callum Hudson-Odoi, but replays showed that Mason Greenwood's elbow pushed the hand of the Chelsea man, and no penalty was given. Both goalkeepers, Eduardo Mendy and David de Gea made quality saves when called upon in the clash.

Chelsea missed the chance to go into the top 4 of the Premier League, and they sit 5th on the log with 44 points in 26 games. Manchester United, on the other hand, failed to go 2 points clear of Leicester City, who lost to Arsenal, they remain second with 50 points in 26 matches.

Do you think Chelsea can finish in the top 4?

video source: Chelsea YouTube

Chelsea will be facing their toughest task since the appointment of Thomas Tuchel and will be welcoming Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United to Stamford Bridge on Super Sunday.

In 56 Premier League meetings between these two teams, Chelsea have won 18 games, while Manchester have won 17 matches, with the other 22 games ending in a draw. Solskjaer has never lost a league match against the Blues, keeping a clean sheet in his last 3 encounters.

Chelsea have only Thiago Silva to worry about, as he is a major doubt for this clash. Manchester United, on the other hand, will be without Paul Pogba, Édinson Cavani, and Donny van de Beek due to injury.

Solskjaer has a healthy record against the top team, and Tuchel is unbeaten since he took charge at Stamford Bridge. This is expected to be a cautious clash between two of the most successful English team, and it could end in a draw.

You can catch the game live on DSTV channel 203, SuperSport Premier League on Sunday, February 28 2021, by 5:30 pm Naija time.

Real Madrid have the chance to go top of the La Liga this weekend, with a win – if Atletico Madrid lose their game – but will come up against a resurgent Real Sociedad at the Alfredo di Stefano Stadium.

In the last 22 La Liga meetings between these two teams, Real Madrid have won 17 games, while Real Sociedad have won 2 matches, with the other 2 games ending in a draw. There have been at least 2 goals in 7 of their last 8 clashes.

Real Madrid will be without Eden Hazard, Karim Benzema, Daniel Carvajal, Marcelo, Éder Militão, Sergio Ramos, Álvaro Odriozola, Federico Valverde, Rodrygo due to injury. Real Sociedad, on the other hand, will be without Gaizka Ayesa, Aritz Elustondo, Joseba Zaldúa, Fernández Luna, Miguel Angel Moya, Jon Pacheco, Alex Sola, Luca Sangalli due to injury.

Real Madrid manager, Zinedine Zidane has found a way to manage the team despite the injury crisis, winning 4 straight games in all competitions, while keeping a clean sheet. Sociedad have also picked up form since the return of David Silva. This will be an interesting tie, but the Blancos will continue their run over the Basque side.

You can catch the game live on DSTV channel 204, SuperSport La Liga on Monday, March 1 2021, by 9 pm Naija time.

There will be fireworks in Rome as AC Milan – who are aiming to get back to the top – will square off against AS Roma at the Stadio Olimpico on Super Sunday.

In the last 28 Serie A meetings between these two teams, Roma have won 11 games, while Milan have won 10 matches, with the other 7 games ending in a draw. There have always been at least 2 goals in their last 8 encounters.

Roma will be without Davide Santon, Marash Kumbulla, Roger Ibañez, Bryan Cristante, and Chris Smalling due to injury. Milan, on the other hand, will be without Mario Mandzukic and Ismaël Bennacer due to injury.

Roma are on a better run, picking up 7 points in the last 3 games, and keeping clean sheets in all, while Milan have drawn just 1 and lost 2 of their last 3 games, failing to score in 2 matches. This looks like a match that can end in a draw or a narrow win for the capital club.

You can catch the game live on DSTV channel 208, SuperSport Variety 3 on Sunday, February 28 2021, by 8:45 pm Naija time.