As the top of the table remains tight in Germany, Spain and France, we can expect some mouth-watering action across Europe.
#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
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
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
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
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)
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title: “Five Things To Look Forward To In Europe This Week” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-28” author: “Ava Richard”
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.
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)
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