GERMAN BUNDESLIGA
With a +31 goal difference and a 7 point lead in the Bundesliga title race, playing against a Hertha Berlin side that have 1 win from 6 matches this year should be another three points in the bag for the defending champions.
Bayern Munich will open the round in Berlin against Hertha. The chasing pack in the title race will know whether they will be looking for results to close in on Bayern, or results to stop them from getting further away.
Wolfsburg must secure a win at Augsburg to guarantee their place in the ‘top 4’ at the end of the round.
Leverkusen are in a slump, three defeats in a row (including a German Cup exit). They will need some positive result at home against Stuttgart or risk falling further down the league table. Both teams will come into the game after being eliminated from the DFL Pokal over the week.
Sitting outside of the top three in the league is too low for Dortmund’s expectations in the league. 6th place is far too low. A failure to pick up maximum points against Freiburg could see them sink further down the league standings. Dortmund will need to make it a consecutive league win. They take on a Freiburg side that is just 5 points short.
RB Leipzig will be facing bottom table Schalke for the three points to keep hold of second place.
Frankfurt will use another win against Hoffenheim to guarantee their 4th place position in the standings and allow for the possibility of finishing in a higher position should Wolfsburg fail to get the right result at Augsburg.
SPANISH LA LIGA
Real Madrid will try and bounce back from defeat at home against Levante with one on the road against Huesca. The good news for Real Madrid is that Huesca are at the bottom of the league standings with just 2 wins from 21 games.
After getting knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Levante, Villarreal will need a result at Elche to boost morale and also make up for the points dropped in the last round against Real Sociedad. A win guarantees 5th spot for Villarreal and possibly gets them closer to a Champions League qualifying spot.
Sevilla are a point away from 2nd place. Beating Getafe keeps them where they are in the standings and ready for a silver medal spot in the title race.
Athletic Club are with a game in hand and point above Valencia. A win here for Athletic Club widens the gap and opens the potential for a 7 points gap on Valencia.
To keep up in the title race, Barcelona must get a win in Seville against Real Betis.
Atletico Madrid will play in the final fixture of the round to add to their lead. Currently 10 points clear and a game in hand, an away win against Celta Vigo will only make Atletico Madrid more comfortable in the drivers’ seat. Celta Vigo have not won a game since the start of the year; and we doubt that is about to change against the form Atletico Madrid is currently on.
FRENCH LIGUE 1
Lyon are two points from the top of the league.
Monaco are three points from Paris St. Germain.
Lille don’t have the lead that can afford the dropping points at Nantes.
Le Classique
Third place is too low for Paris St. Germain. Marseille are 6 competitive games without a win; including a Super Cup defeat to Paris St. Germain on January 13th. Despite this, the reverse fixture was a Marseille win in Paris. Can Paris St. Germain return the favor and pick up a win to keep up with the other teams in the title race? Or will Marseille do a league double on PSG to pick up their seal their first win of 2020?
ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
West Ham are two points from the top 4. Should Liverpool fall at home to Manchester City, a West Ham win against relegation-zoned Fulham would put them into the top 4.
Manchester United coming from a big win will be looking for another at home against Everton. For United, the hope is that Liverpool get a win against Manchester City. Everton will want the opposite result. Manchester United won the reverse fixture at Goodison Park (3-1); and have eliminated Everton from the EFL Cup between that and now. Looking at the form both teams are in (+ results from their recent meetings), it points to a Manchester United win.
After losing the London derby on home grounds to Chelsea, Tottenham are looking to end three straight league defeats in the league when they play host to West Brom. Fortunately for Tottenham, West Brom exhibits signs of a team that should be beating.
Leicester are two points from second place and 2 points from 4th. A win at Wolves protects their position and hands them the potential of finishing the round in the second best position.
Liverpool are staring at a 3rd straight league defeat at Anfield after ending a 68- game streak without a league defeat at home.
Manchester City are coming to Anfield with title winning ambitions that will require from them a win; and the maximum points to keep their comfortable lead in the title race.
As things stand in the league, Manchester City are 3 points clear at the top with a game in hand. A win against Liverpool will widen the gap between the two teams to 10 points; and in all probability kill off the chance of Liverpool defending the league title.
Another win for Chelsea under Thomas Tuchel will allow them to close in on the ‘Top 4’.
Playing against a Sheffield United side at the bare bottom of the league table should be encouraging for Chelsea to pick up another league win.
ITALIAN SERIE A
Inter Milan puts pressure on their city rivals with a win against Fiorentina.
Atalanta must bounce back from defeat against Lazio in the last round with a win against Torino. Torino might not be picking up the maximum points but they’ve left their recent four games with a point.
The highlighted fixture of the round will be the battle between the current 3rd and 4th in the league. Juventus are a point behind Roma but with a game in hand to make up the difference. Knowing this, the last thing Roma will want to do is to leave Turin without point(s).
Napoli with a win will take advantage of the ‘Juventus vs Roma’ fixture. And with Lazio on their tails, Napoli can’t afford to drop points at Genoa.
AC Milan can only guarantee they end the round at the top with a win against Crotone. (Unless Inter Milan fumbles).
Lazio coming from a win against Atalanta can add Cagliari to the list before they meet Inter Milan.
