Domestic Leagues

“Le Classique” and “Der Klassiker” are part of the bangers set out for this coming weekend.

By Toud Lalker

Posted on March 28, 2024

Another weekend is here, and fortunately, it comes with football.
Le Classique in Ligue 1, Der Klassiker in Bundesliga.
Top table clash between London (Arsenal) and Manchester (Man City) in the Premier League.

THE SHOTS TO TAKE THIS WEEKEND

Friday is here, and depending on your definition of the weekend, we may be in it.

Friday, March 29, 2024

🇫🇷 Lille vs. Lens (french ligue 1):
There is just one point between Lille (4th) and Lens (6th) in the Ligue 1 standings, so a win for either side will reshape their league position. Lille will have the backing of home support to extend their lead over Lens.

🇵🇹 Benfica vs. Chaves (portuguese primeira liga):
With an extra game played, the defending champions, Benfica, are chasing Sporting CP in the Primeira Liga title race by a point. Benfica will be looking for the three points against bottom-tabled Chaves.

🇵🇹 Estrela da Amadora vs. Sporting CP (portuguese primeira liga):
With just a one-point lead in the title race, but with a game in hand to widen the gap, Sporting CP will look to enhance their advantage in the title race by securing an away victory over Estrela da Amadora.

Saturday, March 30, 2024

🇪🇸 Barcelona vs. Las Palmas (spanish la liga): Barcelona’s plan will be to secure a home win against Las Palmas and maintain pressure on Real Madrid in the La Liga title race. With Barcelona in good form and enjoying home advantage, while Las Palmas is not experiencing a great period, the signs point towards a Barcelona victory.

🇮🇹 Napoli vs. Atalanta (italian serie a): Napoli are not going to be able to defend the league title this season.
With Naples backing them, Napoli’s plan is to secure a home win against Atalanta and narrow their deficit in the league standings. Napoli trails Atalanta by two points, despite having played one more game.

🇮🇹 Lazio vs. Juventus (italian serie a): Juventus will need a win in Rome (against Lazio) to keep up with the Milan clubs.

🇮🇹 Fiorentina vs. AC Milan (italian serie a): AC Milan must beat Fiorentina to keep up the chase with Inter Milan in the Serie A title race.

🇩🇪 Bayer Leverkusen vs. Hoffenheim (german bundesliga): Leverkusen is close to becoming Bundesliga champions for the first time in their history, and they will aim to extend their unbeaten run in the Bundesliga season with a home match against a Hoffenheim side that is staring at the possibility of a third straight league defeat.

🇩🇪 RB Leipzig vs. Mainz (german bundesliga): Mainz are fighting their way out of relegation and will have to seek the points in Leipzig against an RB Leipzig side that is also looking for the points to make a push for a top four finish.

🇩🇪 Bayern Munich vs. Borussia Dortmund (german bundesliga): Bayern Munich is losing grip on the league title, but they can’t afford to add a Der Klassiker defeat at home to their misery. They will host Borussia Dortmund, who are also seeking points to maintain their current league position. If RB Leipzig does as expected and secures a win (or a draw) against Mainz, Dortmund will need to match Leipzig’s result in Munich to hold on to fourth place.
Dortmund hasn’t secured a Bundesliga win against Bayern Munich since the 2018/19 season when they claimed a 3-2 victory at home. In the ten der Klassiker matches played in the league since then, Bayern Munich has emerged victorious on nine occasions, with the remaining match ending in a 1-1 draw in Dortmund.

🇫🇷 Metz vs. Monaco (french ligue 1): Metz, embroiled in a relegation battle, will face off against Monaco, who are striving to maintain their position in the Ligue 1. Monaco finds themselves in a tight battle for second place, contending with at least seven other teams in the league. Clearly, Metz is more desperate for the win, but Monaco cannot afford to leave without points either.

🇳🇱 NEC Nijmegen vs. PSV Eindhoven (dutch eredivisie): Unbeaten and holding a 10-point lead in the Eredivisie title race, PSV Eindhoven aims to maintain their position with another positive result. They have eight more rounds to complete a full season unbeaten. Their next challenge is an away game against NEC Nijmegen.

🇵🇹 Estoril vs. Porto (portuguese primeira liga):
Porto is currently 6 to 7 points adrift of being involved in the league title race, but there are enough games remaining to keep that dream alive if they continue to secure wins. Next up for Porto is a winnable game against Estoril, who are coming off a victory against Portimonense in the last round.

Sunday, March 31, 2024

🇪🇸 Girona vs. Real Betis (spanish la liga): A defeat to Getafe in the last round dropped Girona to third place, but they are still lingering at the top end of the La Liga standings with the ‘big boys’. Girona will look to amend their recent results with a win at home against Real Betis this weekend.

🇪🇸 Real Madrid vs. Athletic Club (spanish la liga): Barcelona is getting too close for Real Madrid’s comfort. Real Madrid’s position at the top of the La Liga standings isn’t at risk, but Barcelona has gotten uncomfortably close. Real Madrid will seek a win against 4th place Athletic Club, who can only maintain their position by matching whatever result Atletico Madrid gets against Villarreal.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Liverpool vs. Brighton & Hove Albion (english premier league): Liverpool will be aiming for a win at home against Brighton to capitalize on the Manchester City and Arsenal clash. Anything other than an Arsenal win would see Liverpool atop the Premier League standings at the end of the round, provided they secure a victory against Brighton. In the reverse fixture, they played to a ‘2-2’ draw, and Liverpool hasn’t secured a win against Brighton in their last four meetings.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Manchester City vs. Arsenal (english premier league): Arsenal keeps top spot with a win, while Manchester City might get top spot with a win. There is just a point between the defending champions, Manchester City, and an Arsenal side desperate to become champions after 20 years.
Arsenal were the winners in the reverse fixture ‘1-0’, and they also picked up the Community Shield title at Manchester City’s expense at the start of the season.
Home advantage gives Manchester City a boost but this is match is hard to call.

🇩🇪 Stuttgart vs. Heidenheim (german bundesliga): Stuttgart will want a win over Heidenheim to take the maximum advantage of whatever result comes out of Der Klassiker.

🇫🇷 Marseille vs. Paris Saint-Germain (french ligue 1): While Paris St. Germain hasn’t been flawless in the title race, their rivals have failed to capitalize on their occasional shortcomings.
Le Classique currently holds little sway over the title race. However, for pride and the historical significance of the outcome, Marseille will aim to capitalize on home advantage and secure points against a dominant Paris St. Germain side.
Marseille hasn’t secured a league victory against Paris St. Germain since the 2020/21 season (September 13, 2020), when they clinched a 1-0 win in Paris with a goal from Florian Thauvin. PSG has since enjoyed five league wins and a draw in encounters between the two teams.

🇳🇱 PEC Zwolle vs. Ajax (dutch eredivisie): Ajax seems likely to finish the Eredivisie season outside the top four, but they have a chance to enhance their position with some victories. They have gone without a win in their last four competitive fixtures, so their upcoming match away against PEC Zwolle presents an opportunity to secure some crucial Eredivisie points.

🇳🇱 Feyenoord vs. Utrecht (dutch eredivisie): Feyenoord is 10 points from defending their Eredivisie title. To stay in contention with PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord must secure a victory against Utrecht.

Monday, April 1, 2024

🇪🇸 Villarreal vs. Atlético Madrid (spanish la liga): Atletico Madrid is coming off a ‘3-0’ home defeat to Barcelona.
If Real Madrid does them a favor by defeating Athletic Club, Atletico Madrid can climb to fourth place with a victory over Villarreal.

🇮🇹 Inter Milan vs. Empoli (italian serie a): With a comfortable 14-point lead in the Serie A title race, Inter Milan has the luxury of some margin for error, although they would prefer not to make any. They will aim to secure a victory at home against Empoli, who are currently just one point above the relegation zone after 26 rounds.

HIGHLIGHTED FIXTURES

Your football watchlist for this weekend:

Mar 29.

🇫🇷 Lille vs. Lens (french ligue 1)
🇵🇹 Benfica vs. Chaves (portuguese primeira liga)
🇵🇹 Estrela da Amadora vs. Sporting CP (portuguese primeira liga)

Mar 30.

🇪🇸 Getafe vs. Sevilla (spanish la liga)
🇪🇸 Barcelona vs. Las Palmas (spanish la liga)
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Chelsea vs. Burnley (english premier league)
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Tottenham Hotspur vs. Luton Town (english premier league)
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Aston Villa vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers (english premier league)
🇮🇹 Napoli vs. Atalanta (italian serie a)
🇮🇹 Genoa vs. Frosinone (italian serie a)
🇮🇹 Lazio vs. Juventus (italian serie a)
🇮🇹 Fiorentina vs. AC Milan (italian serie a)
🇩🇪 Bayer Leverkusen vs. Hoffenheim (german bundesliga)
🇩🇪 RB Leipzig vs. Mainz (german bundesliga)
🇩🇪 Bayern Munich vs. Borussia Dortmund (german bundesliga)
🇫🇷 Metz vs. Monaco (french ligue 1)
🇫🇷 Lyon vs. Reims (french ligue 1)
🇳🇱 NEC Nijmegen vs. PSV Eindhoven (dutch eredivisie)
🇳🇱 AZ Alkmaar vs. Vitesse (dutch eredivisie)
🇵🇹 Vitória de Guimarães vs. Moreirense (portuguese primeira liga)
🇵🇹 Estoril vs. Porto (portuguese primeira liga)

Mar 31.

🇪🇸 Girona vs. Real Betis (spanish la liga)
🇪🇸 Real Madrid vs. Athletic Club (spanish la liga)
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Liverpool vs. Brighton & Hove Albion (english premier league)
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Manchester City vs. Arsenal (english premier league)
🇩🇪 Stuttgart vs. Heidenheim (german bundesliga)
🇫🇷 Nice vs. Nantes (french ligue 1)
🇫🇷 Marseille vs. Paris Saint-Germain (french ligue 1)
🇳🇱 PEC Zwolle vs. Ajax (dutch eredivisie)
🇳🇱 Twente vs. Heracles Almelo (dutch eredivisie)
🇳🇱 Feyenoord vs. Utrecht (dutch eredivisie)

April 1.

🇪🇸 Villarreal vs. Atlético Madrid (spanish la liga)
🇮🇹 Bologna vs. Salernitana (italian serie a)
🇮🇹 Lecce vs. Roma (italian serie a)
🇮🇹 Inter Milan vs. Empoli (italian serie a)

HOW THINGS ENDED IN THE PREVIOUS WEEKEND (ROUND) IN EUROPE’S TOP 7 LEAGUES:

The league leaders triumphed in their respective matches, Inter Milan was the exception after dropping points in a draw.
Barcelona enjoyed a positive evening in Madrid.
Almeria picked up their first league win of the season.
Sporting CP continued to fend off pressure from Benfica.
The city of Manchester had a successful round in the FA Cup.
Galatasaray and Fenerbahce secured wins to keep pace with each other.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 PREMIER LEAGUE: Aston Villa and Tottenham failed to secure victories while the top three clubs were absent from the weekend’s action due to FA Cup fixtures.
Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester City will resume league action after the international break to continue the three-way title race. There were no changes in the league standings. Burnley gained three points in the relegation zone, while also dragging Brentford deeper into the relegation battle. Relegation-threatened Luton Town and Nottingham Forest shared a point each in a 1-all draw.

🇪🇸 LA LIGA: Real Madrid maintained their top position in the league at an 8-point lead (on Barcelona), while Barcelona defeated Atletico Madrid and climbed up to second position in the league standings, as Girona dropped to third after a loss to Mallorca. Atletico Madrid slipped down to fifth, with Athletic Club moving up to fourth following their win against Alaves.

🇮🇹 SERIE A: The Milan clubs lead the charge, but it’s all about Inter Milan when it comes to league title favorites. Inter Milan’s lead narrowed to 14 points after they dropped points in a draw with Napoli, while city rivals AC Milan secured a win against Verona.

🇩🇪 BUNDESLIGA: There were no changes in the top six positions, with Frankfurt being the only team among the six to lose their match against Dortmund, another top six club. The results maintain Leverkusen’s firm lead in the Bundesliga title race with a 10-point margin over second-place Bayern Munich.

🇫🇷 LIGUE 1: The three closest rivals to Paris St. Germain in the title race earned just a single point each, enabling Paris St. Germain to extend their lead at the top of the table by two points with a win against Montpellier, granting them a 12-point lead.

🇳🇱 EREDIVISIE: There were no changes in the top half of the league table, as PSV Eindhoven maintained their 10-point lead at the top of the Eredivisie standings.

🇵🇹 PRIMEIRA LIGA: The point gaps between the top six teams in the Primera Liga were maintained after all six picked up wins. Viktor Gyokeres scored a hat-trick in Sporting CP’s commanding 6-1 victory over Boavista, helping them retain their position at the top of the Primeira Liga standings with a game in hand. This victory was crucial for Sporting CP, especially after Benfica had also secured a win against Casa Pia

(STANDINGS) THE TITLE RACE IN THE TOP 7 LEAGUES:

🇮🇹 Serie A: Inter Milan with a 14-point lead.
🇳🇱 Eredivisie: PSV Eindhoven with a 10-point lead.
🇩🇪 Bundesliga: Bayer Leverkusen with an 10-point lead.
🇫🇷 Ligue 1: Paris Saint-Germain with a 12-point lead.
🇪🇸 La Liga: Real Madrid with a 8-point lead.
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Premier League: Arsenal top of the league but tied on points with Liverpool; both a point ahead of reigning champions Manchester City.
🇵🇹 Primeira Liga: Sporting CP with a 1-point lead and a game in hand.

🇪🇸📊 LA LIGA

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 📊 PREMIER LEAGUE

🇩🇪📊 BUNDESLIGA

🇮🇹 📊 SERIE A

🇫🇷 📊 LIGUE 1

🇳🇱 📊 EREDIVISIE

🇵🇹 📊 PRIMEIRA LIGA

THE FIXTURES INVOLVING THE DEFENDING CHAMPIONS :

Mar 29.
🇵🇹 Benfica vs. Chaves (portuguese primeira liga)

Mar 30.
🇪🇸 Barcelona vs. Las Palmas (spanish la liga)
🇮🇹 Napoli vs. Atalanta (italian serie a)
🇩🇪 Bayern Munich vs. Borussia Dortmund (german bundesliga)

Mar 31.
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Manchester City vs. Arsenal (english premier league)
🇫🇷 Marseille vs. Paris Saint-Germain (french ligue 1)
🇳🇱 Feyenoord vs. Utrecht (dutch eredivisie)