The 2022-23 season, as odd as it may sound, is in its final third. Each club has played well more games already than they have left to play. Unless you’re Cristiano Ronaldo, that is. We now know what every club has left to fight for. If you’re a club like PSG, not very much. If you’re a club like Man City, a treble is still on the cards. This is the point in the season where fixtures mean the most, and hopefully you’ll be able to clear space on your calendar for some epic clashes still to come before the end of the season.
We’ll be splitting the clubs up into 3 categories – Must Watch, Watch if you’re free, and Don’t watch unless you’re a fan. Let’s begin with the bottom tier.
I’m looking for three things in my rankings:
- A Good Story. If a team has a lot to play for and are an underdog looking for potentially club-shifting overachieving, they’ll rank highly. Similarly, if this is an underachieving club looking to salvage their season, they’ll also rank highly.
- Goals. As a neutral, I love to see as many goals as possible. If a team’s games frequently see 3+ goals scored, they’ll rank highly.
- A Solid schedule. If a team has a lot of tough teams to play in the rest of their season, they’ll rank highly.
Don’t watch unless you’re a fan
Real Sociedad
Position: 4th (La Liga)
Competitions Still In: La Liga
Next 10 Matches:
Getafe (Home)
Bilbao (Away)
Rayo Vallecano (Home)
Real Betis (Away)
Osasuna (Away)
Real Madrid (Home)
Girona (Home)
Barcelona (Away)
Almeria (Home)
Atlético Madrid (Away)
Unfortunately for Sociedad fans, I can’t see them leapfrogging Atleti for 3rd, and I see it as unlikely that even 4th is a massive guarantee. It’s sad to see, as at this time 2 months ago they were seen as the underdog story that rocked Spanish Football, but after a Copa del Rey loss to Barcelona, Europa League loss to Roma, and 1 win in their last 6 in La Liga, Sociedad’s hat is officially out of the ring. Combine that with no matches with more than two goals in their last 8, they aren’t a team to watch. Still having the big 3 teams to play, as well as trips to San Mames and the Estadio Benito Vilamarin, if you’re planning on watching Sociedad as a neutral for the underdog story, they’ve left the building.
SC Freiburg
Position: 4th (Bundesliga)
Competitions Still In: Bundesliga, DFB Pokal
Next 10 Matches:
Bayern (Away) (DFB Pokal)
Bayern (Home)
Werder Bremen (Away)
Schalke (Home)
Koln (Away)
Leipzig (Home)
Union Berlin (Away)
Wolfsburg (Home)
Frankfurt (Away)
Freiburg have only 9 guaranteed matches left, and while they are in for 4th place, they don’t have a difficult ride to 4th. Considering their next DFB Pokal game is an away day against Bayern, they probably won’t be in 2 competitions for long. Also, only 2 of their last 10 games have seen 3 goals scored and none have seen 4 or more.
Marseille
Position: 3rd (Ligue 1)
Competitions Still In: Ligue 1
Next 10 Matches:
Lorient (Away)
Troyes (Home)
Lyon (Away)
Auxerre (Home)
Lens (Away)
Angers (Home)
Lille (Away)
Brest (Home)
Ajaccio (Away)
On paper, this should be a higher ranking team. They get the goals, and their schedule is pretty tough, with a 6-pointer against Lens which will likely determine who finishes second, the OL-OM derby, and a generally entertaining match against Lille. But they just don’t have that X-Factor for me, the story, the thing that makes me turn my head. That’s why they’re here.
RC Lens
Position: 2nd (Ligue 1)
Competitions Still In: Ligue 1
Next 10 Matches:
Strasbourg (Home)
PSG (Away)
Monaco (Home)
Toulouse (Away)
Marseille (Home)
Reims (Home)
Lorient (Away)
Ajaccio (Home)
Auxerre (Away)
Everybody loves an underdog. Lens, with their Belgian-born English manager Will Still who got into management through Football Manager, hasn’t got his UEFA A-Pro Coaching license yet, and who’s on a 20-match unbeaten run with usual relegation battlers Lens, and is 2nd, in a Champions League spot. Lens is the closest to being in the next highest tier from these 4, but again, just doesn’t have that X-Factor. I may watch a couple Lens games and change my opinion, but for now, they go here.
Watch if you’re free
Benfica
Position: 1st (Primeira Liga)
Competitions Still In: Primeira Liga, Champions League
Next 10 Matches:
Porto (Home)
Inter (Home) (Champions League)
Chaves (Away)
Inter (Away) (Champions League)
Estoril (Home)
Gil Vicente (Away)
Braga (Home)
Portimonense (Away)
Sporting (Away)
Santa Clara (Home)
Fans of the clubs in the previous tier may be a bit incensed at this, but Benfica have a story. They are pulverizing their league opponents, being 10 points ahead of everybody, and Champions League opponents, but are now entering a stage where they have both Porto and Sporting to play in the league, and are in the Champions League Quarterfinals against Inter, after beating Brugge 7-1 on aggregate, on an uncharacteristically weak side of the bracket where it’s actually feasible that they make the final this year. They have a tough schedule, great story, and score lots of goals. They do lose points, however, for their league push being pretty much a foregone conclusion, being 10 points in front with 7 games left.
Feyenoord
Position: 1st (Eredivisie)
Competitions Still In: Eredivisie, KNVB Cup, Europa League
Next 10 Matches
Ajax (Home) (KNVB Cup)
Waalwijk (Home)
Roma (Home) (Europa League)
Cambuur (Away)
Roma (Away) (Europa League)
Utrecht (Home)
Excelsior (Away)
Go Ahead Eagles (Home)
FC Emmen (Away)
Vitesse (Home)
Another head-scratching inclusion for some. However, the Eredivisie has been one of the most interesting leagues this year. Perennial favourites Ajax, who have won 8 of the last 11 league titles, are 2nd in the league, by a long way. Feyenoord have been a great team to watch as a neutral. A 3-2 win vs Ajax, 7-1 win against Shakhtar, their games have been very entertaining to watch.
AC Milan
Position: 3rd (Serie A)
Competitions Still In: Serie A, Champions League
Next 10 Matches
Empoli (Home)
Napoli (Away) (Champions League)
Bologna (Away)
Napoli (Home) (Champions League)
Lecce (Home)
Roma (Away)
Cremonese (Home)
Lazio (Home)
Spezia (Away)
Milan are entertaining to watch because you never know what they’re going to do. Recently they beat Napoli 4-0, but also lost 3-1 to midtable Udinese the week before. They beat Juventus 2-0 sandwiched between 3-0 and 2-0 losses to Chelsea. They are also in the quarterfinals of the Champions League vs Napoli, a match that will likely be fun to watch, and are in a jumble to be in it next season, in a mesh with Inter and Roma where only 1 point is between them and Europa League.
Juventus
Position: 7th (Serie A)
Competitions Still In: Serie A, Europa League, Coppa Italia
Next 10 Matches:
Inter (Home) (Coppa Italia)
Lazio (Away)
Sporting (Home) (Europa League)
Sassuolo (Away)
Sporting (Away) (Europa League)
Napoli (Home)
Inter (Away) (Coppa Italia)
Bologna (Away)
Lecce (Home)
Atalanta (Away)
The only thing stopping Juventus from being in must-watch is that their games are pretty boring. Other than a couple 6-goal (and I mean exactly 6-goal) games sprinkled here and there, most of their games are 1-0, 1-1, or 2-0. They’re trying to get back into European football after a 15-point deduction back in January. They also have a schedule full of great games, with pretty much all of their next 6 being big clashes, and perhaps even more if they beat Inter and Sporting.
Newcastle
Position: 3rd (Premier League)
Competitions Still In: Premier League
Next 10 Matches:
West Ham (Away)
Brentford (Away)
Aston Villa (Away)
Tottenham (Home)
Everton (Away)
Southampton (Home)
Arsenal (Home)
Leeds (Away)
Leciester (Home)
Chelsea (Away)
Newcastle aren’t terribly entertaining, nor do they have a jam-packed schedule. But the one thing that gets them a mention is the story. They are fighting to get their first ever Champions League spot, currently tied for 3rd with Manchester United and Spurs, although they have 2 games in hand on Spurs. This is a team to watch very intently on for the rest of the season to see if they can pull away from the other two. A 2-0 win against Man Utd on the weekend was a good start.
Barcelona
Position: 1st (La Liga)
Competitions Still In: La Liga, Copa del Rey
Next 10 Matches
Real Madrid (Home) (Copa del Rey)
Girona (Home)
Getafe (Away)
Atlético Madrid (Home)
Rayo (Away)
Betis (Home)
Osasuna (Home)
Espanyol (Away)
Sociedad (Home)
Valladolid (Away)
While they would have been in the “must watch” tier at the start of the season, Barcelona don’t have a lot to play for anymore. Home games against Real Madrid and Atleti will be the peak of the Blaugrana’s season before a comfy road to La Liga and possibly the Copa del Rey. Xavi’s style has also been akin to Simeone’s in the new year, winning 9 games 1-0 in 2023. However, sometimes, Barca are really fun to watch, and they can come alive in some matches.
Spurs
Position: 4th (Premier League)
Competitions Still In: Premier League
Next 10 Matches:
Brighton (Home)
Bournemouth (Home)
Newcastle (Away)
Man Utd (Home)
Liverpool (Away)
Crystal Palace (Home)
Aston Villa (Away)
Brentford (Home)
Leeds (Away)
Poor Spurs. While most top teams dream of league and continental titles, Spurs dream of any trophy at all. This season is no different, then, than any of their last 13, trophiless. They went out of the EFL Cup to Nottingham Forest, the FA Cup to Sheffield, and the Champions League to AC Milan. They are also 22 points off the top of the Premier League, with North London rivals Arsenal ahead of them, so they don’t even have the “Finished above Arsenal” trophy anymore. Now, they’re in a battle with Man Utd and Newcastle for Top 4. Their games’ quality? 50/50 it could be brilliant or it could be a bore. Who knows what will happen under whoever they choose to be their new manager, though.
Must Watch
Ajax
Position: 2nd (Eredivisie)
Competitions Still In: Eredivisie, KNVB Cup
Next 10 Matches
Feyenoord (Away) (KNVB Cup)
Fortuna Sittard (Home)
FC Emmen (Home)
PSV (Away)
AZ Alkmaar (Home)
Groningen (Away)
Utrecht (Home)
Twente (Away)
Ajax are 7 times out of 10 very fun to watch. Whether they’re beating Excelsior 7-1, losing 2-1 to AZ Alkmaar, or losing 6-1 to Napoli, they’ve provided the neutral some classic games. The Alfred Schreuder experiment (Who was somehow on Barca only last season) failed, and they’re struggling big time in the Eredivisie. Even without the story of mission impossible in the league, Ajax are still a very fun team to see.
Napoli
Position; 1st (Serie A)
Competitions Still In: Serie A, Champions League
Next 10 Matches
Lecce (Away)
AC Milan (Away) (Champions League)
Verona (Home)
AC Milan (Home) (Champions League)
Juventus (Away)
Salernitana (Home)
Udinese (Away)
Fiorentina (Home)
Monza (Away)
Inter (Home)
The surprise package of the season, Napoli. After getting rid of stalwarts Kalidou Koulibaly, Lorenzo Insigne, and Dries Mertens, Napoli have had one of their best seasons ever. 16 points in front in Serie A with 10 games to go, and also the favourite out of the weaker side of the Champions League bracket to reach the final. They have been a treat to watch, too. A 4-1 win vs Liverpool, 5-1 win vs Juventus, 5-0 aggregate win vs Frankfurt, and a 6-1 win vs Ajax have seen them be one of the best attacking teams in the league. Also, the young dynamic duo of Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is one of the best in the world. This team is the definition of must watch. Reschedule visits with family members to watch this team. (Don’t, I was just saying it for effect)
Real Madrid
Position: 2nd (La Liga)
Competitions Still In: La Liga, Champions League, Copa del Rey
Next 10 matches:
Barcelona (Away)
Villarreal (Home)
Chelsea (Home)
Cadiz (Away)
Chelsea (Away)
Celta Vigo (Home)
Girona (Away)
Almeria (Home)
Sociedad (Away)
Getafe (Home)
Real Madrid have looked like a great team this season, but have been very unlucky at times. The fans will be hoping for the unlikely treble this season, but it will need a massive collapse by Barcelona, in both the league and Copa del Rey, and perfection for the rest of the season. This team has been, in a word, inconsistent this season. This team will school Barcelona at the Bernabeu, then within 10 days, lose to RB Leipzig. They will lose to Mallorca, then beat Liverpool by 3 the same week. For a neutral though, pure cinema.
Arsenal
Position: 1st (Premier League)
Competitions Still In: Premier League
Next 10 matches:
Liverpool (Away)
West Ham (Away)
Southampton (Home)
Man City (Away)
Chelsea (Home)
Newcastle (Away)
Brighton (Home)
Nottingham Forest (Away)
Wolves (Home)
No longer does Arsenal have any excuse. Man City are looking at 3 competitions in the teeth, Arsenal only 1. With 9 games to go, Arsenal hold an 8-point lead on Man City – with City holding a game in hand. They are also one of the most entertaining teams in the Premier League, where you could hold an argument that at least 5 of their last 6 matches have been brilliant watches. Their schedule, the near future schedule at least, is also full of good opponents.
Liverpool
Position: 8th (Premier League)
Competitions Still In: Premier League
Next 10 Matches:
Arsenal (Home)
Leeds (Away)
Nottingham Forest (Home)
West Ham (Away)
Tottenham (Home)
Fulham (Home)
Brentford (Home)
Leicester (Away)
Aston Villa (Home)
Southampton (Away)
If you want to see my thoughts on Liverpool summarized, read my recent article “A Tale of Two Liverpools”. The name says it all. From 9-0 and 7-0 wins to 5-2 and 3-0 losses. As I type this, we’re in the first half of Liverpool vs Chelsea. You probably know how it finishes, I don’t. It’s seemed like a good watch so far. That’s been Liverpool this season. Sure, their games don’t see many goals, but they’re a must watch just for their race for 4th place.
Dortmund
Position: 2nd (Bundesliga)
Competitions Still In: Bundesliga, DFB Pokal
Next 10 Matches:
RB Leipzig (Away) (DFB Pokal)
Union Berlin (Home)
Stuttgart (Away)
Frankfurt (Home)
Bochum (Away)
Wolfsburg (Home)
Monchengladbach (Home)
Augsburg (Away)
Mainz (Home)
I’ve said this once, I’ll say this a thousand times – the Bundesliga is the most entertaining league in the top 5 – by far. After a 6-goal Der Klassiker defeat, Borussia Dortmund are 2 points behind Bayern when a win would’ve put them 4 ahead. However, they aren’t out of it yet, not even close. The rest of their league games are very winnable, and Bayern still have the Champions League to worry about. It’s time for Dortmund to finally best Bavaria.
PSG
Position: 1st (Ligue 1)
Competitions Still In: Ligue 1
Next 10 Matches:
Nice (Away)
Lens (Home)
Angers (Away)
Lorient (Home)
Troyes (Away)
Ajaccio (Home)
Auxerre (Away)
Strasbourg (Away)
Clermont Foot (Home)
This feels more like a note to self than anything else. I’m told PSG win lots. However, whenever I watch them, it doesn’t feel like that. For example, when I started this post, I was watching them play Lyon. They lost, but for some reason, I wasn’t all that surprised. Of course, I expected them to win, but I wasn’t at jaw-dropping levels of surprised. They have that secret stuff. The X-Factor. The unpredictability. You never know their next move, and that’s why I love watching them.
Bayern
Position: 1st (Bundesliga)
Competitions Still In: Bundesliga, Champions League, DFB Pokal
Next 10 Matches:
Freiburg (Home)
Man City (Away) (Champions League)
Hoffenheim (Home)
Man City (Home) (Champions League)
Mainz (Away)
Hertha (Home)
Werder (Away)
Schalke (Home)
RB Leipzig (Home)
Koln (Away)
Another Bundesliga team, Bayern are currently locked with Freiburg as I write this in the DFB Pokal, so this may already be outdated. However, Bayern are also very fun to watch, and they also have Mathys Tel, one of my favourite young players. They are on course for the treble, and perhaps Thomas Tuchel can lead them to their second of the decade already.
Chelsea
Position: 11th (Premier League)
Competitions Still In: Premier League, Champions League
Next 10 Matches:
Wolves (Away)
Real Madrid (Away) (Champions League)
Brighton (Home)
Real Madrid (Home) (Champions League)
Brentford (Home)
Arsenal (Away)
Bournemouth (Away)
Nottingham Forest (Home)
Man City (Away)
Newcastle (Home)
Chelsea have been such an interesting watch this season for the same reason PSG is – unpredictability. You never know what will happen, They might win 4-0 or lose 4-0. Their season so far has been a disaster, sacking two managers, spending over 500 million on signings, 50 million on managers, and they’re 11th. Maybe they’re higher if they beat Liverpool, but the point remains. Any European Football is great for them.
Man City
Position: 2nd (Premier League)
Competitions Still In: Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup
Next 10 Matches:
Southampton (Away)
Bayern (Home) (Champions League)
Leicester City (Home)
Bayern (Away) (Champions League)
Sheffield United (Home) (FA Cup)
Arsenal (Home)
Fulham (Away)
West Ham (Home)
Leeds (Home)
Man City are the perfect example of a great story, a feasible comeback story in the Premier League, a fairly easy road in the FA Cup, and potentially winning the Champions League for the first time ever. They are also very entertaining to watch, with Pep having a record of thrashings, any team he coaches is fun to watch.
Well, that’s it. You probably skimmed through this, but if you didn’t, good on you. Those were who, in my opinion, you should prioritize watching for the rest of the season. I hope you find this list helpful and come back to it every so often to see what has happened, if I’m a psychic or have just wasted your time. Until then, though, I’m Jim James, until next time.