Preview of the weekend: Liverpool take on Spurs; Messi fit to play Catalan derby

Welcome to All Football Preview of the Weekend. You should miss not even one game! Below are the best matches that the world of football would bring to you.

Liverpool vs Tottenham Hotspur

Kick off: 16:30 (CET)

Date: Sun, 31-Mar-19

Probable Lineups

Liverpool News

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp will give Trent Alexander-Arnold every opportunity to be fit in time for Sunday's clash, with the right-back a doubt for the Reds.

Joe Gomez is back in training, but this game will come too soon for the youngster, so Joel Matip should continue alongside Virgil van Dijk in defence.

Xherdan Shaqiri and Naby Keita will both be assessed ahead of kick off, but Alex Oxlade Chamberlain is expected to be miss out here as he steps up his recovery from a knee problem.

Tottenham Hotspur News

Eric Dier was forced off in the first half of England's 5-0 win over Czech Republic last week and sits this one out.

Serge Aurier also sustained an injury on international duty with the Ivory Coast and is ruled out here, which means Kieran Trippier starts at right-back.

Kyle Walker-Peters took a knock for the England U21s against Germany on Tuesday night and will be assessed, as will Harry Winks, though he should be fit to start.

Mauricio Pochettino must decide whether to start in a three-man defence or a 4-3-1-2, the latter of which could see Davinson Sanchez miss out on a starting spot.

Focus

Liverpool could well be one point behind Manchester City by the time this match kicks off, but the Reds will be confident of moving back to the Premier League's summit on Sunday. Liverpool haven't lost a league game at Anfield to Tottenham since 2011, where goals from Rafael van der Vaart and Luka Modric compounded the Merseyside outfit to a 2-0 loss.

Tottenham, though, have lost their last three away league games and are in the midst of a four-match winless run, losing three. They have lost ground in the race for a top four finish and need a positive result here in order to stave off Arsenal and Manchester United in fourth and fifth, respectively.

However, Liverpool have dropped points just twice at Anfield this season and are unbeaten in 36 home league matches and should continue that run with victory here.

Whoscored Prediction

Liverpool 2-1 Tottenham

Man Utd vs Watford

Kick off: 16:00 (CET)

Date: Sat, 30-Mar-19

Probable Lineups

Team News:

Anthony Martial, Luke Shaw, Marcus Rashford and Nemanja Matic are all expected to be available this weekend despite withdrawing from international duty through injury.

A foot injury ruled Romelu Lukaku out of both of Belgium's matches during the international break and he is a huge doubt for Manchester United this weekend.

Antonio Valencia is available again after making his comeback from injury for Ecuador during the international break. Matteo Darmian is also expected back this weekend but neither will start on Saturday.

Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard both returned from injury before the international break. Alexis Sanchez is the only player guarenteed to miss out for the home side this weekend.

Focus:

United have wobbled for the first time since Solskjaer took charge of United before Christmas and it's important they do not drop points this weekend. With Tottenham away to Liverpool on Sunday, United could realistically end gameweek 31 level on points with Spurs, who are third.

Nineteen players of United’s 25-man first-team squad were not involved during the international break and that will have given Ole Gunnar Solskjaer time to work with a good chunk of his players in training. United have lost successive matches and need to bounce back in the race for a top-four finish.

Watford are eighth in the league and the highest position they can hope for this season is seventh. The Hornets have lost successive away league matches, conceding eight goals in matches at Liverpool and Manchester City. Their third away league game on the spin takes them to Old Trafford.

Whoscored Prediction

Manchester United 3-2 Watford

Fulham vs Man City

Kick off: 13:30 (CET)

Date: Sat, 30-Mar-19

Probable Lineups:

Team News:

Manchester City boss has Pep Guardiola has a injury crisis at the back, with Aymeric Laporte his only fully fit centre-back coming into Saturday's visit to Fulham.

Fernandinho, Kevin De Bruyne, Benjamin Mendy and Fabian Delph will all be assessed ahead of their trip to Craven Cottage.

Guardiola should continue with Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane on the flanks, though Riyad Mahrez is pushing for a start.

Focus:

Fulham are in the midst of a seven-match losing streak and their difficult run continues with the welcome of Manchester City. The meeting with the champions will be their fourth game against the Premier League's Big Six in their last seven league matches, and fourth successive welcome of the top six.

Manchester City will look to move top of the table with a win over the Cottagers. They have won 10 of their last 11 league matches, though away from home, they have lost three of their last seven. That being said, this should be a routine win for City at Craven Cottage.

Whoscored prediction

Fulham 0-4 Man City

Cardiff City VS Chelsea

Kick off: 14:05 (CET)

Date: Sun, 31-Mar-19

Probable Lineups

Team News

Callum Hudson-Odoi offered a glimpse of his talent for England during the international break but is unlikely to force his way into the first-team on Sunday.

Emerson and Marcos Alonso are in competition for a starting berth at left-back, while Ross Barkley is expected to get the nod ahead of Mateo Kovacic in central midfield.

Pedro is also expected to start ahead of Willian in Chelsea's front three.

Focus

Cardiff start the weekend in the bottom three but have a game in hand on their rivals at the foot of the table.

Chelsea start the weekend in sixth and three points off the top four. They play before Arsenal and Tottenham this weekend, who occupy two spots above them.

Chelsea lost 2-0 last time out before the international break and further dropped points here will only ramp up the pressure on Maurizio Sarri.

Three of the last four meetings between the two sides have ended 4-1 in Chelsea's favour, though they were all at Stamford Bridge. Both teams have scored in all four encounters.

Whoscored Prediction

Cardiff City 1-3 Chelsea

Barcelona vs Espanyol

Kick off: 16:15 (CET)

Date: Sat, 30-Mar-19

Probable Lineups

Team News

Ousmane Dembele is expected to return to action in April, but will miss this weekend's action with a muscle problem.

Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi are both set to be fit for action after picking up some recent knocks.

Clement Lenglet should be preferred to Samuel Umtiti at centre-back, with the former in excellent form this season.

Focus

Barcelona haven't suffered defeat in La Liga since mid-November against Real Betis, with Ernesto Valverde's side well on course to retaining the title this campaign.

Before the international break, Barca signed off by scoring 12 goals in three competitive games, beating Real Betis, Lyon and Rayo Vallecano in the process.

Espanyol have lost just one of their last seven league games, but haven't won on the road in La Liga since late October against Huesca.

Whoscored Prediction

Barcelona 3-1 Espanyol

Real Madrid vs Huesca

Kick off: 19:45 (CET)

Date: Sun, 31-Mar-19

Probable Lineups

Team News

Sergio Ramos should be fit to start at centre-back after missing parts of training this week.

Casemiro, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric are expected to feature ahead of Isco in central midfield.

Marco Asensio and Alvaro Odriozola will continue on the left wing and at right-back, respectively.

Focus

Real Madrid have won and scored at least 2 goals in 8 of their last 10 matches in La Liga.

SD Huesca have failed to win 12 of their last 13 away matches.

Whoscored Predictions

Real Madrid 3-1 Huesca

Alaves vs Atletico Madrid

Kick off: 20:45 (CET)

Date: Sat, 30-Mar-19

Probable Lineups

Team News

Rodri is suspended for the away side, which should see Saul and Thomas Partey feature in the middle of the park.

Filipe Luis is back fit at left-back for the visitors, who finally have a natural fit for that position following a difficult few weeks.

Juanfran will continue at right-back due to Santiago Arias' muscle injury that should keep him out for another week or two.

Focus

Alaves are unbeaten in their last six league outings, but have drawn their last two home games against Eibar and Celta Vigo respectively.

Abelardo may have one eye on his side's upcoming game Sevilla, as El Glorioso try and keep themselves in the mix for Europa League qualification.

Atletico Madrid will be looking to get back on track after consecutive defeats against Juventus and Athletic Bilbao, the former of which saw Diego Simeone's side knocked out of the Champions League.

Whoscored Prediction

Alaves 1-2 Atletico Madrid

Freiburg vs Bayern Munich

Kick off: 15:30 (CET)

Date: Sat, 30-Mar-19

Probable Lineups

Team News:

Niklas Süle, Jérôme Boateng and Mats Hummels compete for two spots at centre-back.

Javi Martínez provides a more defensive-minded option in central midfield.

Serge Gnabry offers an alternative on the flanks.

Focus:

Freiburg are unbeaten in six of their last seven Bundesliga matches and therefore are all but out of the battle against relegation. They have only lost three of their 13 home games this season.

Bayern have won 13 of their last 14 league matches and can focus on domestic competitions after having been eliminated from the Champions League. They have scored 17 goals in their last three Bundesliga games and hope to further improve their goal difference ahead of Dortmund here. Expect Bayern to dominate the game from the outset.

Whoscored Prediction

Freiburg 1-3 Bayern Munich

Borussia Dortmund vs Wolfsburg

Kick off: 15:30 (CET)

Date: Sat, 30-Mar-19

Probable Lineups

Team News:

Achraf Hakimi challenges Marius Wolf for the spot at right-back.

Axel Witsel and Mario Götze return from injury to probably start in midfield.

Thomas Delaney provides a further option in central midfield, if manager Lucien Favre decides to switch to a 4-2-3-1 system and drop one of his attacking players.

Focus:

Dortmund scored an important injury time winner in a 3-2 win at Hertha prior to the international break to keep pace with Bayern. With several players back from injuries, they will hope to put in a more balanced display at home.

Wolfsburg recovered from their 6-0 defeat at Bayern with a 5-2 win over Düsseldorf a fortnight ago. They still boast the Bundesliga's fourth-best away record and will provide the hosts with a challenging task here.

Expect this to be an intense game with several chances at both ends of the pitch, which Dortmund should edge in the end.

Whoscored Prediction

Borussia Dortmund 2-1 Wolfsburg

Juventus vs Empoli

Kick off: 18:00 (CET)

Date: Sat, 30-Mar-19

Probable Lineups

Team News

Cristiano Ronaldo picked up a muscular injury while playing with Portugal and will probably miss every Serie A game until the Ajax tie.

Moise Kean scored in back-to-back games with Italy and should be picked to replace CR7.

Focus

Juventus lost their first Serie A game of the season at Genoa, but that came after an energy-draining performance against Atletico Madrid.

Empoli benefitted from the managerial change right away as they beat Frosinone in a six-pointer game. Now their task will be more difficult as they travel to Turin.

Whoscored Prediction

Juventus 2-1 Empoli

Sampdoria vs Milan

Kick off: 20:30 (CET)

Date: Sat, 30-Mar-19

Probable Lineups

Team News

With Giacomo Bonaventura as the only unavailable player, Gennaro Gattuso will surely pick the XI that has won Milan many points of late.

Davide Calabria is favourite to start at right-back.

Focus

Samp beaten Sassuolo 5-3 on the road in their last game, thus making it three victories in their last five matches and getting back into the European qualification race.

Milan lost the derby right when they looked invincible and set to secure third place. Roma and Atalanta also dropped points, but this should not allow Milan's standards to dip.

Expect a balanced game, with Sampdoria boosted by their most recent victory and by their star striker Fabio Quagliarella returning to the national team and scoring twice.

Whoscored Prediction

Sampdoria 2-2 AC Milan

Inter vs Lazio

Kick off: 19:30 (CET)

Date: Sun, 31-Mar-19

Probable Lineups

Team News

Mauro Icardi and Inter seem to have found an agreement to get back to working together, and the Argentinian is training regularly with the rest of the team.

Lautaro Martinez has in turn picked up a muscular problem and will not be called up.

This means Icardi should get his starting spot back right away.

Focus

Inter won the derby and also deserved it, and in the process they have overtaken Milan and put three more points between themselves and Roma. The feeling is that the derby win was a key moment to their season.

Lazio have won two of their last five, and by winning the game they have in hand, they could move three points behind Milan. Or, with a victory here, two behind Inter.

As happened for Inter against Milan, Lazio are looking for a positive result that would bring them back into the Champions League qualification race. They will surely seek victory here since a draw might help Milan, Atalanta and Roma pull away.

Whoscored Prediction

Inter 1-1 Lazio

Toulouse vs PSG

Kick off: 20:00 (CET)

Date: Sun, 31-Mar-19

Probable Lineups

Team News

Edinson Cavani looks set to miss up to a month with a hip problem.

Layvin Kurzawa's improvement could see him get the nod ahead of Juan Bernat at left wing-back.

Dani Alves could be played in central midfield, with Thomas Meunier coming on at right wing-back.

Focus

Save a hammering by Lyon, Toulouse have looked much more solid in recent weeks, and could potentially trouble PSG here, given the visitors' international-heavy roster.

That said, PSG only need a moment's notice to turn a match on its head, as they handily showed against Marseille; a road victory looks all but assured.

Whoscored Predictions

Toulouse 1-3 PSG