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European Weekend Preview: Real Madrid-Atletico, Liverpool-Man City and more

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While Barcelona looks to extend its lead at the top of La Liga this weekend, the Madrid Derby will take center stage on Saturday.

Currently second and third on the league table, Atletico and Real will meet for the second time with season. After finishing in a 1-1 tie back in October, both sides need three points in order to stay within reach of the Blaugrana. While Real has scored twice as many goals at Atleti this campaign, the latter have only conceded 11 goals in 25 league matches.

Manchester City and Liverpool will battle it out at Wembley Stadium on Sunday to determine this year’s Capital One Cup champion. The Citizens last hoisted the trophy in 2014, while the Reds’ most recent title came four years prior.

Meanwhile, the English Premier League features a key fixture in this year’s title race. Third place Arsenal will travel to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United, currently fifth in the EPL. The Gunners are coming off of a 2-0 defeat midweek in the UEFA Champions League against Barcelona, while United is fresh off of a 5-1 UEFA Europa League victory versus Danish side Midtjylland.

In Italy, league leader Juventus hosts fifth place Inter Milan, while second place Napoli faces third place Fiorentina. Juve currently holds a 15-match unbeaten run heading into Sunday’s meeting with Inter.

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE

Chelsea can move up to ninth in the EPL with a victory over Southampton over the weekend. The Blues have found tremendous form over the second half of the season courtesy of interim head coach Guus Hiddink. The London club hammered Manchester City, 5-1, last time out in the FA Cup, although the Citizens put out a side consisting of mostly reserves.

Second place Tottenham can make a run at top seed Leicester City this weekend with a win against Swansea City. The Foxes will attempt to avoid a slip-up at home against Norwich City. Jamie Vardy leads the Premier League with 19 goals scored, while Spurs striker Harry Kane trails slightly with 16 strikes.

Saturday

West Ham United vs Sunderland

Stoke City vs Aston Villa

Watford vs AFC Bournemouth

Southampton vs Chelsea

Leicester City vs Norwich City

West Bromwich Albion vs Crystal Palace

Sunday

Manchester United vs Arsenal

Tottenham Hotspur vs Swansea City

SPANISH LIGA BBVA

Barcelona will host Sevilla, currently fifth in La Liga. The Blaugrana hold an eight-point advantage over second place in Spain’s top flight, and with the Madrid Derby going on this weekend, the loser could be in serious trouble with a Barca victory.

Fourth place Villareal takes on Athletic Bilbao this weekend, with the latter in critical need of a win to keep its European hopes alive for 2016-17. Bilbao sits three points behind sixth place Eibar, who will play Las Palmas on Friday.

Friday

Eibar vs Las Palmas

Saturday

Real Madrid vs Atlético Madrid

Getafe vs Celta de Vigo

Sporting Gijón vs Espanyol

Real Betis vs Rayo Vallecano

Real Sociedad vs Málaga

Sunday

Villarreal vs Levante

Valencia vs Athletic Club

Deportivo La Coruña vs Granada

Barcelona vs Sevilla

GERMAN BUNDESLIGA

Bayern Munich will travel to Wolfsburg this weekend, with an eight-point lead over Borussia Dortmund. Munich will surely be looking to take out its frustration on their opposition after drawing 2-2 with Juventus midweek in the Champions League. Pep Guardiola’s side conceded two second-half goals to their Italian counterparts.

After progressing to the final 16 in the Europa League on Thursday, Borussia Dortmund can focus its attention on relegation side Hoffenheim. Thomas Tuchel’s club has consistently followed the pace set by goal-scoring phenom Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The Gabonese striker has scored 32 goals this season in all competitions.

Friday

Köln vs Hertha Berlin

Saturday

Wolfsburg vs Bayern Munich

Hamburger SV vs Ingolstadt

Stuttgart vs Hannover 96

Werder Bremen vs Darmstadt 98

Sunday

Augsburg vs Borussia Monchengladbach

Borussia Dortmund vs Hoffenheim

Mainz 05 vs Bayer Leverkusen

Eintracht Frankfurt vs Schalke 04

ITALIAN SERIE A

Fourth place Roma is still in the conversation for a Champions League spot in Serie A, and a win against Empoli on Saturday would go a long way for the Giallorossi. After a 5-0 thrashing of Palermo last weekend, Roma will look to post a similar result. Miralem Pjanic and Mohamed Salah lead the way for the Rome club with double-digit goals this season in all competitions, recording 11 and 10, respectively.

AC Milan currently sits on the outside looking in for one of Italy’s European competition positions. The Rossoneri will take on 10th place Empoli this weekend, with hopes of closing on the top five. Milan is on an 11-match unbeaten streak at the moment, much of which has been aided by Carlos Bacca’s 13 goals this season.

Saturday

Empoli vs Roma

AC Milan vs Torino

Sunday

Palermo vs Bologna

Carpi vs Atalanta

Sampdoria vs Frosinone

Chievo Verona vs Genoa

Udinese vs Hellas Verona

Juventus vs Internazionale

Monday

Lazio vs Sassuolo

Fiorentina vs Napoli

FRENCH LIGUE 1

Paris Saint-Germain will face fifth place Lyon on Sunday, currently holding a 24-point advantage over second place AS Monaco. Nantes will host Monaco and can jump up to third in the Ligue 1 table, after going unbeaten in 15 straight matches.

Fourth place St Etienne will take on seventh place Caen, with two points differentiating the two sides in the standings. Teams third through 15th in Ligue 1 are currently separated by nine points, giving plenty of teams hope as the season wears down.

Friday

Nice vs Bastia

Saturday

Montpellier vs Lille

Guingamp vs Angers

Troyes vs Lorient

Stade de Reims vs Bordeaux

Toulouse vs Stade Rennes

Sunday

Nantes vs AS Monaco

Saint-Étienne vs Caen

Ajaccio vs Marseille

Olympique Lyon vs PSG

Which Madrid side will be victorious? Who will capture this year’s Capital One Cup?

Share your thoughts below.

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