Top 10 Derbies

Derbies are the games every fan looks forward to when the fixtures come out before the start of every season and when they come round, there is an almighty buzz in the city it's taking place in.

There have been many great derbies in football over the years right across Europe and they're great because of the rivalry between the two teams and the quality of games they produce.

They're games that both fans and players are massively up for and want to win because of the importance and size of the games themselves.

The derbies in the list are all within the city both teams are from so there is no El Classico or Der Klassiker as both sets of teams from those rivalries are from separate cities and therefore not derbies.

Now here is the list:

Real Madrid-Atletico Madrid - Madrid Derby

Liverpool-Man United - North West Derby

AC Milan-Inter Milan - Milan Derby

Arsenal-Tottenham - North London Derby

Man United-Man City - Manchester Derby

Celtic-Rangers - Old Firm Derby

Liverpool-Everton - Merseyside Derby

Feyenoord-Ajax - Der Klassieker

Roma-Lazio - Rome Derby

Barcelona-Espanyol - Catalonia Derby

10. Barcelona-Espanyol

The Catalonia Derby had to be in tenth because it doesn't feel like a derby because of the huge gap between the two teams.

Barcelona are always overwhelming favourites whenever the two sides meet because of the quality of players they've had compared to Espanyol who usually finish in and around lower midtable.

There isn't really much of a rivalry between the two sides despite them being in the same city because they don't really hate each other and the games are usually one sided.

9. Roma-Lazio

The Rome Derby isn't as big or well known as most of the other derbies in the list because Roma and Lazio rarely finish close to each other in Serie A with Lazio finishing most season in midtable and Roma finishing in and around the European places.

But it has been know to be a fierce derby because of how passionate both sets of fans are and the atmosphere inside the ground being so raucous.

Both teams are determined to be the best team in Rome because of their passionate fans and how tense the atmosphere is inside the stadium.

Both players fans describe it was a pressure-cooker environment because of the tense atmosphere inside the ground.

8. Real Madrid-Atletico Madrid

There wasn't much of a rivalry between the two Madrid clubs during the early years of the modern era because of how far ahead Real were.

But over the last decade or so, the gap between the two sides has got smaller and their rivalry has grown because they're both guaranteed to finish in the top three of La Liga even make a push for the title.

Real are of course the favourites going into every clash because of them having the bigger name players and being the bigger club, but Atletico have nicked the odd win against them in recent seasons and them doing that has made this derby more of a rivalry.

The games between the two sides are lot closer than they were about 20 years ago because of Atletico now being the best of the rest behind Barca and Real.

7. Arsenal-Tottenham

The North London Derby is a fixture that always delivers because of both teams being up for the match and rivalry they both have.

There have been many great games between Arsenal and Spurs over the years and their rivalry is one of hate as both sets of players have often clashed and the fans are always taking digs at one another.

The rivalry between the two teams really intensified when Spurs started becoming a top four chasing team as Spurs began to close the gap on Arsenal not just by finishing in and around the top four, but by picked up the odd win against them.

They soon started finishing above Arsenal in the league season after season but Arsenal have since regained their title as the no.1 team in North London.

6. Man United-Man City

There wasn't as much of a rivalry between the two Manchester clubs during the early years of the Premier League because United were a long way ahead of City who were no nowhere near the club they are today.

But since the Abu Dhabi takeover at Man City, the rivalry has really grown as City soon began to close the gap on United before eventually toppling them and taking over as the no.1 team in Manchester, a position they've held for at least a decade and are likely to keep for another few or many years.

There is always a massive buzz in the city when these two face each other because both sets of fans are up for the game and so too are the players.

5. Liverpool-Everton

The Merseyside Derby is one that always delivers because there is rarely a dull game when these two face each other.

Games between Liverpool and Everton over the years have seen close contests, tackles flying in, great goals scored and many great moments.

Liverpool are always the favourite going into every derby because of them being the no.1 team on Merseyside, but very few games between the two games have been one sided because Everton have always played their part.

4. AC Milan-Inter Milan

The Milan Derby has always been the biggest derby in Italy because of the size of both clubs and the success they've both had.

There is always a massive buzz in the city when these two face off against one another and that buzz is carried into the stadium as the atmosphere inside the ground is electric and raucous.

The atmosphere inside the ground is what makes the derby so special because both sets of fans are up for the game and the sound they generate plays a big part in their team's performance on the pitch.

3. Celtic-Rangers

The Old Firm Derby is one of the oldest fixtures in the game and the rivalry between the two teams is both fierce and intense.

The games between Celtic and Rangers have absolutely everything including goals, flying tackles and player confrontations and it's a game that both sets of players are right up for because of how big the rivalry is.

Both teams hate each and they hate each other so much that the away fans can no longer attend due to safety concerns after initially being kept well apart from each other.

2. Liverpool-Man United

Liverpool v Man United might not feel like a derby because they're both from two different cities, but they are both close on a map which still makes them rivals.

They're both the two most successful teams in England and are two sides who absolutely hate each other which is what makes their rivalry a rivalry.

Both sets of fans are always up for this game and so too are the players because of the history of the fixture as well as the rivalry and size of the game itself.

This derby would be at no.1 if this was a Premier League related top 10 because it's the biggest derby and rivalry in English football.

1. Feyenoord-Ajax

Der Klassieker had to be my no.1 because both teams hate each other so much that only home fans can attend the games.

The reason why away fans aren't allowed inside the ground is because an Ajax fan was beaten to death by a Feyenoord fan in 1997 with this incident being known as the Beverwijk incident.

There were many fights between both sets of supporters before then but the Beverwijk incident was the most famous one and the one that forced the away fans to no longer attend the games between the two clubs.

I went to one of these games on a school trip to De Kuip many years ago and the atmosphere inside the ground was just incredible. It was a full house for one set of fans and the noise inside the stadium was just electric.

The home fans are always right up for this game and they're so up for the game that they arrive at the training ground with flares as I witnessed when I went to see the game at De Kuip about 13 years ago.

MY TOP 10:

1. Feyenoord-Ajax

2. Liverpool-Man United

3. Celtic-Rangers

4. AC Milan-Inter Milan

5. Liverpool-Everton

6. Man United-Man City

7. Arsenal-Tottenham

8. Real Madrid-Atletico Madrid

9. Roma-Lazio

10. Barcelona-Espanyol