beIN SPORTS 

SATURDAY

LIGUE UN: MONACO V NICE – Live on beIN SPORTS CONNECT from 11AM ET / 8AM PT

A battle of mighty Med teams to be kings of France

Despite being one of the best football nations in the world with many a trophy tucked uncomfortably under their Gallic belts, the beautiful game in France still has to compete for breathing space with rugby. That’s just one of the many reasons why the good people of France and everyone else in the world should be tuned into this top-of-the-table Ligue Un clash, as the result could conceivably end up in some kind of mad hatters 18-15 rugby score.

The two teams have scored 103 league goals between them in Ligue Un this season, with the free-scoring Monaco having chalked up 65 of them, in what is now a near-weekly hammering of their opponents. But rather than being mere cannon-fodder batterers, Monaco flashed their true title-credentials by holding PSG at home 1-1 thanks to a late, late strike, which kept Monaco at the top-of-the-table.

But Leonardo Jardim’s remarkable men, spearheaded by the revitalized Radamel Falcao, face another test against near-neighbors Nice. The fancy Mediterranean outfit were the early front runners of Ligue Un but are still in the chase, level on points with Monaco but just itching to move back above their casino-touting rivals. Driven by the goals of Alasanne Plea and the strangely-focused Mario Balotelli, Nice have ridden a rocky spell but are ready and raring to keep this particularly fascinating title race a three-team affair. But for once, PSG won’t be the main players this weekend.

SUNDAY

AFCON 2017: EGYPT V CAMEROON – Live on beIN SPORTS from 1:50PM ET / 10:50AM PT

Two Africa powerhouses go for gold in Gabon

As much as the AFCON 2017 final is between Africa’s finest players as Egypt and Cameroon go head-to-head in Libreville, Gabon, the benches have a very neo-colonial vibe with two aged European gentleman running the respective shows. One of them, Hector Cuper, is very much a good vibes story with the 61-year-old veteran Argentinean manager returning to the limelight after a decade in the relative coaching wilderness.

The same could be said with his team. Egypt used to be AFCON powerhouses, having won the tournament on seven different occasions including a run of three this century. But the national team was severely impacted by the troubles suffered by the Egyptian nation as a whole. An eighth win would be quite the tonic on the streets of Cairo to say the least.

But Cameroon, will also be looking to the AFCON final for succor and relief having also played the role of African giants falling on hard times. The Indominable Lions were expected to make an early exit from Gabon with big stars opting not to play in the national tournament and the now traditional arguments over pay and conditions. However, led by the Belgian manager Hugo Broos, the Cameroonians have ploughed their way into the final, conceding just two goals in five games to set up a contest between the continent’s two footballing poles.

SERIE A: JUVENTUS V INTER MILAN – Live on beIN SPORTS CONNECT from 2:45PM ET / 11:45PM PT

Italy’s in-form formidable forces go head to head in a Serie A sizzler

Buckle up buddies!

It’s now time for the 168th Derby d’Italia, another epic encounter between Juventus and Inter. Now, the word ‘anticipated’ is overly used in sport, but this particular encounter has Italians licking their lips so hard the players could be kicking a giant sauce-smeared meatball about. In one corner, there’s the near unbeatable Juventus, a side that has won each of their past 27 Serie A matches at home. The Old Lady also has the upper hand in the past 10 league ties between these two teams with Inter managing just the single win.

However, runs have to end sometime and Inter are in hot enough form to cause some footballing headaches to Juve with the Milanese outfit on a seven-match winning streak under Stefano Pioli. The Italian has managed to work miracles since taking over from the luckless Frank de Boer at the beginning of November, taking the team from midtable mediocrity into fourth with the maverick Mauro Icardi ready to end Juve’s home comforts.