For most of this season it looked like Napoli would run off with the Serie A title after a dominant start. However, the script has been changed with defending champions Juventus currently leading the table by four points over their opponents this weekend.
The Old Lady defeated Napoli, 1-0, at the San Paolo back in December, handing Maurizio Sarai’s men their first league loss of the season. Former Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain leads Juventus with 22 goals in all competitions this season, and netted the winner against his old team in their first meeting. Napoli is unbeaten in their the six fixtures, and know a victory will make for a dramatic ending to the season. Dries Mertens leads the team with 17 goals this campaign.
Elsewhere in Europe, Barcelona and Sevilla will duke it out for the Copa Del Rey crown. In England, Manchester United face Tottenham in one of the F.A. Cup semifinals while Southampton face Chelsea in the other. Borussia Dortmund welcome Bayer Leverkusen to town in the Bundesliga match of the weekend. PSG travels to Bordeaux in Ligue 1 play, while Atletico Madrid hosts Real Betis in a top -five showdown in La Liga.
Here’s a closer look at this weekend’s European action:
ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
West Bromwich Albion’s hopes of remaining a Premier League Team next season come down to this weekend’s home date with Liverpool.
The Baggies grabbed a huge three points last weekend against Manchester United and but know a loss this weekend will see them relegated to the EFL Championship. Jay Rodriguez’s seven goals lead the Baggies this season.
Liverpool is unbeaten in six straight and will use this as preparation for next week’s Champions League first leg against Roma. Mohamed Salah has 30 goals and nine assists in league play for Liverpool this season.
Here’s all of this weekend’s EPL fixtures:
Saturday
- West Bromwich Albion vs. Liverpool
- Watford vs. Crystal Palace
Sunday
- Arsenal vs. West Ham United
- Stoke City vs. Burnley
- Manchester City vs. Swansea City
Monday
- Everton vs. Newcastle United
ENGLISH F.A. CUP
Manchester United’s only hope of lifting a trophy this season will be in the F.A. Cup, and Jose Mourinho’s men face Tottenham in the semifinals this weekend.
The Red Devils were shocked by West Brom last weekend but bounced back against Bournemouth midweek. Romelu Lukaku leads the team with five goals in the competition this season. T
ottenham is winless in their last two matches, losing to Manchester City 3-1 and tying Brighton 1-1 respectively. Harry Kane leads Spurs with four goals in the F.A. Cup this season.
Saturday
- Manchester United vs. Tottenham Hotspur
Sunday
- Chelsea vs. Southampton
SPANISH LA LIGA
A top five clash takes place in Spain this weekend with Atletico Madrid hosting Real Betis at home.
Diego Simeone’s men are coming off a 3-0 beating from Real Sociedad on Thursday and know there is a quick turnaround for this fixture. Atletico has now lost three league matches since the March, more than the entire rest of the season.
A good run of form for Betis has them sitting in position for possibly a place in next year’s Europa League. Sergio Leon leads the team with 11 goals this season.
Here’s all of this weekend’s La Liga fixtures:
Friday
- Leganes vs. Deportivo
Saturday
- Eibar vs. Getafe
- Celta Vigo vs. Valencia
Sunday
- Girona vs. Espanyol
- Malaga vs. Real Sociedad
- Las Palmas vs. Alaves
- Atletico Madrid vs. Real Betis
Monday
- Athletic Bilbao vs. Levante
SPANISH COPA DEL REY
Barcelona will aim for their first trophy of the season as they duke it out with Sevilla on Saturday in the Copa Del Rey final.
Sevilla ousted Leganes 3-1 on aggregate in the semifinals while Barcelona beat Valencia 3-0. Three players are tied with three goals each in the Copa Del Rey this season.
Lionel Messi will look to carry Barcelona to another Copa Del Rey title. Joaquin Correa leads Sevilla with five goals in the competition this season, while Wissam Ben Yedder has been a nice supplement offensively.
Saturday
- Sevilla vs. Barcelona
GERMAN BUNDESLIGA
After a tough derby defeat last weekend at Schalke, Borussia Dortmund faces another this weekend as they welcome Bayer Leverkusen to Signal Iduna Park.
With Michy Batshuayi injured for the conclusion of the season, Maximilian Philipp is expected to start at forward for Dortmund. The German has seven goals in league play this season.
Leverkusen has leaped over Dortmund in the standings, as both sides are even on 51 points each. Despite a heavy defeat midweek in German Cup action, Leverkusen should be expected to get a point at least. Kevin Volland and Leon Bailey have combined for 23 league goals this season.
Here’s all of this weekend’s Bundesliga fixtures:
Friday
- Borussia Monchengladbach vs. VfL Wolfsburg
Saturday
- RB Leizpig vs. 1899 Hoffenheim
- Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Hertha Berlin
- Hamburg SV vs. SC Freiburg
- Hannover 96 vs. Bayern Munich
- VfB Stuttgart vs. Werder Bremen
- Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayer Leverkusen
Sunday
- FC Augsburg vs. FSV Mainz
- FC Koln vs. Schalke 04
ITALIAN SERIE A
Also on Saturday in Italy, Lazio will face off with Sampdoria in a top-ten clash at the Olimpico.
The hosts held on for three points midweek in a thrilling 4-3 win over Fiorentina, with Spanish midfielder Luis Alberto scoring twice. The 25-year-old has 11 league goals for Lazio this season.
Sampdoria is in eighth place and have won two of their last four matches in league play. Fabio Quagliarella leads the team with 18 goals this season but only has one over his last eight appearances for the club. Lazio defeated Sampdoria 2-1 back in December, and have won the last three meetings.
Here’s all of this weekend’s Serie A fixtures:
Saturday
- Spal vs. AS Roma
- Sassuolo vs. Fiorentina
- AC Milan vs. Benevento
Sunday
- Cagliari vs. Bologna
- Udinese vs. Crotone
- Chievo Verona vs. Inter Milan
- Lazio vs. Sampdoria
- Atalanta vs. Torino
- Juventus vs. Napoli
Monday
- Genoa vs. Hellas Verona
FRENCH LIGUE 1
PSG clinched the Ligue 1 title last weekend and will now gear up for a road test against Bordeaux.
Unai Emery’s side also won midweek in the Coupe de France semifinals over Caen, setting up a chance for a domestic treble. The attack of Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe has been deadly for PSG and the duo will hope for more goals this weekend.
Bordeaux has won their last two fixtures over Lille and Montpellier respectively, conceding only two goals total over those fixtures. Brazilian playmaker Malcom is a dangerous player for Bordeaux and could provide problems for the PSG backline.
Here’s all of this weekend’s Ligue 1 fixtures:
Friday
- Nantes vs. Rennes
- Dijon vs. Lyon
Saturday
- Marseille vs. Lille
- Amiens vs. Strasbourg
- Guingamp vs. AS Monaco
- Metz vs. Caen
- Toulouse vs. Angers
Sunday
- Nice vs. Montpellier
- St. Etienne vs. Troyes
- Bordeaux vs. Paris Saint-Germain