With only a couple of weeks left in January, European teams are looking to wrap up their transfer business before heading into February.
We begin with the first-legs of the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey, with the three big teams in La Liga all featuring. Bayern Munich kick off league action in Germany on Friday, while Tottenham’s visit to Manchester City and AC Milan’s home tie against Napoli highlight Saturday’s action.
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Another big game in Italy on Sunday will see Juventus host Lazio, while Chelsea and Arsenal will also be in action, over in England. The week concludes with more action from the domestic cup competitions across Europe.
#1 La Liga intensifies following Real Madrid loss
Last week, Sevilla managed to get the better of an unbeaten Real Madrid side, and in turn, blow the La Liga title race wide open. Los Rojiblancos scored two late goals to reduce the gap between the two teams to a single point, although Zinedine Zidane’s side are still atop the table having played a game less than their fellow contenders.
Barcelona and Atletico Madrid also grabbed important victories over the weekend to keep themselves in close contention.
Football in Spain once again kicks off with Copa del Rey in midweek with Celta Vigo travelling to the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium and Atletico Madrid hosting Eibar on Thursday. The following day will see Barcelona in action against Real Sociedad to conclude the first legs of the quarter-final of the Copa del Rey.
Only a couple of days later, teams will be back in league action, with the top four all expected to claim wins. Leaders, Real Madrid will be itching to get back to winning ways against Malaga on Saturday, while Sunday sees the remainder of the top four in action.
Luis Enrique’s team will make the trip up north to Eibar, while Sevilla visit Osasuna. Atletico Madrid will need to keep their run of three wins in a row going against Athletic Bilbao.
#2 High-flying Spurs visit the Etihad
Tottenham are looking to make it seven wins on the bounce when they visit Manchester City over the weekend. The Citizens suffered a heavy loss against Everton last week, losing by four goals to nil. Pep Guardiola will know that his team must step up soon if they are to have even a glimmer of hope of challenging for the title.
A win against second-place Spurs will surely put them back into the fold and add pressure on the other teams. Mauricio Pochettino’s team have already beaten the Sky Blues in the league this season and will be aiming to do the double over them on Saturday.
Elsewhere in England, Liverpool will host a struggling Swansea team at Anfield, while Arsenal also have a relatively easy fixture against Burnley. Stoke City, who just managed to break into the top half of the table, will play host to a Manchester United side that are unbeaten in their last 12 league games.
League leaders Chelsea conclude gameweek 22 in the Premier League when they take on Hull City on Sunday.
#3 Big week for top clubs in Italy
It will be a big gameweek in Italy’s Serie A, as four of the top five teams will face off against one another. Juventus suffered their fourth defeat of the season and their second in their last six games, when they were beaten by Fiorentina last weekend. The Old Lady will be hoping to make amends this Sunday but they will not have it easy as fourth-placed Lazio visit the Juventus Stadium.
Simone Inzaghi’s team have bagged the same amount of points as Juventus in the last six games and are currently five points off their weekend opponents, although Massimiliano Allegri’s men have played a game less.
Saturday’s big game in Serie A will see fifth-placed AC Milan host third-placed Napoli in a crunch tie at the San Siro. Gli Azzurri are unbeaten in their previous 10 games in the league but still remain in third place behind Roma and Juventus.
Milan on the other hand, are four points away from a top three position, having played a game less. It will also be a very important game for Roma, as they take on Cagliari, with the chance to go top of the table.
#4 RB Leipzig aim to regain stability against Frankfurt
Over in Germany, Bayern Munich will have the opportunity to make it six wins in six league games when they travel to Freiburg in Friday’s fixture. The Bavarian club are three points clear at the top of the Bundesliga and are looking like they are back to their very best.
The incredible story of Red Bull Leipzig took a turn for the worse after they lost two of their last three games in the league. It was the only two occasions in which the promoted team lost this season and they will be itching to get their season back on track. They host a tough outfit in Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday, who are currently in the fourth position in the league.
Struggling Borussia Dortmund already look well out of the title race after drawing their last three games in Bundesliga. Thomas Tuchel’s team travel to Werder Bremen in desperate need of a win.
#5 Domestic cups across Europe
The week concludes with another round of domestic cup action across Europe. The second legs of the EFL Cup semi-finals will see Liverpool attempt to overturn a 1-0 deficit against Southampton on Thursday, while Manchester United visit Hull the following day.
The first legs of the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey will also take place as the top teams in Spain look to battle it out for a place in the semis.
The Coppa Italia will also feature a big game in the quarter-finals of the competition as Juventus take on AC Milan in a heavyweight clash. Napoli will also find it difficult as they are drawn against Fiorentina in the same round. The remaining fixtures are yet to be finalised.
Key Fixtures:
Thursday
Real Madrid vs Celta Vigo (Copa del Rey)Atletico Madrid vs Eibar (Copa del Rey)
Friday
Real Sociedad vs Barcelona (Copa del Rey)SC Freiburg vs Bayern Munich
Saturday
Liverpool vs Swansea CityStoke City vs Manchester UnitedManchester City vs TottenhamReal Madrid vs MalagaWerder Bremen vs Borussia DortmundRB Leipzig vs Eintracht FrankfurtAC Milan vs Napoli
Sunday
Arsenal vs BurnleyChelsea vs Hull CityAtletico Bilbao vs Atletico MadridEibar vs BarcelonaJuventus vs Lazio
Wednesday
Eibar vs Atletico Madrid (Copa del Rey)Celta Vigo vs Real Madrid (Copa del Rey)Napoli vs Fiorentina (Coppa Italia)Juventus vs AC Milan (Coppa Italia)Liverpool vs Southampton (EFL Cup)
