THE HIGHLIGHTED FIXTURES FOR THE COMING WEEKEND
Mar 3.
Napoli vs. Lazio (Serie A)
Dortmund vs. RB Leipzig (Bundesliga)
Mar 4.
Lens vs. Lille (Ligue 1)
Union Berlin vs. FC Koln (Bundesliga)
Atletico Madrid vs. Sevilla (La Liga)
Manchester City vs. Newcastle (Premier League)
Chelsea vs. Leeds (Premier League)
Arsenal vs. Bournemouth (Premier League)
Mar 5.
Liverpool vs. Manchester United (Premier League)
Real Betis vs. Real Madrid (La Liga)
Roma vs. Juventus (Serie A)
Barcelona vs. Valencia (La Liga)
Rennes vs. Marseille (Ligue 1)
Mar 3.
NAPOLI vs. LAZIO (Serie A)
The pressure is on Lazio to get points in Naples as Napoli has an 18-point lead in the title race after 24 rounds. Lazio is at the exit of the ‘top four’, with Roma and Atalanta knocking. Lazio will need a win to guarantee they stay in the ‘top four’ spot at the end of the round.
Mar 3.
DORTMUND vs. RB LEIPZIG (Bundesliga)
To guarantee they stay level on points in the league title race with Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund will need a victory at home against RB Leipzig.
With Freiburg and Frankfurt on their tails, RB Leipzig can’t afford to leave Dortmund empty-handed.
Dortmund has a 4-point lead over Leipzig in the league as things stand, but RB Leipzig has been the winner in their last three meetings. The reverse fixture was a 3-0 win for RB Leipzig, and it was a 4-1 win for RB Leipzig on their last visit to Dortmund.
However, Dortmund has kept a 100% winning record since the restart of the club season after the break for the World Cup.
Mar 4.
LENS vs. LILLE (Ligue 1)
Lens have a win in their last 8 matches but are still in the contest for direct qualification to next season’s Champions League.
Results have not gone their way recently but Lens was part of the Ligue 1 title race just a few weeks ago. Lens come into this tie after getting knocked out of the Coupe de France by Nantes.
Lille might be inconsistent but they’ve been moving in the right direction. A win in this tie will move Lille to three points away from equalling Lens in points accumulated.
Mar 4.
UNION BERLIN vs. FC KOLN (Bundesliga)
With RB Leipzig just a point behind and Dortmund only 3 points ahead, Union Berlin will need a result to bounce back from a 3-0 defeat against Bayern Munich.
A victory at home against FC Koln will also help Union Berlin take advantage of the ‘Dortmund vs Leipzig’ clash, while also making up for the points dropped in their defeat to Bayern Munich.
Mar 4.
ATLETICO MADRID vs. SEVILLA (La Liga)
As things stand, Atletico Madrid is contesting for a place in the ‘top four’ with Real Sociedad and Real Betis.
A win against Sevilla is important for Atletico Madrid to get comfortable in the ‘top four’. Atletico Madrid can build on the point they got from the Madrid derby (against Real Madrid) with a win against a Sevilla side that is still in a relegation battle.
Mar 4.
MANCHESTER CITY vs. NEWCASTLE UNITED (Premier League)
After suffering a league cup final defeat against Manchester United, Newcastle United will be in Manchester to search for league points against Manchester City.
This is a match that has provided goals. The reverse fixture was a 6-goal draw. Newcastle was at the wrong end of a 5-0 defeat on their last visit to the Etihad Stadium.
To keep their title defense dream alive, Manchester City must keep pace with Arsenal by beating Newcastle.
Newcastle has a couple of matches in hand but are 4 points out of the ‘top four’ and have not had a win in their last 4 matches.
Mar 4.
CHELSEA vs. LEEDS UNITED (Premier League)
After losing a London derby against Tottenham, a win against Leeds United this weekend is vital for a Chelsea side that has a second-leg match Champions League (Round of 16) match against Dortmund coming up.
Chelsea has won 2 of the last 15 competitive matches, and none of those wins came in their last 6 games. The last 3 matches have been losses.
The search for a win will continue at home against a Leeds United side that is coming from their first win in 11 matches.
Mar 4.
ARSENAL vs. BOURNEMOUTH (Premier League)
After a 4-0 win over Everton, Arsenal will have another relegation-zoned opponent at home to extract points for their title ambitions.
At 5 points clear in the title race, Arsenal will look for a win against Bournemouth to keep or expand the lead.
Mar 5.
LIVERPOOL vs. MANCHESTER UNITED (Premier League)
Manchester United are 11 points from the top of the league, while Liverpool is 10 points from Manchester United. According to pre-season expectations, Liverpool is underperforming, while Manchester United might overperforming.
Manchester United will go to Anfield for league points against a Liverpool side that is trying to rebuild after a poor start to their season.
Manchester United were 2-1 winners in the reverse fixture. They lost 4-0 at Anfield last season.
Mar 5.
REAL BETIS vs. REAL MADRID (La Liga)
Real Madrid dropped points at home in the Madrid derby and is coming from losing the first leg of the Copa del Rey in El Clasico. They will be in Seville to fish for points against a Real Betis side that will also be attempting to extend a winning run into 4 matches.
Real Madrid is trying to chase a title, while Real Beis is chasing Champions League football qualification.
Mar 5.
ROMA vs. JUVENTUS (Serie A)
After another Turin derby win, Juventus will head to Rome for the points to end their season in a position that will qualify them for continental cup competition in the coming season.
Juventus will have to beat a Roma side that is a point away from getting into the ‘top four’ but desperate to make up for the points they dropped in last round’s defeat against bottom-table Cremonese.
Mar 5.
BARCELONA vs. VALENCIA (La Liga)
Valencia will continue their relegation battle at Camp Nou against an FC Barcelona flying 7 points clear in the title race.
Despite the lead, Barcelona is coming into this game after a shock defeat at Almeria. Apart from the fact that Camp Nou will be against them, the ‘1-0’ Almeria win against Barcelona should be an inspiration for Valencia.
Mar 5.
RENNES vs. MARSEILLE (Ligue 1)
Marseille is coming from Le Classique defeat and elimination from the Coupe de France against FC Annecy, so a win at Rennes feels like a requirement for Marseille.
Rennes have won their last three matches, and they are a touching distance from ‘top four’.
A win at home against Marseille will help their progress.
