MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin (5-4-1, 2-1 B1G) follows up a huge road stint with a welcome sight of a derby match against in-state rival Milwaukee (6-3-1, 2-0-1 Horizon League) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. (CT). The Badgers welcome Big Ten play back to the McClimon Complex for a match against the Rutgers (2-6-1, 1-3 Big Ten) on Sunday at 1 p.m.

1. DOWN GO THE SPARTANS: The Badgers have definitely had a bout of success in the past three games on the pitch. It was no different in Wisconsin's 'David vs. Goliath' win on Sunday afternoon at the DeMartin Stadium in East Lansing over the No. 5-ranked Spartans. The Badgers played Michigan State extremely evenly in regulation – possession was distributed fairly evenly between the two teams and shots were similar. It wasn't until the 96th minute of play that Wisconsin would get the magical finish it wanted from the get-go. The Cardinal and White's sophomore Alex Alfaro snuck slyly behind the Spartan backline and sent a laser to the lower left corner to beat Michigan State's elite goalkeeper Jimmy Hague. The Badgers won the contest 1-0, scoring what was just the second goal allowed by the Spartans in Big Ten play.

2. MERRY IN MILWAUKEE: A few days prior to the Big Ten showdown against Michigan State, the Badgers earned another notch of confidence against in-state rival Marquette in Milwaukee. The Cardinal and White absolutely dominated the Golden Eagles in possession and shots on Wednesday night. But the game-defining goal wouldn't come for the Badgers until late in the match off the back of freshman Andrew Akindele who slotted the Wisconsin goal off a beautiful through-ball from sophomore Michael Russell II.

3. SCOUTING THE PANTHERS: Wisconsin's Wednesday night match-up against the Milwaukee Panthers will be a competitive in-state showdown. The Panthers are off to a smoking hot start, tallying a 6-3-1 overall record and unbeaten 2-0-1 mark in the Horizon League conference. Milwaukee faced fellow Big Ten foe Ohio State and won in Columbus, Ohio in shut-out fashion, 1-0. The Panthers squared off against Valparaiso early in the year and lost 1-0, the same margin the Badgers won by over the Knights. Milwaukee also faced Marquette and matched Wisconsin's performance by winning by a single goal. The fight for Wisconsin and the similar resumes on showcase from both teams promise a thrilling Wednesday showdown.

4. SCOUTING THE SCARLET KNIGHTS: The Badgers host Big Ten opponent Rutgers on Sunday afternoon at the McClimon Complex. The Scarlet Knights haven't gotten out to the best start in the new year, but their season seems to have been decided so far by a series of close encounters. Rutgers lost to highly-ranked Michigan State by a single goal, 2-1, and to then-no.16 ranked Michigan, 2-0. The Scarlet Knights just recently bounced back from a three-game losing streak with an epic win over Ohio State 3-2 in overtime. If there is one guarantee for Sunday's match, it is that there are no easy games in the Big Ten. Wisconsin will look to come out fast in the contest and put the Scarlet Knights away early.

5. NEED TO KNOW: Follow along with both matches on Twitter (@BadgerMSoccer) and catch all things Badger soccer on UWBadgers.com. Both matches will be streamed live on BTN Plus and on FloSports.com.