Over this weekend, across the different top European leagues, fans would witness fierce rivalries between the clubs. All teams go into the match with the dream of getting all three points at the back of their heads. It is nearing the end of the season and the teams are desperate to take as many points as they can to solidify their position at the top or to make it into Champions League qualification spots.
In EPL, there will be two huge derbies to watch, one of them held in London and another held in Liverpool. Tottenham would play hosts to Arsenal at the Wembley Stadium and Everton would host Liverpool at Goodison Park. Surely, all these sides have a lot to fight for and each derby has been more exciting than the previous one.
The temper and intensity are bound to rise in such fixtures. At the end of the game, fans of the victorious side would go on to stake their claim and show their support for the club. Here is a look at the three high-profile clashes that will take place this weekend.
#3 Tottenham vs Arsenal
The North London derby would be one of the most crucial outings for both the sides as they are now competing for a precious spot in the top four. For two consecutive seasons, the Gunners have failed to qualify for UEFA Champions League while their arch-rivals have succeeded. In Unai Emery's first season in charge, they are eager to get the club back into the European competition.
The derby would an ideal platform for Tottenham to create all sorts of trouble for Gunners, in their pursuit of the top four finish. The Lilywhites have lost two consecutive games this week and they need a positive result from this game in order to relieve some pressure off themselves.
On the other hand, this match serves as an opportunity for the Gunners to reduce the gap to just one point between the third and fourth spot. Tottenham had knocked out Arsenal out of the Carabao Cup this season, denying Emery the possibility of getting his hands onto the domestic trophy.
#2 Everton vs Liverpool
The forms of the two clubs have been contrasting with Liverpool is aiming to get the Premier League trophy and Everton trying to stay in the top half of the table. The Toffees started their season brilliantly, but things changed after the Merseyside derby at Anfield. From then on, the team looked jaded and disorientated at times, dropping too many points along the season.
In the last game at Anfield, Liverpool emerged out as victorious with just one goal by Divock Origi in dying moments. England goalkeeper, Jordan Pickford, made an absolutely horrible mistake and misjudged the ball. That cost his side not to get any points from the match.
Now at Goodison Park, the stakes are high. If Liverpool were to lose to their opponents, they could end up handing the title to Manchester City. Everton would be desperate to win so that Marco Silva can keep his job and prove to fans that he is the right man to lead the club. If Everton were to be on the losing end, Silva could be on his way out of the club sooner than expected. Nothing but a win is required for Liverpool to keep up the pace against Manchester City. Both sides are expected to throw in everything they have just to seal the victory.
#1 Real Madrid vs Barcelona
El Clásico is considered to be one of the biggest derbies between the top two Spanish League clubs. In the most recent clash, Barcelona has knock-out Madrid from the Copa del Rey semi-final, with a 3-0 win at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. It was a hard physical battle as the game ended with 30 fouls and 4 yellow cards.
Barcelona are currently enjoying a nine-point gap from their arch-rivals in the league and a win in this fixture would solidify the lead. After such an embarrassing loss at home, Madrid would be keen to inflict some damage against Barca in order to keep alive their title hopes. Madrid have struggled to impress this season and they have lost seven games in La Liga thus far. This has been extremely damaging and the club could end up not winning any titles this season.
With all the pressure on Solari's team to perform, Barcelona may find it easier to perform without that much attention and pressure. Most recently, the home side lost to Girona at home with Sergio Ramos seeing red. When they beat Levante in La Liga, Real Madrid needed two penalties to help them secure the three points. The favourite of this tie is clearly Barcelona but there is still much to play in this clash.