Matches to look out for

This is the final weekend of domestic action before the crucial March international break. It is an important round of fixtures as teams set up their run-ins in April and May. This is a look at some of the key matches from Europe’s six major leagues this weekend.

All kick-off times are GMT. 

BUNDESLIGA

Cologne vs Borussia Dortmund | 18:00 on Sunday

Regardless of Bayern Munich’s result on Saturday afternoon, this game will be must-win for Borussia Dortmund if they are to keep alive their dying title hopes.

Koln have enjoyed an impressive campaign and they will begin this weekend’s round of fixtures in the European spots with their own dying hopes of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League. Steffen Baumhart is well loved in the city and he has performed extremely well as manager since his appointment in the summer of 2021.

Marco Rose left Borussia Monchengladbach for Borussia Dortmund last summer and it has not quite gone to plan. A group stage exit from the UEFA Champions League, knockout playoff exit from the UEFA Europa League and almost criminally comical/comically criminal inconsistency in the Bundesliga has hampered Dortmund – yet they remain just four points adrift of Bayern.

LA LIGA

Real Madrid vs Barcelona | 20:00 on Sunday

This match needs little building up. An El Clasico is a fundamentally major fixture, regardless of the context – it just so happens there is a lot of interesting context for this one.

Real Madrid come into this on the back of five successive Clasico victories over their arch Catalan rivals. This is a historic feat and one that Carlo Ancelotti will be keen to continue as Los Blancos cruise towards another La Liga title. Madrid look set to welcome Mbappe in the summer but they will be hoping to do so in the midst of something special.

Something special is certainly being built in Catalonia. As Graham Hunter put it in his ESPN column the other day, ‘the revolution is being televised’. Many would have fair doubts over Xavi but the speed that he is implementing a slick, modern, fun yet fundamentally effective style of play at Barca is excellent – and they will be desperate to end that run of Clasico defeats. 

⚔️Unbeaten in 2022 (#UEFA's 'Top 5' leagues):

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Liverpool, Newcastle
🇪🇸 Barcelona, Sevilla
🇮🇹 Juventus
🇩🇪 ❌
🇫🇷 ❌#LFC #NUFC pic.twitter.com/vkzpK0Q5ew

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LIGUE 1

Olympique de Marseille vs Nice | 19:45 on Sunday

Earlier on this season, in the reverse fixture, this game was halted due to crowd violence – a theme of French football in 2021/22.

©Getty Images / Nicolas Tucat

Jorge Sampaoli was appointed Marseille manager in mid-March last year and he has, generally, performed quite well. The Argentine has had some strong backing and investment in the summer as they look to mount towards the UEFA Champions League places but the southerners are often blighted by some inconsistency in their performances and results.

Their fellow southerners, Nice, are also going for the top three and UEFA Champions League spots under the impressive management of Christophe Galtier. Just like Marseille, Nice have also had some heavy investment from ‘Britain’s richest man’ and their owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe. This is a derby with top three spots at stake. 

PREMIER LEAGUE

Tottenham Hotspur vs West Ham United | 16:30 on Sunday

The Premier League only has four matches this weekend with FA Cup quarter-finals also happening but, even still, this would’ve been a game to keep a keen eye on. 

Antonio Conte has been known to get on a serious roll, when his teams get on a roll. He once when the entire season unbeaten with Juventus and went the whole of his time there without losing at home. At Chelsea, he broke the record for successive victories in the Premier League. However, their win-lose-win-lose-win-lose pattern is absolutely remarkable: WLWLWLWLLWLWLWLW in 2022. 

West Ham United come into this on the back of their second-leg against Sevilla in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Europa League. The Hammers, under the management of David Moyes, do remain in contention for the top four and a UEFA Champions League spot but their small squad and lack of January transfer window activity could hurt them in the run-in.

PRIMEIRA LIGA

Vitoria Guimaraes vs Sporting CP | 20:30 on Saturday 

This is a match between two sides in the top-half of Portugal that have a proud history and tradition. It should not be known as the Marcus Edwards derby, but…

Vitoria Guimaraes had a fairly inconsistent first-half to the season, despite having the aforementioned Marcus Edwards and Ricardo Quaresma on their wings. They begin this weekend’s round of fixtures sitting outside of the top five and the European spots with little hope of breaking into them – despite back-to-back victories against Maritimo and Famalicao. 

Sporting CP, under the impressive management of wanted man Ruben Amorim, are unlikely to defend their title. The reigning champions sit six points behind unbeaten Porto with eight games to go. It has been another strong campaign for the visitors but the imperious league leaders look almost uncatchable. 

SERIE A

Roma vs Lazio | 17:00 on Sunday

Derby della Capitale, much like a few of the other fixtures this weekend, needs very little by way of introduction, selling or build-up.

©Getty / Anadolu Agency

Jose Mourinho’s Roma come into this on the back of their second-leg against Vitesse Arnhem in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Europa Conference League. The Romans have been improving defensively in the last couple of months and that new-found solidity has been balanced out by the impressive form of Englishman Tammy Abraham up-front.

Maurizio Sarri’s Lazio come into this on the back of a slender 1-0 win at home to Venezia last weekend. A peculiar result because Lazio have been anything but low-scoring. In fact, their 29 games this season have consisted of 100 goals. This is a Roman derby with both teams looking to finish in the top five and confirm UEFA Europa League qualification for 2022/23.