#ligue-1

#ligue-1

Is Xabi Alonso's time up at Real Madrid, why is everyone talking about Paul Pogba's camels, how is Turkish football headed into 'panic', can Lens push PSG for the Ligue 1 title and what on EARTH is going on in the Polish league this season? It's a packed Euro Leagues episode as Mina Rzouki, Guillem Balague and Julien Laurens join Steve Crossman to go through all the best stories across the continent in the last week.

Argentine striker Joaquin Panichelli has become one of the most sought-after young talents in Europe, with several elite clubs vying for his signature ahead of the January transfer window. The 23-year-old has taken Ligue 1 by storm this season, emerging as a breakout star for RC Strasbourg and now finds himself firmly on the radar of Chelsea, who are leading the chase thanks to their close ownership ties with the French club, sources close to the agents industry have informed CaughtOffside.

The player catching the eye of Chelsea, and other top clubs, is talented young Argentine Valentin Barco, who has successfully rebuilt his career in central midfield after starting out as a left-back. The 21-year-old is improving quickly and he's one of the names high up on Chelsea's list for the future, with the Blues considering making use of their ties to the Ligue 1 side.

The Women's Super League and WSL 2, Ligue 1, La Liga and Bundesliga all have winter breaks taking place over the next month. However, both the Premier League and Italy's Serie A will continue with their respective schedules without breaking. The Premier League will host one match on Boxing Day, with Serie A's first matches after Christmas taking place a day later.

Monaco take on PSG in a Ligue 1 derby this afternoon, with the hosts desperate for some points. As usual, the visitors lead the standings and look on course to claim another French crown, but the hosts are struggling to keep up. Monaco currently sit eighth, 10 points off the leaders, but only two points off the European places. Get all the team news from France ahead of Saturday's big game.

Every Friday I will pick the weekend's best or most exciting games that are not to be missed in the world of football. From derbies to top-of-the-table clashes, relegation six-pointers to world-class players facing each other or other interesting tactical battles, there will be something for everyone to enjoy. This week, it is all about top (or near top) of the table clashes, so let's get right into it!

Newcastle will look to claim another three points in the Champions League when they go to Marseille tonight. Eddie Howe's side have struggled in the Premier League but have had no such issues in Europe with three wins from their opening four games. Lady Luck smiled on them on Saturday as they beat Manchester City in controversial fashion and they will hope it has followed them to the Velodrome in what should be a hostile atmosphere.

"We played well against a strong team. For them, it's a derby," De Zerbi told Ligue 1+. "It was a tense match. We needed to play better in the second half. But everything's fine. We won and scored five goals. "We're provisionally top of the table. It feels good!"

Daniel Farke has been in charge at Elland Road since 2023 and led Leeds to promotion to the Premier League at the second time of asking last season. Leeds have made a decent enough start to life back in the top flight after a two-year absence and go into Saturday afternoon's trip to Brighton and Hove Albion sitting 15th in the table, six points clear of the relegation zone.