What’s this? A Thursday newsletter? Yes, indeed — welcome to On the Continent, your new succinct weekly roundup of everything you need to know about the biggest stories from Europe's top leagues. Read this and you'll instantly and accessibly understand who's top of La Liga, who's leading the Golden Boot race in Germany, what young prodigy is the next to crackle out of the Barcelona academy, and which league features a table where only 11 points separate first from last. If you catch the match, this newsletter will give you a deeper sense of what Martin Tyler used to call, “the smell of the game.” If you miss them (and Lord knows, the weekend is now so full of football, who can watch them all?), we are here to help you catch up on the infinite firehose of narrative.

Your guides for this continental side quest will be Manchester’s own, Tommy Stewart, who you already know from our Monday and Wednesday editions, and mighty Max Bonem, who is a bit like his favorite club Chelsea’s manager Liam Rosenior, in that he often speaks in parables and has a propensity to explain things with Legos. I love these guys – to work with them, it’s like playing alongside the Iliman Ndiaye and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall of words. 

However, the most essential ingredient in this continental stew we have cooking is you, the reader. We would love your feedback as we evolve this new Thursday edition of the newsletter. So please, send us your questions, thoughts or theories about Villarreal’s giant yellow stadium, or really anything else, to [email protected]. We read every single message and will even respond to a few in the Thursdays ahead.

Whether you’ve been a Raven reader since day one, or yesterday, you are the reason this great community exists and we want to make sure your voice is heard as this newsletter continues to evolve. Otherwise, we’ll see you again tomorrow to get you ready for this weekend’s Premier League action. 

Courage,
ROG

While many of European football’s tectonic plates are assuming familiar positions, the narratives across the continent are as rich and emotionally complex as anything frustrated goalkeeper Albert Camus ever wrote:

ii. We have plenty more below on this season’s unusually title race in Ligue 1, but for a closer look at the resurgent club currently tied for third, check out our good friend Rory Smith’s recent piece on the crazy, chaotic and increasingly competitive Marseille. 📈

iii. The best goal you might’ve missed from the midweek: Behold Brazilian wunderkind Endrick, currently on loan at Lyon, reminding all of Europe why Real Madrid signed him when he was 16. WHAT. A. HIT. 🤯

iv. In case that’s not enough, check out this hustle from Marseille and USMNT forward Tim Weah yesterday. Feels like he should’ve gotten half the goal celly as a reward. 😮‍💨

Cheers,
Tommy Stewart & Max Bonem

PS - Come for the smoothest of nutmegs, but stay for the teammate’s absolutely perfect reaction. 😱

Barcelona vs. Mallorca (Saturday, 10:15 a.m. ET, ESPN+)

Hansi Flick’s linchpin Raphinha likely misses out after an adductor overload in his right leg (we’ve all been there) sidelined him for Barcelona’s 2-1 Copa del Rey win over Albacete on Tuesday. The Gen Z Xavi and Iniesta, Pedri and Gavi, are also both still injured for the visit of Mediterranean island and British holiday destination favorite, Mallorca, who are 14th but bouncing after beating Sevilla 4-1.

Valencia vs. Real Madrid (Sunday, 3 p.m. ET, ESPN+)

Real Madrid’s most divisive star, Vinícius Júnior, can enjoy some cooling-off time because he’s suspended for his side’s trip to the Mestalla on Sunday. Fallen giants Valencia are fighting for their La Liga life, so the additional absence of Jude Bellingham, whose muscle injury will keep him sidelined for three to four weeks, offers a semblance of hope against Álvaro Arbeloa’s chaotic kings. 

Good read: Why is Vinícius Júnior so divisive amongst Real Madrid fans?  

Sassuolo vs. Inter Milan (Sunday, 12 p.m. ET, Paramount+)

Inter Milan are unbeaten in 11, five points ahead of their neighbors in second, and after progressing to the Coppa Italia semi-final yesterday, Christian Chivu’s free-scoring side are fighting strong on three fronts. On Sunday, they travel to mid-table Sassuolo, who have won their last two matches and are captained by 37-year-old Chelsea and Manchester United legend Nemanja Matić, who’s enjoying a career renaissance as one of the 40,000 residents of the tile manufacturing town.

More: After a 3-0 win on Tuesday, AC Milan don’t play again until next Friday, which should give Christian Pulisic enough time to recover from hip inflammation. 

Juventus vs. Lazio (Sunday, 2:45 p.m. ET, Paramount+)

Weston McKennie and Luciano Spalletti is the football bromance we didn’t know we needed, and with Juventus now fourth and only second on points to Inter since the former Italy manager arrived in October, it’s bearing plenty of fruit. The Old Lady’s legs might be tired when they welcome smoking Maurizio Sarri’s eighth-placed Lazio on Sunday, because tonight they travel to Bergamo to face a resurgent Atalanta in the Coppa Italia quarter-final.

Also: You will never be able to unsee this image of Weston McKenho.

Wolfsburg vs. Borussia Dortmund (Saturday. 9:30 a.m. ET, ESPN+)

Niko Kovač has quietly turned Borussia Dortmund into title contenders with the Bayern Munich-shaped dot on the horizon now just six points ahead. Wolfsburg have only won one of their last six Bundesliga matches, and with Dortmund hosting the Bavarians in Der Klassiker at the end of this month, a win here will only add bricks to the yellow wall. 

More: One year of Niko Kovač & Dortmund’s quiet title challenge.

Bayern Munich vs. Hoffenheim (Sunday, 11:30 a.m. ET, ESPN+) 

Nothing but an emphatic win will satisfy Vincent Kompany, who needs to hoist Bayern Munich out of their mini-crisis, but the league’s most in-form side Hoffenheim are not ideal opponents. With an unpredictable medley of formations, manager Christian Ilzer has miraculously transformed them from relegation battlers to Champions League chasers; they’ve now leapfrogged Stuttgart and RB Leipzig into third place, winning their last five matches.

Ligue 1’s been a cakewalk for PSG since Qatari investment began in 2012, where a litany of globetrotters have lifted 11 of the last 13 Coupe de la Ligue. Luis Enrique reached the Holy Grail last season, but this year the Parisians have been dragged into a rue fight by Pierre Sage’s Lens. In 64 consecutive seasons in France’s top division, the team from the city of the French pyramids has only won one title, but they’re currently just two points behind the champions after leading the league until a couple of weeks ago.

More: You don’t need to speak French to adore Lens' Looney Tunes-inspired announcement video for their most recent transfer. Someone give their admin a raise.

PSG vs. Marseille (Sunday, 2:45 p.m ET, Fubo)

Luis Enrique’s fantasy roster welcome Roberto De Zerbi’s suicide squad of Premier League offcuts and outcasts, whose erratic nature makes this proper appointment viewing. As a city, Marseille is the antithesis of Paris, and while they trail the champions by nine points, the chance for the coastal working-class club to disrupt the title race is a singular motivation.

RB Leipzig right-winger Yan Diomande is a player with the rare combination of F1 pace and Messi-esque close control, but he doesn’t just pass the eye test. The Ivorian winger’s seven goals make him his club’s top scorer in the Bundesliga this season and he also has the highest dribble success rate in Europe.

But as impressive as his numbers are, it’s the road he’s taken to get here that’s truly inspiring. Before his breakout season, the 19-year-old made the bold move from the Ivory Coast to Florida to attend the DME Academy in Daytona Beach. From there, Diomande earned trials at Chelsea, Rangers and Bournemouth, all of whom rejected him.

Eventually he was picked up by former La Liga side CD Leganés in late 2024, and after just 10 matches, with Jürgen Klopp’s approval, Leipzig bought him for $23 million. Last year he said, “I left the streets, but the streets did not leave me.” No matter which elite European club he moves to next, we hope they never do.

You’re seeing a new MiB quiz format and probably thinking “Not another one!”, but not much to explain here. We ask a multiple choice question, you submit your answer below, and whoever gets it right first, wins an illustrious MiB patch. Simple! Here’s your inaugural On the Continent question:

🐦‍⬛ We’ll see you again tomorrow. In the meantime, you can send us your stories, questions or theories about Lens’ newfound success to [email protected].

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