The Africa Cup of Nations takes center stage this weekend as Mohamed Salah's Egypt, Kelechi Iheanacho's Nigeria and several other promising players prepare for their second group stage fixtures. Battles for Champions League places will also take place across Europe, especially in Serie A as Atalanta and Inter Milan face off. Pepi watch will also come to a head as Augsburg will look to get a foot up on the relegation race facing Frankfurt in the Bundesliga.
Here's a look at the top five matches to watch this weekend.
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5. Guinea-Bissau vs. Egypt
Date: Saturday, Jan. 15 | Time: 11 a.m. ET
Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
Caesars Sportsbook Odds: Guinea-Bissau +800; Draw +265; Egypt -285
Why watch: Egypt needs a bounce-back performance after they opened AFCON by being shut out by Nigeria. While the team is more than Mohamed Salah, Nigeria showed a way to isolate him on their way to winning the game and it's a tactic that Guinea-Bissau will try to emulate. Coming off of a scoreless draw with Sudan, Guinea-Bissau will need a group effort to contain Egypt but picking up a point or a win in this matchup will boost their chances of advancing to the knockout stages of the tournament significantly.
4. Atalanta vs. Inter Milan
Date: Sunday, Jan. 15 | Time: 2:45 p.m. ET
Live stream: Paramount+
Caesars Sportsbook Odds: Atalanta +195; Draw +270; Inter Milan +125
Why watch: As Inter look to announce Marcelo Brozovic's contract extension in the coming week and are coming off of a Supercoppa Italiana victory against Juventus, spirits couldn't be higher for Simone Inzaghi's men. With a game in hand on their closest rivals, Inter are still leading the way to retain the Scudetto, and Atalanta will do their best to defend Gewiss Stadium and follow a win in which they hung six on Udinese. It will be tough as Atalanta have only won two of 11 meetings with Inter under Gian Piero Gasperini for their worst winning percentage against another Serie A side.
3. Manchester City vs. Chelsea
Date: Saturday, Jan. 15 | Time: 7:30 a.m. ET
Live stream: Peacock
Caesars Sportsbook Odds: Manchester City -145; Draw +280; Chelsea +410
Why watch: While the title may already be locked up in the Premier League because Manchester City has been unbeatable reeling off 11 straight league wins since their loss to Crystal Palace in October of 2021, Chelsea can still cut the gap to single digits if they're able to pull out a victory. The Blues have struggled with injuries but are getting a little healthier at every position but outside back. Romelu Lukaku being in form will at least give the City defense a challenge.
2. Borussia Dortmund vs. Freiburg
Date: Friday, Jan. 14 | Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
Live stream: ESPN+
Caesars Sportsbook Odds: Dortmund -200; Draw +360; Freiburg +500
Why watch: While there is a five-point gap at the top of the Bundesliga, Dortmund can still catch Bayern if they don't slip up. But hosting unlikely top-four challengers Freiburg will be a struggle for Dortmund's leaky defense. While the black and yellow have scored multiple goals in four of their last five matches, they've also allowed multiple goals in three of those, leading to two losses and a draw. That form won't be good enough to compete for the top spot in Germany but a win over the league's joint best defense will go a long way to setting a positive tone for the second half of the season.
1. Augsburg vs. Eintracht Frankfurt
Date: Sunday, Jan. 16 | Time: 9:30 a.m. ET
Live stream: ESPN+
Caesars Sportsbook Odds: Augsburg +220; Draw +250; Eintracht Frankfurt +120
Why watch: After getting 30 minutes off the bench in Augsburg's loss to Hoffenheim a match with Frankfurt will likely be Ricardo Pepi's full debut as a member of the starting XI. Pepi wasn't very involved when he came on against Hoffenheim but with another week of training under his belt he should have a better understanding with his teammates. Considering Frankfurt's roller coaster form and that he'll have the backing of a home crowd in Augsburg this should be quite the affair.
Honorable mentions
(All times U.S./Eastern)
Friday, Jan. 14: A game to watch in ...
- England: Brighton vs. Crystal Palace, 3 p.m. (USA and fuboTV -- Try for free)
- France: Nice vs. Nantes, 3 p.m. (fuboTV -- Try for free)
- Mexico: Necaxa vs. Monterrey, 10 p.m. (fuboTV -- Try for free)
- AFCON: Morocco vs. Comoros, 11 a.m. (fuboTV -- Try for free)
Saturday, Jan. 15: A game to watch in ...
- England: Aston Villa vs. Manchester United, 12:30 p.m. (NBC and fuboTV -- Try for free)
- Italy: Juventus vs. Udinese, 2:45 p.m. (Paramount+)
- Germany: Koln vs. Bayern Munich, 9:30 a.m. (ESPN+)
- France: PSG vs. Brest, 3 p.m. (beIN Sports and fuboTV -- Try for free)
- Mexico: Tigres UANL vs. Puebla, 8 p.m. (fuboTV -- Try for free)
- AFCON: Nigeria vs. Sudan, 11 a.m. (fuboTV -- Try for free)
Sunday, Jan. 16: A game to watch in ...
- England: West Ham United vs. Leeds United, 9 a.m. (Peacock)
- Spain: Elche vs. Villarreal, 8 a.m. (ESPN+)
- Italy: Roma vs. Caligari, 12 p.m. (Paramount+)
- Germany: Arminia Bielefeld vs. Gruther Furth, 11:30 a.m. (ESPN+)
- France: Olympique Marseille vs. Lille, 2:45 p.m. (beIN Sports and fuboTV -- Try for free)
- Mexico: Pachuca vs. Guadalajara, 6 p.m. (fuboTV -- Try for free)
- AFCON: Ivory Coast vs. Sierra Leone, 11 a.m. (fuboTV -- Try for free)