{"id":506,"date":"2016-02-12T19:02:44","date_gmt":"2016-02-12T19:02:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/?p=506"},"modified":"2024-07-18T10:41:00","modified_gmt":"2024-07-18T10:41:00","slug":"icons-weekend-football-preview-barcelona-out-to-extend-unbeaten-run-aguero-in-top-of-the-table-clash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/2016\/02\/12\/icons-weekend-football-preview-barcelona-out-to-extend-unbeaten-run-aguero-in-top-of-the-table-clash\/","title":{"rendered":"Icons Weekend Football Preview: Barcelona Out To Extend Unbeaten Run; Aguero In Top Of The Table Clash"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"FBL-ESP-LIGA-BARCELONA-ATLETICO\"<\/p>\n

It’s almost the weekend! And that means, as always, there’s a full card of top class football to look forward to. Football that involves our Icons<\/a> doing what they do best \u2013 being iconic. So who’s playing where and when? With a run-down of what our friends\u00a0are up to this weekend, it’s the Icons Weekend Football Preview<\/a>…<\/strong><\/p>\n

Don’t forget to let us know who you’ll be supporting by getting in touch with our social media team. Find them on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a> and Instagram<\/a> and let them know how your favourite Icon<\/a> has gotten on over the course of the weekend. Let’s get started!<\/p>\n

Sunderland vs Manchester United<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"Manchester<\/a><\/p>\n

Wayne Rooney<\/a> and Juan Mata<\/a> travel to Wearside to take on Premier League strugglers Sunderland this weekend and we’re confident that\u00a0at least one of them will be on the scoresheet during\u00a0Saturday’s early kick-off. Rooney<\/a> has scored three goals in United’s<\/a> last two matches against the Black Cats, while Mata<\/a> has scored twice in their last three meetings. Louis van Gaal’s side will arrive at the Stadium of Light hoping to keep up their good form and a win here will keep the Red Devils<\/a> in touch with the top four \u2013 at least two of whom are guaranteed to drop points on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Details: Premier League<\/a>, Stadium of Light, Saturday 12:45pm, BT Sport 1 HD<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Real Madrid<\/a> vs Athletic Bilbao<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"GettyImages-507783510\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Real Madrid<\/a> have scored 19\u00a0goals in five games since Zinedine Zidane<\/a> took charge and a whopping 16\u00a0in three home games at the Santiago Bernabeu and with Gareth Bale<\/a> nearing a return to full fitness it’ll be down to Cristiano Ronaldo<\/a> and James Rodriguez<\/a> to continue the scoring in this deceptively tricky clash against sixth-placed Athletic Bilbao. Ronaldo<\/a> will no doubt be in the mood, having picked up the\u00a0Pichichi Trophy for finishing last season as the league’s top scorer during the weekend. How many will he<\/a> and Real<\/a> get this weekend?<\/p>\n

Details:\u00a0La Liga, Santiago Bernabeu, Saturday 3pm<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Aston Villa vs Liverpool<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"LONDON,<\/a><\/p>\n

Philippe Coutinho<\/a> scored a wonderful free-kick\u00a0midweek as Liverpool<\/a> were knocked out of the FA Cup against West Ham United<\/a> but, despite defeat, Jurgen Klopp’s young side looked strong and can take plenty of positives into this match at bottom of the table Aston Villa. Klopp will look to Coutinho<\/a> for more magic this weekend and the Kop boss was full of praise for his Brazilian star<\/a> recently. “I don\u2019t know many teams who he can\u2019t play for,” Klopp said of Coutinho<\/a>. We can’t think of many either!<\/p>\n

Details: Premier League<\/a>, Villa Park, Sunday 2:05pm, Sky Sports 1 HD<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Manchester City<\/a> vs Tottenham Hotspur<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"Manchester<\/a><\/p>\n

Two of the Premier League’s<\/a> most deadly strikers will face off at the Etihad on Sunday afternoon as Harry Kane<\/a> and his Tottenham<\/a> side travel to face Sergio Aguero<\/a> and Manchester City<\/a> in this mouth-watering top of the table clash. Aguero<\/a> has scored six\u00a0in his last four league<\/a> games and Kane<\/a> is on form too, with four in his last four Premier League<\/a> outings, so expect goals from this match \u2013 one that could go a long way in deciding where the Premier League<\/a> trophy ends up come May.<\/p>\n

Details: Premier League<\/a>, Etihad Stadium, Sunday 4:15pm\u00a0Sky Sports 1 HD<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Barcelona<\/a> vs Celta Vigo<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"Barcelona<\/a><\/p>\n

Luis Enrique’s Barcelona<\/a> broke a club record on Wednesday with a 1-1 draw in the Copa del Rey at Valencia. The draw not only sealed their place in history \u2013 with the team reaching a record 29 consecutive games unbeaten in all competitions \u2013 but also the final of the Copa. Superstars Lionel Messi<\/a>, Neymar Jr<\/a>, Luis Suarez<\/a> and Andres Iniesta<\/a> were all rested for that game so we expect that foursome, fresh and on form, to come into this match against an overachieving Celta Vigo side eager\u00a0to extend their lead at the top of the table.<\/p>\n

Details:\u00a0La Liga, Camp Nou, Sunday 7:30pm,\u00a0Sky Sports 1 HD
\n<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Who\u00a0will you be watching this weekend? Let us know!<\/p>\n

Follow Icons on Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0and Instagram<\/a> for all our\u00a0latest blog posts, chat and competitions.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s almost the weekend! And that means, as always, there’s a full card of top class football to look forward to. Football that involves our Icons doing what they do best \u2013 being iconic. So who’s playing where and when? With a run-down of what our friends\u00a0are up to this weekend, it’s the Icons Weekend… <\/p>\n

Read More<\/i><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[329],"tags":[140,8,154,85,217,101,213,22,35,174,44,45,98,215,49,214,212,91],"class_list":["post-506","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-previews-and-predictions","tag-andres-iniesta","tag-barcelona","tag-cristiano-ronaldo","tag-gareth-bale","tag-icons-weekend-football-preview","tag-james-rodriguez","tag-juan-mata","tag-lionel-messi","tag-liverpool","tag-luis-suarez","tag-manchester-city","tag-manchester-united","tag-neymar-jr","tag-philippe-coutinho","tag-real-madrid","tag-sergio-aguero","tag-tottenham-hotspur","tag-wayne-rooney"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pfQcey-8a","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":607,"url":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/2016\/02\/19\/icons-weekend-football-preview-cup-weekend-in-england-messi-and-ronaldo-both-travel\/","url_meta":{"origin":506,"position":0},"title":"Icons Weekend Football Preview: Cup Weekend In England; Messi and Ronaldo Both Travel","author":"Icons.com","date":"February 19, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"It's almost the weekend! And that means, as always, there's a full card of top class football to look forward to. Football that involves our Icons doing what they do best \u2013 being iconic. So who's playing where and when? With a run-down of what our friends\u00a0are up to this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Previews and Predictions"","block_context":{"text":"Previews and Predictions","link":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/category\/previews-and-predictions\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Emirates FA Cup","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/GettyImages-458682536-1024x683.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/GettyImages-458682536-1024x683.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/GettyImages-458682536-1024x683.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":527,"url":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/2015\/12\/22\/manchester-city-hero-sergio-aguero-signs-again-for-icons\/","url_meta":{"origin":506,"position":1},"title":"Manchester City Hero Sergio Aguero Signs Again For Icons","author":"Icons.com","date":"December 22, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Few goals in Premier League history have been as dramatic, as historically-significant, or as crucial to an individual player's legacy as Sergio Aguero's last-gasp title-winning strike for Manchester City on the final day of the 2011-12 season.\u00a0That's why, whatever this man does from now until the end of his time\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Signing Sessions"","block_context":{"text":"Signing Sessions","link":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/category\/signing-sessions\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sergio-Aguero-Icons-Signing-Session-December-2015","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/ZZ-Sergio-Aguero-Icons-Signing-Session-December-2015.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/ZZ-Sergio-Aguero-Icons-Signing-Session-December-2015.png?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/ZZ-Sergio-Aguero-Icons-Signing-Session-December-2015.png?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/ZZ-Sergio-Aguero-Icons-Signing-Session-December-2015.png?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":29,"url":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/2015\/08\/07\/we-predict-the-2015-16-season\/","url_meta":{"origin":506,"position":2},"title":"We Predict… The 2015-16 Season","author":"Icons.com","date":"August 7, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 It feels like an age since Chelsea lifted that Premier League trophy, bringing the 14-15 Premier League season to a close. It's been a busy summer for almost every club but here we are, at that exciting stage again; the beginning of a new season! Who will emerge as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Previews and Predictions"","block_context":{"text":"Previews and Predictions","link":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/category\/previews-and-predictions\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Icons-memorabilia-3","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Icons-memorabilia-3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Icons-memorabilia-3.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Icons-memorabilia-3.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":267,"url":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/2015\/11\/29\/barcelona-and-spain-legend-andres-iniesta-signs-for-icons-again\/","url_meta":{"origin":506,"position":3},"title":"Barcelona and Spain Legend Andres Iniesta Signs For Icons Again","author":"Icons.com","date":"November 29, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Fresh from our signing with Lionel Messi \u2013 and an exceptional performance from Barcelona at Camp Nou \u2013 the Icons team were hard at work\u00a0again\u00a0on Sunday night\u00a0as we met with four-time UEFA Champions League winner, two-time UEFA EURO finals conquerer and 2010 FIFA World Cup hero Andres Iniesta in central\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Signing Sessions"","block_context":{"text":"Signing Sessions","link":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/category\/signing-sessions\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Andres-Inesta-Icons-Signing-Photos","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Andres-Inesta-Icons-Signing-Photos.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Andres-Inesta-Icons-Signing-Photos.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Andres-Inesta-Icons-Signing-Photos.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Andres-Inesta-Icons-Signing-Photos.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":80,"url":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/2014\/08\/14\/the-icons-com-2014-15-season-predictions\/","url_meta":{"origin":506,"position":4},"title":"We Predict… The 2014-15 Season","author":"Icons.com","date":"August 14, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"It's that time again. Who is going to win the Premier League? Who is going to score for fun? Will there be surprises and disappointments?\u00a0Here are the Icons team's expectations for the new season. Edward Freedman, Chairman Premier League top 4: Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United Premier League top\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Previews and Predictions"","block_context":{"text":"Previews and Predictions","link":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/category\/previews-and-predictions\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Icons-Predictions","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Icons-Predictions.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Icons-Predictions.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.icons.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Icons-Predictions.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":20,"url":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/2015\/08\/09\/and-were-back-2015-16-season-preview\/","url_meta":{"origin":506,"position":5},"title":"We’re Back! The Icons.com 2015-16 Season Preview","author":"Icons.com","date":"August 9, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Ladies and gentlemen, we did it. We got through the summer break. It was tough, sure, but it\u2019s over now. You can put down those barbeque tongs, stick the sun lounger back in the shed and forget all about that fence you probably weren\u2019t going to paint anyway. Because this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Previews and Predictions"","block_context":{"text":"Previews and Predictions","link":"https:\/\/www.icons.com\/news\/category\/previews-and-predictions\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 24: John Terry of Chelsea celebrates with the trophy after the Barclays Premier League match between Chelsea and Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on May 24, 2015 in London, England. Chelsea were crowned Premier League champions. 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