European action continues as we prepare for the second legs of the Champions League Round of 16. The Europa League also enters a similar phase of the competition, with a few big names still in contention.
In the Premier League, Manchester City head into a double gameweek, while Tottenham take on Everton in a crunch tie, at the top of the table. But the biggest match of the week comes from Merseyside as Arsenal visit Anfield.
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Real Madrid’s inconsistent performances of late have allowed Barcelona to overtake them in the La Liga with Los Blancos desperate to go on a good run of form. The Serie A, meanwhile, sees second-placed Roma take on third-placed Napoli in what has all the makings of an entertaining week of football action.
#1 Gunners’ trip to Anfield highlights EPL week
Following a string of disappointing results in 2017, Liverpool find themselves in fifth position in the league and a point off a Champions League spot. The Reds were beaten by manager-less Leicester City, who were themselves struggling to find a win since the turn of the year. Jurgen Klopp’s side have yet another tough task ahead of them as they welcome Arsenal to Anfield on the weekend, in the hopes that they can avoid any more slip-ups.
Manchester United are back in league action, following their victory in the EFL Cup final last week. They host struggling Bournemouth, who have lost all of their last five games in the league.
Tottenham face a tough challenge this week when Everton visit White Hart Lane on Sunday. The Toffees are unbeaten in their last nine league games and are currently in the seventh position in the league. Spurs are aiming to maintain their second spot but will have to get past a resilient Everton team.
League leaders Chelsea face a daunting trip to the London Stadium to take on West Ham in what will be a difficult test for Antonio Conte’s team. Manchester City are in league action twice this week as they travel to bottom-of-the-table Sunderland, followed by a visit from Stoke on Wednesday.
An important battle at the bottom of the table takes place as Hull City travel to reigning Champions Leicester City.
#2 Barcelona and Real Madrid continue top of the table battle
Real Madrid surrendered their lead at the top of La Liga following their entertaining 3-3 draw against Las Palmas, although Los Blancos still have a game in hand. Barcelona made sure that they didn’t slip up as they convincingly won their mid-week game against Sporting Gijon, 6-1.
The Catalans are in fine form and have showed that they will not surrender their league title to rivals Real Madrid without a fight. Madrid face a tricky trip to Eibar this week, while Barcelona host Celta Vigo at Camp Nou.
Valencia have shown a slight uptake in form recently and will now travel to the capital to face fourth-placed Atletico Madrid. Sevilla are also looking to keep up with the top two as they visit Alaves on Monday night.
#3 Roma host Napoli in crucial Serie A tie
Juventus look like clear favourites to retain their Serie A crown as they sit seven points clear of their nearest rivals with 12 games left to play. Roma, who are Juventus’ closest challengers have won all of their previous four games in the Serie A but will face a tough test against Napoli this week. Gli Azzurri are five points adrift of Roma at the moment but they can bring the gap down to two if they beat their opponents this week.
The Milan teams are currently not in contention for a guaranteed European spot but there is no doubt that they will be desperate to to climb up the table soon.
This week sees Juventus take on struggling Udinese, while Inter Milan travel to Cagliari and AC Milan host Chievo. Fourth-placed Atalanta also face a difficult task against Fiorentina but must win if they are to remain in the hunt for a Champions League spot.
#4 Barcelona and Arsenal target Champions League turnarounds
Both Barcelona and Arsenal returned from their respective first-leg away fixtures with damaging results. Luis Enrique’s team were humiliated by Paris Saint-Germain 4-0 at the Parc de Princes over a fortnight ago, while Arsenal were left demoralised after a 5-1 thumping at the hands of Bayern Munich in Germany. While a turnaround seems highly unlikely for both sides, it is surely not impossible.
In the other two fixtures, Napoli will aim to overturn a 3-1 deficit against Real Madrid in Italy. Los Blancos have not been consistent of late and Napoli manager Maurizio Sarri will see that as an opportunity for his side to beat the Spanish giants.
Benfica also came away surprise winners against Borussia Dortmund in the first-leg but only hold a one-goal advantage. Dortmund must step up their game and put away their chances if they are to stand a meaningful chance of progressing to the next round.
#5 Manchester United due to make long trip to Russia
Manchester United managed to breeze past St.Etienne in the Round of 32 last week and have been drawn against Russian side Rostov for the Round of 16. The main challenge for the Red Devils is the long trip they have to make, amidst their busy fixture schedule.
Jose Mourinho’s men will then have to make the trip to London to take on Chelsea in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. It will be interesting to see if the Portuguese manager decides to make any drastic changes to his side for the first-leg against Rostov.
In the other noteworthy ties in the Europa League Round of 16, Lyon host Roma, while it is an all-German tie as Borussia Monchengladbach visit Schalke.
Key Fixtures:
Friday
Augsburg vs RB LeipzigBordeaux vs Lyon
Saturday
Manchester United vs BournemouthLeicester City vs Hull CityLiverpool vs ArsenalEibar vs Real MadridBarcelona vs Celta VigoBorussia Dortmund vs Bayer LeverkusenCologne vs Bayern MunichRoma vs NapoliPSG vs Nancy
Sunday
Tottenham vs EvertonSunderland vs Manchester CityAtletico Madrid vs ValenciaUdinese vs JuventusMonaco vs Nantes
Monday
West Ham United vs ChelseaAlaves vs Sevilla
Tuesday
Arsenal vs Bayern Munich (Champions League)Napoli vs Real Madrid (Champions League)
Wednesday
Barcelona vs PSG (Champions League)Borussia Dortmund vs Benfica (Champions League)
Thursday
Rostov vs Manchester United (Europa League)Lyon vs Roma (Europa League)
