Five things to look forward to in Europe this week

As we head into the final week of January, there is still loads of football to be played. The Premier League is on hold until mid-week, with the FA Cup fourth round taking place over the weekend.

As the top of the table remains tight in Germany, Spain and France, we can expect some mouth-watering action across Europe.

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#1 FA Cup fourth round kicks off the weekend

With no Premier League matches this weekend, it will be the FA Cup fourth round that takes the front seat. Out of form Manchester City will travel to London to take on Sam Allardyce’s Crystal Palace, as Pep Guardiola aims to get his team firing on all fronts once again.

Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United have home ties against Wolves, Brentford, Wycombe and Wigan, respectively.

Arsenal have a tough time as they make the trip to Southampton, in what will arguably be the game to watch out for in the fourth round. The Saints already caused an upset when they beat Liverpool in both legs of the EFL Cup semi-finals and they will be looking for a similar result against the Gunners.

#2 Leipzig face tough Hoffenheim test in Bundesliga

Leipzig will look to keep pace with the league leaders

Red Bull Leipzig managed to recover from the disappointing form that they showed at the start of the year, as they comfortably beat Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0 on home soil, last week. They will now take on third-placed Hoffenheim with the aim to close the gap on Bayern Munich at the top.

Despite still being in the top three in the Bundesliga, Hoffenheim have struggled to find form off late. They have drawn six of their last eight games in the league but are the only team in Germany yet to lose a league game.

Bayern Munich will also feature in as they travel to relegation-threatened Werder Bremen, while Borussia Dortmund are desperate to get their season going as they visit Mainz.

#3 PSG aim to get back in title race against Monaco

PSG host Monaco in what promises to be a cracker

While PSG have enjoyed complete domination in Ligue 1, in recent years, the same cannot be said of their season so far. The Parisians are currently in third place, three points behind leaders Monaco. But they will have a fantastic chance to close that gap when they welcome the league leaders to the Parc de Princes. Both clubs are on a good run of form, winning their last three games in Ligue 1, while second-placed Nice failed to do the same.

Nice have drawn their three previous games, thus dropping down a position after topping the table for most of the season. Mario Balotelli and co. will see the PSG vs Monaco game as a great opportunity to go back on top but will have a tough task against fifth-placed Guingamp.

#4 Premier League resumes as Chelsea travel to Liverpool

Chelsea will look to avenge their loss from earlier in the season

Back in England, gameweek 23 of the Premier League will be played midweek, following the FA Cup games over the weekend. Arsenal’s dramatic win over Burnley last week will hopefully serve as a huge confidence booster as Arsene Wenger’s side look to close the gap on Chelsea. The Gunners will take on struggling Watford at the Emirates, in the hopes of recording their third straight victory.

Tottenham will travel to lowly Sunderland as they look to get back to winning ways, after sharing the points at the Etihad last week.

Manchester City have won only one of their last four games and have dropped down to fifth in the league. They will visit a rejuvenated West Ham side that have now climbed into the top half of the table. Manchester United will host Hull City in the two clubs’ third meeting, this month alone.

But the biggest fixture takes place as league leaders Chelsea travel to Merseyside to face Liverpool in a crunch tie. Jurgen Klopp’s team beat the Blues in the reverse fixture but have failed to win any matches at Anfield in 2017.

#5 A lot at stake at the top of La Liga

Madrid will look to extend their lead at the top

Only two points now separate the top three teams in La Liga as the race for the title heats up. Real Madrid have suffered a dip in form, following a 40-game unbeaten run. They lost for the first time in the league this season a couple of weeks ago to Sevilla but got back to winning ways when they beat Malaga last weekend.

Zinedine Zidane’s men will host Real Sociedad as they look to get the three points once more.

Barring a couple of hiccups in recent weeks, third-placed Barcelona seem to be back to their best. They too play in the Copa del Rey before travelling to Real Betis over the weekend. Sevilla are aiming to make it six wins in a row when they visit Espanyol on Sunday. All three of the top teams must win to look to heap pressure on each other.

Key Fixtures:

Thursday

Hull City v Manchester United (Capital One Cup)Barcelona vs Real Sociedad (Copa del Rey)

Saturday

Liverpool vs Wolves (FA Cup)Crystal Palace vs Manchester City (FA Cup)Chelsea vs Brentford (FA Cup)Tottenham vs Wycombe (FA Cup)Southampton vs Arsenal (FA Cup)Real Madrid vs MalagaWerder Bremen vs Bayern MunichRB Leipzig vs HoffenheimLyon vs Lille

Sunday

Manchester United vs Wigan (FA Cup)Real Betis vs BarcelonaEspanyol vs SevillaReal Madrid vs Real SociedadSassuolo vs JuventusPSG vs Monaco

Tuesday

Arsenal vs WatfordSunderland vs TottenhamLiverpool vs Chelsea

Wednesday

West Ham vs Manchester CityManchester United vs Hull CityInter Milan vs Lazio (Coppa Italia)