Luis Tevenet's side are scrapping it out in the bottom-half of the Segunda standings and they have a real battle on their hands in the race to find a route into the play-off places. Last seen at the Jose Zorrilla Stadium getting hit with a toothless 1-0 loss against Andorra, the former Atletico Madrid coach has seen his downbeat squad register just a single win from any of their previous seven consecutive Segunda appearances - a rut that stems back to November 3rd.
Signing off their pre-tournament preparations with a stunning 8-0 romp against Kenya, Cape Thiaw's side are enjoying what has become quite the purple patch over the past few months. Hitting top gear at a crucial time and cruising their way to next summer's World Cup finals, the African giants have their sights firmly set on mounting a real AFCON title charge over in Morocco.
Last seen signing off November with a rollercoaster 4-2 defeat at the hands of Sutton, Alun Armstrong's men are at the heart of a relegation scrap and have rightfully come under a huge amount of scrutiny. Watching their National League Cup adventure come to a thumping end last month as they fell to a 3-0 loss at home against Leeds' U21s, the former Darlington boss has seen his struggling squad lose all of their previous six consecutive appearances across all competitions.
Upon closer examination, though, you'll find they're 11-1-10 on the season (if you include the Community Shield, which I do). They've scored and conceded the same number of goals in those 22 games: 35. They're 8th in the Premier League and 13th in the Champions League - more or less mid-table. Not horrible, but certainly nothing the reigning champions of England should be patting themselves on the back about.
I've often said, I'm not here to comment on Uli Hoeness' statements. I have huge respect for him. But in football I can't think that far ahead, my focus is on Bayern and what we can achieve now. I like to just live in the world I have in front of me now, that takes up all my time. I have zero thoughts about other teams, I only see FC Bayern.
Starting with the hosts, while Birmingham might have only made their Championship return this season, it is no secret that Chris Davies' men have their sights firmly set on mounting a genuine play-off charge this time around. Despite heading into November's international break with a 2-1 loss away at Middlesbrough, the Blues know that they can move within touching distance of the top-six here. Getting November underway with back-to-back 4-0 romps against Millwall and Portsmouth respectively, Birmingham will be dreaming of a repeat performance here.
Still top of the Scottish Premiership with a seven-point advantage after taking 30 points from a possible 36, Hearts were always likely to encounter bumps in the road as they challenge Glasgow's big two. Nonetheless with Celtic and Rangers slowly improving their domestic form amid a run of two draws in three games for Hearts, the Edinburgh club are about to enter an interesting period after the international break.
Union Berlin will face Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga on Saturday, 8 November, at the Stadion An der Alten Forsterei. Die Eisernen will look to do what nine Bundesliga teams have failed to do thus far: pick up points against Vincent Kompany's men. Bayern have won nine games in a row in the league, and 16 in all competitions, while Union Berlin have picked up only one win in their last five league games.
Starting with the hosts, while Chicago might have signed off their regular-season adventure with consecutive 2-2 stalemates against New England and Toronto, Gregg Berhalter's men have rightfully received a string of plaudits from across America's elite this year. Getting October underway with a stellar 5-3 victory away at Inter Miami, the Fire have suffered just a pair of defeats from any of their previous 13 consecutive MLS appearances - a run that stems all the way back to July 17th.
