Weekend Schedule: The best action to watch in Europe's top five leagues
With Premier League and Bundesliga titles potentially sealed and huge implications in the race for European places and battle against the drop, here’s a handy rundown of the best action across Europe’s top five leagues this weekend. We’ve even planned your schedule for you!
PREMIER LEAGUE
Everton vs Liverpool - Saturday, 12:30 KO
Manchester City vs Manchester United - Saturday, 17:30 KO
Chelsea vs West Ham - Sunday, 16:30 KO
It’s a weekend packed with rivalries in England’s top-flight, but such are the stakes surrounding the Manchester derby on Saturday evening that the Merseyside derby and Chelsea-West Ham rivalries have taken a back seat.
Manchester City can, after all, claim the title with a victory over their neighbours today, doing so with six games to spare. At the opposite end of the table the Hammers know a win over a Blues side with very little to play for would move them a huge step closer to survival, while there are massive games for Palace, Huddersfield, Southampton and Swansea elsewhere. The latter could effectively relegate West Brom with a win at the Hawthorns, though the Baggies look dead and buried regardless.
LA LIGA
Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid - Sunday, 15:15 KO
Both sides may have European commitments on their minds ahead of this capital city showdown at the Bernabeu, but there are still bragging rights to play for. Atleti sit four points above their esteemed hosts and will want to keep it that way with a result that keeps them second and puts Real’s prospects of a top three finish in doubt.
Levante-Las Palmas is the big game at the bottom, and a home win on Sunday could ensure that the current bottom three are relegated from the top-flight, despite Deportivo’s late win over table footers Malaga last ight.
SERIE A
Roma vs Fiorentina - Saturday, 17:00 KO
Sampdoria vs Genoa - Saturday, 19:45 KO
There’s still plenty to play for in Italy with regards to the top and bottom of the table, with the one remaining title race still ongoing in Europe’s top five leagues, as well as a battle for European places. The latter is the case for Roma - three points clear of dropping down from the Champions League spots into the Europa League positions - and Fiorentina - currently four points adrift of AC Milan in sixth.
Elsewhere there’s a fierce rivalry between Sampdoria and Genoa on Saturday night in the Derby della Lanterna, while Verona against Cagliari is the real crunch match at the wrong end of the standings. The hosts are desperate for a win on Sunday to boost their survival hopes, while a victory for the visitors could see them all but safe.
BUNDESLIGA
Augsburg vs Bayern Munich - Saturday, 14:30 KO
Eintracht Frankfurt vs Hoffenheim - Sunday, 17:00 KO
RB Leipzig vs Bayer Leverkusen - Monday, 19:30 KO
A win for Bayern this afternoon would be enough to secure a sixth successive Bundesliga title after just 29 matches, and it would be a huge shock if Jump Heynckes side didn’t do just that. Elsewhere there are two matches with potentially crucial implications in the hunt for European football, with Frankfurt (sixth) hosting Hoffenheim (seventh) with just three points separating the sides, while things are even closer - a one point difference - between Leipzig (fourth) and Bayer Leverkusen (fifth) ahead of their meeting on Monday night.
Meanwhile Mainz’s trip to Cologne could offer the latter real hope of pulling off a great escape with a much needed victory, with the hosts six points adrift of their visitors this afternoon in the relegation play-off place.
LIGUE 1
Marseille vs Montpellier - Sunday, 20:00 KO
After Paris Saint-Germain could only manage a draw at Saint-Etienne on Friday night the runaway league leaders will have to wait at least one more week to regain their Ligue 1 crown from Monaco, who will hope to put at least some pressure on with a win over Nantes. Meanwhile the scrap for the third Champions League spot is where the real drama lies, with Lyon able to leapfrog Marseille with victory over bottom club Metz ahead of OM’s tricky fixture with a Montpellier side that have lost just six times all season.
Suggested Saturday schedule: 12:30 Everton-Liverpool / 14:30 Augsburg-Bayern / 17:30 Manchester City-Manchester United / 19:45 Sampdoria-Genoa
Suggested Sunday schedule: 11:30 Torino-Inter / 15:15 Real Madrid-Atletico Madrid / 16:30 Chelsea-West Ham / 20:00 Marseille-Montpellier
