Another weekend of European league action is upon us, and a cracking North London Derby kickstarts the Premier League slate on Saturday.
Tottenham faces off with rivals Arsenal at Wembley, looking to jump into the top four and further distance themselves from their rivals. Spurs drew, 2-2, with Liverpool in a thrilling match at Anfield last Sunday. Harry Kane is the main man for Spurs, leading the way with 22 league goals this season. Arsenal, four points back from Tottenham in the standings, rolled past Everton, 5-1, at the Emirates Stadium. Aaron Ramsey led the way with a hat trick for the Gunners, while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang netted his first goal in his debut. Spurs have not lost at home to Arsenal since 2013-14, and will look to extend that run this weekend.
Elsewhere across Europe, Bayern Munich faces off with Schalke in Bundesliga action on Saturday, while Borussia Dortmund hosts Hamburg. Real Madrid welcomes Real Sociedad to town in the La Liga, looking to extend a three-match unbeaten run in league play. A pair of top-three sides will duke it out in Italy as Napoli hosts Lazio on Saturday, while PSG travels to Toulouse in Ligue 1 play.
Here’s a closer look at this weekend’s European action:
ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
Saturday’s action closes with league leaders Manchester City playing host to Leicester City at the Etihad. Pep Guardiola’s men drew, 1-1, with Burnley last weekend, which snapped a four-match winning run in all competitions. The Citizens hold a 13 point lead in the standings, which could very well be extended with three points at home. Sergio Aguero leads the team with 17 goals in league play, and 24 in all competitions. Leicester City drew, 1-1, with Swansea last weekend, and are comfortably in eighth place in the league standings. Jamie Vardy leads the team with 12 goals this season, while playmaker Riyad Mahrez is expected to sit out again for the Foxes this weekend.
Here’s all of this weekend’s EPL fixtures:
Saturday
- Tottenham Hotspur vs. Arsenal
- Everton vs. Crystal Palace
- Stoke City vs. Brighton & Hove Albion
- Swansea City vs. Burnley
- West Ham United vs. Watford
- Manchester City vs. Leicester City
Sunday
- Huddersfield Town vs. AFC Bournemouth
- Newcastle United vs. Manchester United
- Southampton vs. Liverpool
Monday
- Chelsea vs. West Bromwich Albion
SPANISH LA LIGA
Real Madrid will hope for three points at the Santiago Bernabeu this weekend as they welcome Real Sociedad to town. Los Blancos are a point off of third place in the standings, currently sitting on 39 points overall. Cristiano Ronaldo is leading the team with eight goals this season, including four in his last three appearances. Real Sociedad snapped a four-match losing streak with a 5-0 home win over Deportivo last weekend. Brazilian striker Willian Jose is the lone man with double-digit goals this season, netting 11 so far.
League leaders Barcelona will look to further increase their lead in the standings, hosting Getafe on Sunday. Ernesto Valverde’s side have won five of their last six matches across all competitions, allowing only two goals in that span. Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez have combined for 36 league goals this season, which is 10 more than the Getafe team has as a whole. Getafe have drawn three straight in league play, which sees them sitting in 11th place. 30-year-old Angel Diaz has eight goals since his move to the club in the offseason.
Here’s all of this weekend’s La Liga fixtures:
Friday
- Athletic Bilbao vs. Las Palmas
Saturday
- Villarreal vs. Alaves
- Malaga vs. Atletico Madrid
- Leganes vs. Eibar
- Real Madrid vs. Real Sociedad
Sunday
- Sevilla vs. Girona
- Barcelona vs. Getafe
- Celta Vigo vs. Espanyol
- Valencia vs. Levante
Monday
- Deportivo vs. Real Betis
GERMAN BUNDESLIGA
Saturday’s action in Germany’s top-flight sees Borussia Dortmund face off with Hamburg at home. The hosts earned their first win of 2018 last weekend, defeating Koln, 3-2, away from home. Chelsea loanee Michy Batshuayi netted a brace in his Dortmund debut, while Andre Schurrle scored the winner. A victory paired with other results this weekend could see Dortmund move up to second in the league table. Hamburg have not won a league fixture since Nov. 26th, going eight matches without a victory. They are in 17th place, and three points from safety with 17 points earned so far. Goalscoring has been a huge problem for Hamburg, who are tied with Koln with 17 goals scored so far. Attacking midfielder Filip Kostic leads the bunch with four goals scored.
The headlining match on Saturday sees league leaders Bayern Munich duke it out with Schalke. Since a Nov. 25th defeat to Borussia Monchengladbach, Bayern have won 11 in a row in all competitions. Robert Lewandowski has been a one-man wrecking crew, scoring 18 goals in league action. Schalke have dropped to fifth place after two defeats in the new year. Austrian international Guido Burgstaller leads the team with seven goals scored, while Amine Harit has three assists. Bayern cruised to a 3-0 win at Schalke earlier this season.
Here’s all of this weekend’s Bundesliga fixtures:
Friday
- RB Leipzig vs. Augsburg
Saturday
- Borussia Dortmund vs. Hamburg SV
- 1899 Hoffenheim vs. FSV Mainz
- Eintracht Frankfurt vs. FC Koln
- Bayer Leverkusen vs. Hertha Berlin
- Hannover 96 vs. SC Freiburg
- Bayern Munich vs. Schalke 04
ITALIAN SERIE A
League leaders Napoli will have a tough task this weekend, facing off with third-place Lazio on Saturday. Maurizio Sarri’s side are winners of their last seven league fixtures, outscoring their opponents, 15-4, over that span. Scoring four goals in his last three fixtures has seen Belgian international Dries Mertens up his goal tally to 14 goals. Lazio will look to end a three-match winless run as they look to avenge a 4-1 home defeat to Napoli earlier this season. Ciro Immobile has 20 goals for Lazio this season, including a four-goal performance to start the new year. Lazio will look for their first win over Napoli since May 2015.
Here’s all of this weekend’s Serie A fixtures:
Friday
- Fiorentina vs. Juventus
Saturday
- Spal vs. AC Milan
- Crotone vs. Atalanta
- Napoli vs. Lazio
Sunday
- Sassuolo vs. Cagliari
- Inter Milan vs. Bologna
- Chievo Verona vs. Genoa
- Sampdoria vs. Hellas Verona
- Torino vs. Udinese
- AS Roma vs. Benevento
FRENCH LIGUE 1
Ligue 1 action kicks off on Friday as St. Etienne welcomes Marseille to the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard. The hosts are winners of their last two matches, defeating Caen and Amiens respectively. French striker Jonathan Bamba leads the team with six goals scored, and has been a nice bright spot for the future. Marseille are sitting 22 points ahead of their weekend opponents, and have won five of their last six matches overall. Florian Thauvin has continued his superb season, improving to 13 goals scored and 10 assists.
Here’s all of this weekend’s Ligue 1 fixtures:
Friday
- St. Etienne vs. Marseille
Saturday
- Toulouse vs. PSG
- Angers vs. AS Monaco
- Bordeaux vs. Amiens
- Dijon vs. Nice
- Guingamp vs. Caen
- Metz vs. Montpellier
Sunday
- Strasbourg vs. Troyes
- Nantes vs. Lille
- Lyon vs. Rennes