It’s that time of the week again when we run through a selection of the most exciting matches taking place this weekend and offer our best bets and value picks.
Manchester City v Arsenal (Friday)
Premier League rivals Manchester City and Arsenal clash at the Etihad Stadium on Friday in the FA Cup fourth round. Pep Guardiola’s side will be regarded as favourites having won their last five meetings with the north London club, and with four wins from their last five at home, including victories over Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham, will fancy their chances of victory.
Brighton v Liverpool (Sunday)
In another high-profile FA Cup tie, Liverpool take on Brighton at the Amex Stadium on Sunday. Surprisingly, it is the Seagulls who are ahead of the Reds in the league standings, sitting in sixth place with 31 points, while Jurgen Klopp’s side lie ninth in the table on 29 points. These sides met in the league earlier this month where Roberto de Zerbi’s side ran out 3-0 victors in East Sussex.
Girona v Barcelona (Saturday)
Barcelona return to LaLiga Santander action looking to maintain their three-point lead at the top of the table when they take on Girona at the Municipal de Montilivi stadium on Saturday. Xaxi Hernandez’s side eased to a 3-1 victory when they played their Catalan rivals in a pre-season friendly in July last year.
Sevilla v Elche (Saturday)
Sevilla will be looking to continue their good run of form and continue their push up the table when they host bottom side Elche at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium on Saturday. Jorge Sampaoli’s side have won four of their last five games in all competitions, and their 1-0 win over Cadiz moved them four places up the ladder to 15th.
Napoli v Roma (Sunday)
Runaway Serie A leaders Napoli welcome Roma to the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium on Sunday. Luciano Spalletti’s side have been excellent this term, especially on their home turf with eight wins and a draw from nine games. Roma, on the other hand, are also in fine form, riding a three-match winning streak, while they’re unbeaten in their last eight on the road.
AC Milan v Sassuolo (Sunday)
AC Milan host 17th-placed Sassuolo in Serie A action on Sunday looking to snap their poor run of form, which has seen them go five games without a win heading into this match. The Rossoneri will be confident of claiming all three points against the Neroverdi who are winless in eight with six defeats.
RB Leipzig v Stuttgart (Friday)
RB Leipzig will be looking to continue their impressive form as they set their sights on challenging for the Bundesliga title this season. Marco Rose’s side, who are four points adrift of leaders Bayern Munich in third place, host a struggling Stuttgart side who remain without an away win this term.
Bayern Munich v Eintracht Frankfurt (Saturday)
Following back-to-back draws in the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich will be looking to get back to winning ways when they host Eintracht Frankfurt at the Allianz Arena on Saturday. The Bavarians have won the last two meetings with the Eagles, winning by a combined scoreline of 7-0.
Paris Saint-Germain v Reims (Sunday)
Runaway Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain return to league action against Reims on Sunday looking to bounce back from their 1-0 defeat away at Rennes. Christophe Galtier’s side will be delighted to return to their fortress Parc des Princes stadium where they’ve recorded seven league wins in a row.
Ajaccio v Lyon (Sunday)
Lyon return to Ligue 1 action on Sunday looking to snap a three-game winless run when they face Ajaccio. Laurent Blanc’s side will be confident of securing all three points against an Ajaccio side who suffered a third straight defeat against Monaco last time out where they conceded seven.