The European gameweek kicks off with a late Friday night fixture between Juventus and Palermo in Gameweek 25 of the Italian Serie A, while AC Milan and Fiorentina wrap up the weekend with the last game of the round on Sunday night.
Real Madrid host Espanyol at the Bernabeu on Saturday while their city rivals, Atletico Madrid, travel to take on Sporting Gijon. Barcelona play the final game of the weekend as they prepare to host first-time visitors Leganes in Matchday 23 of the Spanish Primera Division.
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Over in Germany, while the Bundesliga failed to hit the 50,000th goal mark last weekend, it is sure to happen this time around as the league is now poised at 49,999 goals. Defending champions Bayern Munich travel to the capital in the hope of further extending their seven-point lead at the top.
Borussia Dortmund will hope to record a victory against Wolfsburg after losing to last place Darmstadt during the previous gameweek. With just seven points separating the teams between third and seventh positions, a positive result is imperative if Tuchel’s side want to keep their dreams of qualifying for next season’s Champions League alive.
Here’a look at the best statistics heading into the European gameweek:
Real Madrid vs Espanyol
- Real Madrid are unbeaten against Espanyol at the Santiago Bernabeu in their last 20 games which includes 17 wins and three draws. Their last defeat to the Catalan side came in 1996 when they lost 2-1.
- Real Madrid are currently on a run of seven home game victories in the Spanish league. The only time they enjoyed a better run was under Carlo Ancelotti in February 2015 when they won nine games in succession.
Barcelona vs Leganes
- Barcelona are currently enjoying the present season’s best unbeaten run. The Blaugrana are undefeated in 15 consecutive La Liga games which include 10 wins and 5 draws.
- Newly promoted side Leganes will play their first ever game at the Camp Nou on Sunday night. What makes the task so daunting is the failure of any team’s ability to win their first game there in the recent past. The only two sides to win their first match at the Camp were Villarreal in 1998 and Malaga in 1999.
Sporting Gijon vs Atletico Madrid
- Atletico Madrid have been unable to record a victory against Sporting Gijon at El Molinon in their last four encounters, drawing two and losing two as well. The last time the Rojiblancos won their away fixture against the Asturians was in 2008 when they won 2-5.
- The last time Sporting Gijon won two consecutive home games against Atletico was in 1984 when they won 2-0 in 1983 and then 2-1 in 1984.
Hertha BSC vs Bayern Munich
- Hertha Berlin have defeated the Bavarians just once in their previous 26 meetings in the Bundesliga. The only time the Berlin side defeated Bayern Munich in that time was on 14 February 2009 when they won 2-1.
- Hertha BSC have failed to net against Bayern Munich in their last five first division games amounting to a total of 474 minutes. This is the first time they have set such an unwanted record against a single side in the top-flight in the club’s history.
Borussia Dortmund vs Vfl Wolfsburg
- Borussia Dortmund have set a 30-game unbeaten run at home in the league so far. It is the ninth best record in the Bundesliga and if they are to remain unbeaten against Wolfsburg at Signal Iduna Park, they will climb to eighth to share the spot with Christoph Daum’s Bayer Leverkusen 04 team from the 1990s.
- Marco Reus has found the back of the net nine times in as many games against Vfl Wolfsburg.
Juventus vs Palermo
- Juventus have defeated Palermo in their nine previous meetings in the Serie A. While the defending champions have scored 18 goals in those games, they have conceded none. The last time Palermo scored against Juventus was in February 2011, 880 game minutes have elapsed since then.
AC Milan vs Fiorentina
- AC Milan have performed poorly against Fiorentina in the Italian league. The Rossoneri have won just two of their 11 games against the side drawing four and losing five. One of their two victories came in the reverse fixture in the first half of the current season.
