🖖⚽️🌄 Whatta Week, Whatta Week, Happy Friday Team. We got ourselves TWO historic rivalry matches this weekend. Its time to pick your side and cheer on your team as all eyes will be in Spain for El Clasico and in England for the Manchester Derby 🤺🤺.

Giveaway: Playoffs? We’re in. MLS Playoffs season is upon us and we’re raffling an MLS Season Pass for you to catch all the action. That’s a $30 value, from SSB to you. How to enter? Sharing that unique referral link or sharing us on your Instagram stories, of course 😉.

Worthy Matchups

Rivalry Weekend

Two huge matchups taking place this weekend. One in Barcelona and the other in Manchester, let’s dive deeper:

2️⃣5️⃣5️⃣ The 255th meeting between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. Barcelona will have to do without 90K+ fans supporting them in the stands as they will be playing at the Olympic stadium with a capacity of 55k fans as the Spotify Camp Nou stadium is under construction. They’re hosting 1st place Real Madrid this weekend, a series which Madrid leads with 102 wins vs 100 wins for Barcelona, the rest were ties.

👀🏃 What players should you keep an eye out for? For Real Madrid, its simple: Jude Bellingham. There’s been a lot of hype surrounding the 20 year old English player and we’ve seen enough this season to determine that he is in fact the real deal. Watchout for the speed of the Brazilian duo on the wings as well, Vinicius JR and Rodrygo. For Barcelona, Joao Felix is the new kid on the block and is hoping to help the Catalan side win against a rival he knows all too well from his time in Atletico Madrid. There are also a handful of youngsters that have been making some noise: Lamine Yamal, Fermin Lopez and the more experienced Gavi.

1️⃣9️⃣0️⃣ The 190th edition of the Manchester Derby. On Sunday, all eyes will be on Manchester as we get to enjoy another derby between United and City. United lead this series with 78 wins vs City’s 59, with the remaining 53 ending in ties. The two stadiums are only 4 miles apart, and this Sunday 8th place United will be hosting 2nd place city at “The Theater of Dreams”.

👀🏃 What players should you keep an eye out for? For City, how about the man who was just featured in an epic commercial with Lebron James recently? AKA the next man up, Erling Haaland. He leads the league with 9 goals and without a doubt will be looking to score some more to spoil the night for United fans. The Belgium international, Jeremy Doku, has brought a different spice to the team, refreshing the way City attacks. For United, Bruno Fernandes will be commanding the midfield with the Danish Rasmus Højlund looking to cause damage up top. If the Argentinian Garnacho gets on the field, watch out for him as well as he’s always a dangerous player in attack.

Goals of The Week

▶ Riccardo Sottil with a freekick from distance for AFC Fiorentina in Europa League

▶ Victor Boniface with a laser strike for Bayern Leverkusen

▶ Edoardo Bove needed less than a minute to score this beauty for Roma

▶ Lucas Paqueta with an outrageous volley for West Ham

Bundesliga Leaders

The Alonso Effect

👑🥇💎 Bundesliga Brilliance. Bayer Leverkusen continues to defy the odds by maintaining an undefeated streak in every competition this season after defeating Qarabag FK 5 to 1 in the Europa League yesterday. Under the keen eye of Xabi Alonso, the team is not only performing at a peak level but has become a symbol of precise football and team coordination, which has helped place them as the current league leaders of the Bundesliga.

🧠💡🧙‍♂️ A Tactical Maestro at Helm. Ever since Xabi Alonso took the reins at Bayer Leverkusen, the winds of change have been blowing across BayArena. The former midfield maestro, now a tactical maestro on the touchline, transformed Bayer Leverkusen from a team second bottom in the Bundesliga to one challenging for a spot in the coveted Champions League in a matter of months. Alonso has brought a distinct style of play that emphasizes rapid transitions from defense to attack, making Leverkusen one of the most fearsome counter-attacking sides in the Bundesliga.

💥🤝⚡ The Backbone of Success. The remarkable synergy between Jeremie Frimpong and Alejandro Grimaldo has been a spectacle to behold. Their fluidity on the flanks has become a cornerstone of Bayer Leverkusen's attack under Xabi Alonso's tactical blueprint. The duo's consistent performances have not only fortified Leverkusen's offensive vigor but also significantly contributed to their undefeated streak in the Bundesliga.

Business

FC Barcelona pulls financial lever #71: selling old Camp Nou

🙌 🙌 🥺 Donate to a good cause. Barcelona has had to get creative on their latest financial decision. Since selling Neymar to PSG, they have made a number of bad financial decision on players that didn’t quite work out. Last year the club sold off a portion of the future La Liga media rights to an American investment firm. This year, the club sold off a stake in Barcelona Studios, which is the media’s production arm in order to meet the budgeting rules for La Liga. Most recently, they have launched their new ‘memorabilia’ project.

💺 💍 💎 From €49.99 to €419.99. I know you’re an outstanding person but care for a seat? Now you can own an old Camp Nou seat that’ll run you up €300. Check out more memorabilia on their website, including some of the grass from the pitch (which sold out in record pace). Another, rather pricey, option includes a large frame with a larger patch of grass. If you look further on their site their also selling pieces of the goal net for €79.99. Thinking about proposing during tomorrow’s El Classico? Now is your chance, as Barca is also selling ethical sustainable diamonds made from the carbon in the soli from the pitch. They are currently priced at €15,000.

🤑 💰️ 🧧 A real go-getter. Let’s be honest, the only reason that this is funny is because the club has made some questionable financial decisions over the years that eventually led to the club no longer being able to afford their prized possession: Lionel Messi. Ironic enough, it’s up to Laporta to clean up yet another mess.

Around The Web 🕸️

▶ The MLS Bracket challenge is back, make your picks a la March Madness style

▶ He was playing college soccer in 2021, on Wednesday he scored in Europa Conference League soccer

▶ The Latest FIFA rankings are out, with Argentina leading the pack

▶ For the first time in 28 years, we got ourselves a Christmas Eve Premier League match

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