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European Weekend Preview: Bundesliga returns, Arsenal-Chelsea and more

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With the return of German Bundesliga action this weekend, all five of Europe’s top leagues will be on display for those watching.

After a lengthy hiatus in Germany, two of the league’s top sides will do battle on Saturday, when second-place Borussia Dortmund travels to fourth-place Borussia Monchengladbach. U.S. international Fabian Johnson has shined for Monchengladbach this campaign, scoring four goals thus far, although his team will face two of the league’s best attackers in Marco Reus and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

The English Premier League season is heating up, and while Arsenal and Leicester City currently sit tied atop the table, both teams face stiff competition over the weekend. The Foxes will host seventh-place Stoke City on Saturday, while Arsene Wenger’s side plays host to London rival Chelsea a day later.

In Spain, Atletico Madrid hold a slim lead over Barcelona and Real Madrid at the league’s summit, and Diego Simeone’s men will need to be up to the task against Sevilla, currently seventh in La Liga.

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE

Fresh off of a massive 2-0 FA Cup win over Leicester, Tottenham travels to eighth-place Crystal Palace on Saturday. Head coach Mauricio Pochettino and his side are currently five points off the pace set by leaders Arsenal and Leicester, and a victory would greatly increase the team’s chances of becoming a legitimate title contender.

Manuel Pellegrini’s Manchester City will face one of the Premier League’s biggest surprises in West Ham United, who occupy the sixth position. The Citizens, led by Sergio Aguero’s 10 goals, sit one point out of first place.

SATURDAY

Norwich City vs. Liverpool

Crystal Palace vs. Tottenham Hotspur

Leicester City vs. Stoke City

Manchester United vs. Southampton

Sunderland vs. AFC Bournemouth

Watford vs. Newcastle United

West Bromwich Albion vs. Aston Villa

West Ham United vs. Manchester City

SUNDAY

Everton vs. Swansea City

Arsenal vs. Chelsea

SPANISH LA LIGA

After Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez missed Barcelona’s midweek Copa del Rey clash against Athletic Bilbao, Luis Enrique’s club will be hopeful that both men can return against Malaga. Suarez is eligible to appear for the Blaugrana, while an injury could keep Messi out of the team for another match.

Meanwhile, Bilbao plays host to Eibar, who currently sits sixth in La Liga. Like Eibar, fellow surprise Celta Vigo will face relegation side Rayo Vallecano, with the opportunity to further solidify its superb 2015-16 season.

FRIDAY

Sporting Gijon vs. Real Sociedad

SATURDAY

Malaga vs. Barcelona

Espanyol vs. Villareal

Granada vs. Getafe

Rayo Vallecano vs. Celta Vigo

SUNDAY

Athletic Bilbao vs. Eibar

Atletico Madrid vs. Sevilla

Deportivo La Coruña vs. Valencia

Real Betis vs. Real Madrid

MONDAY

Levante vs. Las Palmas

GERMAN BUNDESLIGA

Bayern Munich currently holds an eight point advantage at the top of the Bundesliga table, and Pep Guardiola’s side will head to Hamburg on Friday to meet the mid-table club. Munich have just one loss on the 2015-16 campaign and boast a +38 goal differential.

Fifth-place Bayer Leverkusen will face relegation side Hoffenheim, currently last in Bundesliga, with the hopes of moving into the fourth and final UEFA Champions League position. The league’s bottom seven clubs are all firmly in the relegation battle, as the teams are only separated by six points.

FRIDAY

Hamburg SV vs. Bayern Munich

SATURDAY

FC Cologne vs. Stuttgart

Ingolstadt vs. Mainz

Hanover vs. Darmstadt

Hertha Berlin vs. Augsburg

Hoffenheim vs. Bayer Leverkusen

Borussia Monchengladbach vs. Borussia Dortmund

SUNDAY

Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Wolfsburg

Schalke vs. Werder Bremen

ITALIAN SERIE A

Reigning Serie A champions Juventus, currently second in this year’s table, will meet fifth-place Roma, which currently holds the final European competition spot in Italy’s top flight. Despite a plethora of vacancies left by last year’s team in the attack, Paulo Dybala has filled in admirably for the Bianconeri, scoring 11 goals this campaign.

Two top-five hopefuls will meet on Saturday, when eighth-place Empoli hosts AC Milan. The latter sits two positions above Empoli in the table.

SATURDAY

Frosinone vs Atalanta

Empoli vs. AC Milan

SUNDAY

Fiorentina vs. Torino

Hellas Verona vs. Genoa

Inter Milan vs. Carpi

Lazio vs. Chievo Verona

Palermo vs. Udinese

Sampdoria vs. Napoli

Sassuolo vs. Bologna

Juventus vs. Roma

FRENCH LIGUE 1

League leader Paris Saint-Germain is set to face third-place Angers in a battle of Ligue 1 heavyweights. Despite the team’s high standing in the league, Angers currently trails Zlatan Ibrahimovic and PSG by 23 points.

Last place Troyes, currently buried in the relegation zone with eight points, travels to Lille on Saturday. As it stands, the club needs 14 points to climb out of the bottom three, although that feat seems quite unrealistic.

FRIDAY

Stade Rennes vs. Ajaccio

SATURDAY

Paris Saint-Germain vs. Angers

Guingamp vs. Bastia

Lille vs. Troyes

Montpellier vs. Caen

Nantes vs. Bordeaux

Nice vs. Lorient

SUNDAY

Monaco vs. Toulouse

Stade de Reims vs. St Etienne

Lyon vs. Marseille

Can Monchengladbach knock off Dortmund? Will Arsenal still lead the Premier League after this weekend?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Really excited for the Dortmund-MGladbach fixture this week and glad to see the return of the Bundesliga…it’s been sorely missed. I have to say that I’ve been surprisingly entertained by the Italian League this year and Juve-Roma will be a must watch fixture as well…I’m also enjoying watching Napoli play and hope BEIN runs that fixture.

    Reply

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