In the English Premier League
Manchester City vs Sheffield United
Arsenal vs Manchester United
Chelsea vs Burnley
Leicester City vs Leeds
West Ham vs Liverpool
Brighton vs Tottenham
(First vs Last).
Manchester City takes on Sheffield United.
Manchester City will be coming into the game on good form and directly from a big ‘5-0’ win (vs West Brom) away in their last league game.
Sheffield might be at the bottom of the league with just 2 wins from 20 games, but they will also be coming to this match from a win; a win at Manchester. The headlines are ready to be made. Sheffield United beating both Manchester teams in a week.
It’s improbable, but Sheffield United could end the week beating both Manchester Clubs within a week.
Arsenal vs Manchester United
We expected Manchester United to come into their match against Arsenal with a win against Sheffield United, but they now at the risk of successive defeat if the outcome of the reverse fixture is repeated.
Chelsea and Tuchel
Thomas Tuchel’s second game in charge will be another league game at home. Can he get win #1 with Chelsea against Burnley? Burnley came to the game after a 3-2 win against Aston Villa, while Chelsea comed in from a goalless draw with Wolves.
- Leicester City will take advantage of the ‘Arsenal vs Manchester United’ fixture with a win against Leeds United.
- Liverpool are back in the ‘Top 4’ of the Premier League and will need to avoid defeat against West Ham to remain there. There will be a positional swap should West Ham get a home win against Liverpool.
- Tottenham head to Brighton for a result to help make up for their defeat against Liverpool.
In the Italian Serie A
Bologna vs AC Milan
Sampdoria vs Juventus
Inter Milan vs Benevento
Atalanta vs Lazio
Napoli vs Parma
Roma vs Hellas Verona
- A two-point lead leaves no room for AC Milan to guarantee their place at the top of the league without a win at Bologna.
They must make amends for their defeat at home to Atalanta. - Juventus are closing in. They will look for another win and three points against Sampdoria to make up ground in the the title race.
- Points dropped in the last round denied Inter Milan the top spot.
They can smell blood and they will need to grab a win at home against Benevento.
League points are at stake this time around.
Atalanta vs Lazio
Atalanta eliminated Lazio from the Coppa Italia on Wednesday.
The two will meet again at the same venue for points to keep up the pace with the title contenders.
With just two points keeping them apart in the standings, another win for Atalanta will help their chances of finishing the round in a Champions League qualifying position; and hand them a 5 point lead on Lazio.
Apart from juming above Atalanta in the Serie A standings, a win here for Lazio will be a consolation for their Coppa Italia exit.
- Napoli can take advantage of the contest around them with a win against relegation-zoned Parma. It is also an ideal game to bounce back from a 3-1 defeat.
- With Juventus (and a few others) on their tail, Roma must kick off another winning streak when they take on a Hellas Verona side that are lurking around the qualifying zone for continental competitions.
In the French Ligue 1
Lyon vs Bordeaux
Marseille vs Rennes
Lorient vs Paris St. Germain
Lille vs Dijon
Nantes vs Monaco
Going by results and league position, Paris St. Germain and Lille should get the results from the games to keep the two tied in points at the top Ligue 1 table.
- Paris St. Germain are blessed with relegation-zoned Lorient.
- Lille will host relegation-threatened Dijon.
- Monaco are currently 6 points from the top; and they take on relegation-threatened Nantes.
Lyon vs Bordeaux
Lyon picked up their first win in three league games after their 5-0 win at Saint-Etienne. Bordeaux on the other hand are unbeaten in their last 4 league matches and on course to make it a 4th successive win if they are to leave Lyon with three points. For Lyon, this will be be a chase of consecutive league wins and keeping up pace with the top two teams in the title race.
Rennes will be hoping to bounce back from defeat to Lille with a win at Marseille.
Marseille are staring at mid-table and a 4th straight league defeat since losing the French Super Cup. They have a game in hand, but a defeat to Rennes will widen the gap between the two sides to 7 points.
In the German Bundesliga
Bayern Munich vs Hoffenheim
Dortmund vs Augsburg
Union Berlin vs Monchengladbach
RB Leipzig vs Leverkusen
A must-win for Bayern?
The reverse fixture was a 4-1 Hoffenheim win. It will be four wins in a row for Bayern Munich if they can return favor to Hoffenheim and pick up another set of three points at the Allianz Arena. With a 7-point lead in the title race the dropping of points won’t be critical but for insurance and professional pride, this is a must win for Bayern.
A must-win for Dortmund?
1 point from 9 in their most recent thee league games is far below the expectations for Borussia Dortmund. They need a win against an Augsburg side that ended a three game losing streak in the last round.
- Two defeats in a row for Union Berlin can be three if Monchengladbach continue on their quest to get a place in the ‘Top 4’. It was a 1-1 draw when the two teams met in the first half of the season.
A must-win for Leipzig?
The race to close in on Bayern Munich.
For RB Leipzig, dropping points in this match allows the potential for Bayern to open up to 10 point lead.
For Leverkusen, dropping points will allow the likes of Wolfsburg and Monchengladbach to leap above them in the standings; potentially kicking them out of the ‘top four’ by the end of the round.
In the Spanish La Liga
Eibar vs Sevilla
Real Madrid vs Levante
Villarreal vs Real Sociedad
Cadiz vs Atletico Madrid
Barcelona vs Athletic Club
Atletico Madrid keep their game in hand advantage; and at least a 7-point lead with a win at Cadiz.
Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Sevilla must keep up with Atletico Madrid by getting a win from their respective matches over the weekend.
Villarreal will have to fend off a Real Sociedad side that are in a slump at the moment.
