Roma vs Napoli
The hottest clash of the weekend comes from Serie A where AS Roma hosts Napoli. The two teams are tied with 50 points each and occupy the sixth and fifth positions in the table. Both teams need the three points to maintain hopes of European League participation next season. With a win, AS Roma will take Napoli’s place for a spot in Europa League. On the other hand, Napoli could use the three points and the extra match to catch-up with Atalanta and get a ticket for the Champions League. Roma’s morale should be sky-high after advancing in the next round of the Europa League, but will the players recover physically to play at their maximum capacity?
Lyon vs PSG
We turn our attention to Ligue 1 for another top-level match between Lyon and Paris Saint-German. Just like Roma vs Napoli, the two French teams are also tied in the table with 60 points each. The hosts come after a 1 – 1 draw against Reims while PSG lost at home to FC Nantes after eliminating Barcelona from the Champions League. However, the 3 – 0 win in the French Cup against leaders Lille makes PSG the favorites in this match. Will the Lyon defenders manage to block Mbappe and Neymar in their quest for goals?
West Ham United vs Arsenal
Despite qualifying to the quarter-finals of the Europa League after knocking-out Olympiacos, Arsenal is still struggling in the Premier League. The Gunners are stuck in the 10th position of the table and on Sunday, they are playing an away game against West Ham. Well, it’s “away” just for the statistics as there’s a half an hour drive from the Emirates Stadium. The home team is currently fifth and it’s one of the Premier League revelations, finishing on the 16th spot last season. Even so, it’s not going to be easy against Arsenal as the Gunners can’t be happy with their current position.
Bayern Munich vs VfB Stuttgart
Things seem to return to normal in the Bundesliga with 25 matches played already. Bayern sits on top with a four-point advantage ahead of second-place RB Leipzig. Having won their last three league matches (including Der Klassiker) and secured their presence in the Champions League quarter-finals, they receive the visit of VfB Stuttgart on Saturday. It goes without saying that the home team is seen as favorite against rivals from Stuttgart that are currently eighth in the Bundesliga.
Real Sociedad vs Barcelona
After losing to PSG on an aggregate score of 5-2 in the Champions League, Barcelona can shift their full attention to La Liga and close the gap between them and Atletico Madrid. The hosts don’t look so good having lost to eighth place Granada in the previous round. However, Sociedad is known as a team that puts on impressive matches against the big teams, especially when playing at home. The 1-1 draw away against Real Madrid is all the proof you need to know it’s not going to be an easy game for Messi and his colleagues.
