November is coming in a few days, and we it’ll be packed with huge matches in the English Premiership (some big big derbies), French Ligue 1, the German Bundesliga, Italian Serie A and the Spanish La Liga (One big derby and the biggest game there is to close the month) :

November 7th – Bayern Munich vs Schalke, Munich

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Both teams wished they’d be higher in the tables by now, but as Leverkusen and Hamburg are suddenly losing points (Schalke drew with Hamburg 3-3 earlier this week), and Bayern maybe finding some sort of consistency (despite Van Gaal changing his lineup every time they take the pitch), this game could mean new leaders in the Bundesliga by the time it’s played.

November 8th – Chelsea vs Manchester United, London

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The two teams have won the last five league titles in England (Chelsea 2005-2006, Man U 2007-2009) and although their fierce rivalry is a young one, it is one of the most competitive and fiercest in England. Chelsea lead the league, two points ahead of United, and have a little avenging to do after the 3-0 drubbing they suffered at Old Trafford last season.

November 8th – Lyon vs Marseille, Lyon

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Both teams aspiring to top the table but right now are behind 2008-2009 champions Bordeaux (Lyon 2 points, Marseille 5 points and a game in hand). Although it doesn’t seem like this year will be an easy cruise for any team and all title contenders will lose plenty of points en route to May, a loss here for Marseille could seriously damage their title hopes.

November 8th – Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid, Madrid

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El Derbi Madrileno, the 144th edition. Atletico after an horrendous start to the season are currently ranked 17th(!!!), with only one win so far after eight league games. Plus, they haven’t beaten Real since the 1999-2000 season. They haven’t beaten Real at the Vicente Calderon since the 1998-1999 season. Not too much incentive needed for los colchoneros. Real – Only 3 points behind Barcelona, but the 4-0 loss this week to a third division side in the King’s Cup has seriously hurt Pellegrini’s stature in the club.

November 21st – Liverpool vs Manchester City, Liverpool

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Right now, about three weeks before this Anfield match takes place, Liverpool and Manchester City both have 18 points, out of the Top 4, with City having a game in hand. Liverpool seemed like the top choice as the team to be replaced by Manchester City in the “top 4” till this week, but the 2-0 win over United while City’s home draw against Fulham could suggest otherwise. Anyway, a loser here could find themselves way behind in the race for the title and a champions league spot.

November 22nd – Bayern Munich vs Leverkusen, Munich

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The league leaders (along with Hamburg) are the second big team to visit Bayern in November, with the Bavarians hoping to keep th winning form up to this game, and hopefully a little mess up on the way for Leverkusen could mean that a Bayern win in this match would bring them to the top of the Bundesliga.

November 28 – Genoa vs Sampdoria, Genoa

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The Genoa derby doesn’t have the two most successful sides going at each other, but this is the best derby match to attend. Bonus for this year – although slowly fading from the top spots, both teams seem to be in contention for a champions league place, although Sampdoria took a real blow earlier this week, losing to Juventus 5-1.

November 29th – The Big Day – Everton vs Liverpool, Liverpool

Arsenal vs Chelsea, London

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Two great derby games – one in the northwest at Goodison Park, where Everton will try to get their first league win over Liverpool since September 2006 and kick start their rather disappointing start to the season, while in London Arsenal and Chlesea will clash swords in a genuine battle for the top spot, with things the way they are right now.

Later on that day – Inter vs Fiorentina, Milan

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An appetizer for the game coming up in a bit – Inter Milan, Italian Champions for the last four seasons, despite all the criticism, lead the Serie A, one point over Juventus, with a game in hand. Fiorentina? So far a disappointing start to the season, seven points behind Inter, in a season they hoped to become more then contenders for the fourth spot. But you never know with Fiorentina, they tend to surprise you.

The big one – Barcelona vs Real Madrid, Nou Camp

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No need to really explain why this game is so big – but lets just say this in one sentence – the best game in the world. Always. Real have two losses from last year on their mind (2-0 in Barcelona), and two big questions surrounding los blancos coming into this game, one month from today – will Cristiano Ronaldo be healthy, cause Real are clearly not the same without him and will Pellegrini still be their manager?