Weekend preview: Atlético host leaders Barcelona as Carrick faces Villa under fire

The big games

Atlético v Barcelona: first against second at the Metropolitano

The last game before the international break is the one LaLiga has been waiting for. Barcelona lead on 30 points from 11 games, Atlético are two behind on 28, and a home win on Sunday night would put Diego Simeone's side top by a point.

Barcelona arrive in better shape. They followed a 6-1 win over Alavés with a 3-0 Champions League win over Aston Villa, in which Lamine Yamal scored early and Raphinha twice after the break. The club have confirmed that Rodri will miss the game with a minor right hamstring injury picked up against Villa. Hansi Flick said after that match that "it was important to defend together and stay compact", and a clean sheet against Villa answered some of his worries about a stretched back line.

Atlético are less settled. Cuti Romero missed Tuesday's 2-0 home defeat by Bayern with a muscle problem and is a serious doubt. Pablo Barrios finished that game with his ankle strapped, Johnny Cardoso is close to a return, and Morten Hjulmand is available again after a European ban. Koke played against Bayern after five games out. Marcos Llorente said Bayern's first goal "hit us like a bucket of cold water", and Atlético have a weekend to recover from it.

The subplot is Julián Álvarez. He said during the World Cup that he would like to join Barcelona and apologised to Atlético's fans on 24 October. He is the man to watch. The AI predicts a 3-1 Barcelona win.

Man United v Aston Villa: Carrick's last stand before the break?

Michael Carrick goes into Sunday with United 17th on seven points, out of the bottom three only on goal difference. Tuesday's 3-2 win over Roma, rescued by Matheus Cunha's late double, ended a run of nine games without a win, but United have not won any of their last seven league games. Sky Sports reported that the club are unlikely to appoint an interim if they decide to make a change during the break.

United are without Lisandro Martínez, who serves a one-match ban for his red card at Chelsea, and Carlos Baleba, whose hamstring injury against Roma Carrick said "doesn't look great". Benjamin Šeško is still out with a shin injury. Cunha is available: his red card against Roma applies only in Europe. Villa expect to be without the suspended Matty Cash and the injured Amadou Onana and Matteo Ruggeri.

Carrick called the Roma result "a win for us as a football club", and Bruno Fernandes insisted the players "don't need to save anyone's job". Unai Emery, whose side lost 3-0 in Barcelona, had already turned his attention to Sunday that night. Villa say they are close to agreeing a new long-term contract with him.

History is with United, who have lost only two of 31 Premier League home games against Villa. Villa are 10th on 12 points. The AI goes 3-1 to Villa.

Nottingham Forest v Man City: Maresca needs to keep pace

City lost to Aston Villa and then Brighton before Wednesday's 3-2 win in Leipzig, settled by Erling Haaland 12 minutes from the end. They are three points behind Arsenal, who play first, so City could kick off at the City Ground six adrift.

Forest are 19th with six points and one league win all season. Oliver Glasner's numbers suggest they deserve better: they have scored four goals from 14.3 expected goals, and only Arsenal have allowed less by that measure. Igor Jesus is back from a calf problem. Glasner said he "trained the full week so far and looks good, with no reaction". City remain without Antoine Semenyo, who has a knee injury Maresca said would keep him out for about eight weeks.

Glasner called City "a huge challenge" but said he was "still very positive". Maresca spent the week defending Gianluigi Donnarumma after his error in Leipzig, calling it "not a concern, but it's a mistake".

The man to watch is Elliot Anderson, who faces the club he left in the summer and has been one of City's best players since. The AI has City winning 3-1.

Napoli v Lazio: the leaders visit a club in crisis

Lazio are top of Serie A on 28 points and unbeaten after ten games. Napoli are eighth, 14 points behind, and have lost seven of their 14 games this season, the latest a 4-1 defeat in Porto on Wednesday.

Napoli's injury list is long. Lobotka, Buongiorno, Spinazzola, Badiashile, Neres, Alisson Santos and Favasuli are all out, Marianucci is suspended, and Olivera and Di Lorenzo are doubts. Lazio are without Zaccagni, who has torn a quadriceps, and Gudmundsson, who dislocated a shoulder. Nuno Tavares is a doubt, while Marusic and Rovella are back.

Massimiliano Allegri, back on the bench after a two-match ban, called Sunday "like a final" and complained that he "only had forwards on the bench" in Porto. ANSA reported that his job is safe for now, but also that Rasmus Højlund publicly disagreed with his view that the team had held up well. Corriere dello Sport called Lazio the first real turning point of his season. Gennaro Gattuso, asked about the table after beating Cagliari, said it was best not to look or "it'll make us dizzy". He speaks on Saturday.

Lazio won 2-0 at the Maradona in April. The AI sees them winning there again, 3-1.

Inter v Como: second against fourth after a nine-goal night

Inter are second on 25 points and Como fourth on 23, and Cristian Chivu's side need a reaction after their first league defeat of the season, 3-1 to Milan in the derby. They got one in Rotterdam, where they won 3-0 at Feyenoord.

Inter are still without Lautaro Martínez, who has a thigh problem and is expected back after the break. John Stones and Curtis Jones returned to group training this week and are doubts. Como are without Assane Diao, Moise Kean and Trevoh Chalobah, which is why Marc-Oliver Kempf has been playing at centre-back alongside Jacobo Ramón.

Cesc Fabregas was in no mood to celebrate after Wednesday's 9-1 win in Lens. He said his side must keep their "feet on the ground", admitted he was angry about the goal they conceded and said his focus was getting back "the many players we're missing, especially in attack". Chivu said after Feyenoord that "consistency is what brings results".

Como have won four league games in a row and have conceded eight goals, joint best in the division with Lazio. Tasos Douvikas, who scored a hat-trick in Lens, has six goals in four Champions League games, and Nico Paz has been the man making the team play. The AI has it 1-1.

Crystal Palace v Liverpool: two sides on bad runs

Liverpool have lost two in a row, at home to Arsenal and in Istanbul, where Andoni Iraola blamed "cheap goals" and "messy goals" from set pieces. They are fifth on 15 points. Palace, under Pierre Sage, are 18th and have lost their last three league games by an aggregate 9-0.

Ryan Gravenberch has a fractured heel and Iraola said a return before the break would be difficult. Conor Bradley, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong and Giovanni Leoni are also out. The AI goes 2-0 to Liverpool.

Elsewhere

• Arsenal host Hull at 3pm on Saturday having won 18 of their last 19 Premier League games against promoted sides. Bukayo Saka was ruled out before the Prague game with a thigh injury.
• Real Madrid, third and three points off the top, go to Valencia, who are 19th.
• Bayern and Dortmund are level on 18 points. Bayern go to Mainz, Dortmund host Elversberg, who are seventh.
• Köln are without Skhiri, Rondic, van den Berg, Dallinga and Hübers for the derby with Leverkusen.
• Chelsea, fourth, go to bottom club Sunderland.
• Juventus, seventh, visit a Fiorentina side who are 16th.
• Lens host Marseille three days after conceding nine at home to Como.
• PSG, top of Ligue 1, host Troyes on a long winning run in all competitions.

The fixtures

All times UK.

Friday 6 November

• Hamburg v Borussia Mönchengladbach, 7:30pm
• Toulouse v Strasbourg, 7:45pm
• Venezia v Udinese, 7:45pm
• Everton v Coventry, 8pm
• Sevilla v Alavés, 8pm

Saturday 7 November

• Leeds v Spurs, 12:30pm
• Málaga v Racing Santander, 1pm
• Torino v Lecce, 2pm
• Cagliari v Frosinone, 2pm
• Mainz v Bayern Munich, 2:30pm
• Paderborn v Eintracht Frankfurt, 2:30pm
• RB Leipzig v Augsburg, 2:30pm
• Dortmund v Elversberg, 2:30pm
• Arsenal v Hull, 3pm
• Fulham v Newcastle, 3pm
• Espanyol v Deportivo La Coruña, 3:15pm
• Parma v Bologna, 5pm
• Nottingham Forest v Man City, 5:30pm
• Osasuna v Athletic Club, 5:30pm
• Stuttgart v Werder Bremen, 5:30pm
• Auxerre v Paris FC, 6pm
• Roma v Sassuolo, 7:45pm
• Valencia v Real Madrid, 8pm
• PSG v Troyes, 8:05pm

Sunday 8 November

• Napoli v Lazio, 11:30am
• Elche v Real Betis, 1pm
• Brighton v Brentford, 2pm
• Crystal Palace v Liverpool, 2pm
• Ipswich v Bournemouth, 2pm
• Sunderland v Chelsea, 2pm
• Genoa v Milan, 2pm
• Monza v Atalanta, 2pm
• Rennes v Lille, 2pm
• Köln v Leverkusen, 2:30pm
• Real Sociedad v Rayo Vallecano, 3:15pm
• Angers v Nice, 4:15pm
• Brest v Lyon, 4:15pm
• Le Havre v Lorient, 4:15pm
• Le Mans v Monaco, 4:15pm
• Man United v Aston Villa, 4:30pm
• Freiburg v Union Berlin, 4:30pm
• Inter v Como, 5pm
• Celta Vigo v Levante, 5:30pm
• Villarreal v Getafe, 5:30pm
• Hoffenheim v Schalke, 6:30pm
• Fiorentina v Juventus, 7:45pm
• Lens v Marseille, 7:45pm
• Atlético Madrid v Barcelona, 8pm

The AI's corner

The AI's boldest call is Barcelona winning 3-1 at the Metropolitano, which would send them five points clear of Atlético into the break. It also has Lazio winning 3-1 at a Napoli side missing seven players, and Aston Villa winning 3-1 at Old Trafford against a United team without Lisandro Martínez and Carlos Baleba. Every prediction is at predisportshq.com/predictions.