Monaco and Nice are not the biggest clubs in the South of France — that’s Marseille — but they maintain a testy feud that carries the cultural differences between the two towns. The Principality of Monaco is fiercely independent from France but plays in Ligue 1 alongside Nice, a gorgeous but (somewhat) less glitzy destination than the champagne-and-caviar precincts of the Monégasques.

AS Monaco has a rich footballing tradition in recent decades, from the Arsène Wenger days (and those of Thierry Henry and George Weah) to more recent times, when the club has been a kind of finishing school for elite talent like Kylian Mbappé and Bernardo Silva. OGC Nice has not enjoyed the same success recently, and yet engenders fierce support rooted in deep tradition that Monaco can’t always match: the Stade Louis II, where this weekend’s match will be played, has inconsistent attendance in a town where football isn’t always paramount.

Meanwhile, both clubs are seeing varying levels of fan revolt over poor results and msigivings about how they’re run — not least Nice, where fans are even more disenchanted with Sir Jim Ratcliffe than Manchester United supporters. That combined with a rebellion against French footballing authorities has spurred a boycott among Nice ultras, who will not be attending this match or enjoying their traditional mass scooter procession across the 20-or-so kilometers from Nice to Monaco.

Joining us to break it all down is Jonathan Johnson, a Paris-based French football expert.

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It’s the Madrid derby this Saturday as Atlético host Real Madrid at the Metropolitano, and ahead of the big game we’re getting into some La Liga history. There’s a thrilling story of how two Racing Santander players defied Generalissimo Franco’s fascist regime, a look at the man largely in Santiago Bernabéu’s shadow who did so much to make Real Madrid what it is today, and the tale of how a flying Atléti winger became a Nazi spy.

Each of those is a chapter of Once Upon a Time in La Liga, a new book out this month. Author Brendan Madden joins the show to share them, talk about his path from data journalist to football storyteller, and of course talk about how the current versions of Atléti and Los Blancos are looking coming into this weekend’s marquee fixture.

Be sure to pick up a copy of the book: https://www.pitchpublishing.co.uk/shop/once-upon-time-la-liga

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It's the Merseyside derby this weekend, and we get into that feud a bit with this week's guest. After all, Stephen Warnock came up through the Liverpool academy and has been to Anfield and Goodison Park umpteen times (and to Everton's brand new Hill Dickson Stadium once). But that’s not the marquee match of the round. Neither is Man United-Chelsea.

The big one is ARSENAL vs MANCHESTER CITY at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, and it could tell us a lot about whether the Premier League is about to see a two-horse title race, a three-way, or even a foursome if Chelsea get involved. It will certainly have a different feel from those recent seasons where Pep Guardiola got the better of his ex-pupil Mikel Arteta, however, because Arsenal come into this one as firm favorites.

Beyond all that, Warnock also talks about a couple of his more idiosyncratic managers back in his playing days, Big Sam Allardyce and Neil Warnock. He also remembers sharing a flank with streets-won't-forget Barclaysman Morten Gamst Pedersen, and these are the kind of behind-the-scenes stories you'll find — along with some expert insight into the fitness and recovery side of things — on his new podcast, Strain on the Game.

Check that out, but first: Have a listen here, leave a review if you enjoy yourself, and check out more sharp conversations and on-the-ground reporting at The Football Weekend.com.

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