Welcome to All Football Preview of the Weekend column. As we enter the business end of the season, none of the below games should be missed by AFers!
Here, we take a look at the most entertaining games this weekend acrosse Europe's top leagues.
Manchester City vs Tottenham
Kick off: 13:30 (CET)
Date: Sat, 20-Apr-19
Probable Lineups:
Man City team news:
Benjamin Mendy started the 4-3 win over Tottenham on Wednesday night, though Pep Guardiola may resist the temptation to start the Frenchman after two bad knee injuries, so Fabian Delph could start with Oleksandr Zinchenko a doubt.
Fernandinho and Leroy Sane may both come into the side that started the Champions League clash, while John Stones will be pushing for a place in the XI.
Tottenham team news:
Moussa Sissoko was forced off in midweek and Mauricio Pochettino must decide whether to drop Christian Eriksen into a deeper midfield role or bring Oliver Skipp into the starting XI, though the Frenchman will be handed every chance to be fit in time.
Serge Aurier and Harry Kane miss out, while the likes of Juan Foyth, Ben Davies and Davinson Sanchez will all be hoping for a start.
Focus:
Manchester City crashed out of the Champions League at the hands of Tottenham on Wednesday as the duo played out an entertaining encounter at the Etihad Stadium. Meeting for the third time in 10 days, Pep Guardiola will be keen to see his City side return to winning ways as they push for the title.
Tottenham have lost their last three away matches and seven of their last eight away from home. Spurs remain in the race to secure a top four finish, yet despite the boost on confidence that will have come from Champions League progression, they will be on the backfoot from the get go here.
City have won their last nine Premier League matches and it wouldn't be a surprise to see them extend that to 10 in what promises to be another entertaining encounter as the home side seek revenge for Wednesday's European exit.
WhoScored prediction:
Man City 3-2 Tottenham
Barcelona vs Real Sociedad
Kick off: 20:45
Date: Sat, 20-Apr-19
Probable Lineups:
Barcelona team news:
Samuel Umtiti has missed training this week, which should see Clement Lenglet and Gerard Pique start at centre-back.
Nelson Semedo is expected to feature at right-back for the home side after not starting in the Champions League in midweek.
Ousmane Dembele should start on the left wing, as Ernesto Valverde goes with a strong side to try and close in on the title.
Focus:
Barcelona last suffered defeat in late January and are still on course for the treble. They drew 0-0 with Huesca last time out in the league, however.
Real Sociedad have only won one of their last eight league games and have lost their last six at Camp Nou.
WhoScored prediction:
Barcelona 2-1 Real Sociedad
Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao
Kick off: 16:15
Date: Sun, 21-Apr-19
Probable Lineups:
Real Madrid team news:
Sergio Ramos will be sidelined until the end of the month due to injury, so Nacho should feature at centre back.
Fede Valverde is expected to get a start in central midfield with Toni Kroos picking up an illness.
Focus:
Real Madrid will be looking to get back to winning ways after an inconsistent couple of weeks.
On the road, Los Blancos have struggled slightly of late, but Zinedine Zidane has overseen a 100% record at home since his return.
WhoScored prediction:
Real Madrid 2-1 Athletic Bilbao
Cardiff City vs Liverpool
Kick off: 17:00
Date: Sun, 21-Apr-19
Probable Lineups:
Liverpool team news:
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp held back the likes of Roberto Firmino, Jordan Henderson and Naby Keita in midweek and they will certainly return here.
Joe Gomez got 24 minutes under his belt on Wednesday night in his first appearance in more than four months. With Dejan Lovren an injury doubt, he can expect more minutes on Sunday. Whether that comes from the start or another cameo from the bench remains to be seen.
Focus:
There could be pressure on Liverpool's shoulders when they face Cardiff, depending on the outcome of Saturday's encounter between Manchester City and Tottenham. Liverpool have won their last eight matches in all competitions.
Liverpool have scored 10 goals in their last two matches against Cardiff, including a 6-3 win on their last visit to Cardiff City Stadium. Jurgen Klopp's are expected to come through with three points regardless of City's result against Tottenham.
WhoScored prediction:
Cardiff 0-3 Liverpool
Everton vs Manchester United
Kick off: 14:30
Date: Sun, 21-Apr-19
Probable Lineups:
Everton team news:
André Gomes starts a three-match ban for Everton on Sunday and he will be a big miss in midfield for the home side.
Michael Keane, who is an ex-United player, will push for a recall after only being deemed fit enough for the bench against Fulham last weekend.
Man Utd team news:
Alexis Sanchez returned from injury in Tuesday's 3-0 defeat away to Barcelona and can expect more playing time from the bench here.
Nemanja Matic was an unused substitute against Barcelona and should return to the XI in place of Scott McTominay here.
Romelu Lukaku is expected to replace Anthony Martial against his former club, while Juan Mata could also take Jesse Lingard's place in the team.
Luke Shaw completes a two-match ban on Sunday and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will have to pick between Marcos Rojo and Ashley Young at left-back. Diogo Dalot will hope to start after being benched in midweek.
Focus:
Manchester United are low on confidence at the moment after being out-classed by Barcelona in midweek.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side have lost four away matches in a row in all competitions for the first time since October 1999.
Everton have failed to win their last four home matches against United but have a great chance to end that streak here.
WhoScored prediction:
Everton 2-1 Manchester United
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace
Kick off: 17:00
Date: Sun, 21-Apr-19
Probable Lineups:
Arsenal team news:
Sokratis serves the second match of a suspension for accumulating ten yellow cards, with Shkodran Mustafi returning to the side.
Aaron Ramsey was forced off in Naples with a thigh injury and joins the likes of Bellerin, Holding and Welbeck in the treatment room, with Denis Suarez also a severe doubt.
Focus:
Unai Emery is likely to tweak his side a little with that in mind but in the midst of a four team battle for a top four finish he can't afford to tinker too much and has three important players missing.
This will be a tricky assignment for the Gunners but they need the points more than the visitors and home advantage has counted for a great deal to Arsenal this season, so they should just have the edge against a weakened Palace backline.
WhoScored prediction:
Arsenal 2-1 Crystal Palace
Juventus vs Fiorentina
Kick off: 18:00
Date: Sat, 20-Apr-19
Probable Lineups:
Juventus team news:
Juventus were eliminated from the Champions League in midweek and will field their strongest available XI here to wrap up the league title.
Moise Kean will have to settle for a place on the bench as there is no need to rest Cristiano Ronaldo anymore.
Focus:
Juventus' season has been a huge disappointment even if they wrap up the league title this weekend. Winning the Champions League was their real objective and they were eliminated in the quarter-finals.
Fiorentina would love to inflict further misery on Juventus this weekend but they have failed to win each of their last nine matches in all competitions.
WhoScored prediction:
Juventus 2-0 Fiorentina
Inter vs Roma
Kick off: 20:30
Date: Sat, 20-Apr-19
Probable Lineups:
Inter team news:
Marcelo Brozovic is out and now Borja Valero is a doubt. Matias Vecino is ready to deputise.
Mauro Icardi is expected to start up front at the expense of Lautaro Martinez.
Roma team news:
Steven Nzonzi should replace Daniele De Rossi in midfield, as the captain has a muscular problem.
Aleksandar Kolarov has served his suspension and should be back on the left flank of the defence.
Lorenzo Pellegrini and Nicolò Zaniolo are both expected to start behind the lone striker Edin Dzeko.
Focus:
Inter beat Frosinone on the road to strengthen their challenge for a top four finish.
Inter could pull to within four points of second place Napoli with a win here before their rivals play Atalanta on Monday.
Roma are on a two-match winning streak and are only one point off fourth but this will be a tough fixture for them.
WhoScored prediction:
Inter 1-1 Roma
Eibar vs Atletico Madrid
Kick off: 16:15
Date: Sat, 20-Apr-19
Probable Lineups:
Atletico Madrid team news:
Atletico Madrid are without both Antoine Griezmann and Diego Costa due to suspension, which should see Thomas Lemar play off Alvaro Morata up front.
Francisco Montero and Jose Gimenez could start at centre back with doubts over Diego Godin and Stefan Savic.
Focus:
Eibar have won just one of their last six league games, with that solitary victory coming at home against struggling Rayo Vallecano. Despite their poor form, they have only lost three home league games all season.
Atletico Madrid have lost three of their last four away games in all competitions, failing to hit the back of the net in their three defeats against Barcelona, Athletic Bilbao and Juventus. Without Antoine Griezmann, this could be a banana-skin fixture for the away side.
WhoScored prediction:
Eibar 1-1 Atletico
Bayern Munich vs Werder Bremen
Kick off: 15:30
Date: Sat, 20-Apr-19
Probable Lineups:
Bayern team news:
Sven Ulreich will replace the injured Manuel Neuer in goal.
Mats Hummels should recover from a thigh injury to start at centre-back.
James Rodríguez and Leon Goretzka offer further options in central midfield.
Focus:
Bayern are full of confidence after a 4-1 win at Düsseldorf last weekend, which saw them retain their spot at the top of the table. They have won their last eight Bundesliga matches at home.
Bremen Bremen only trail the European spots by one point after a 2-1 win over Freiburg last time out. They are unbeaten in 12 straight league matches, but face a very difficuly task here.
WhoScored prediction:
Bayern 3-1 Werder Bremen
Freiburg vs Borussia Dortmund
Kick off: 15:30
Date: Sun, 21-Apr-19
Probable Lineups:
Dortmund team news:
Marius Wolf should keep his spot at right-back, with Lukasz Piszczek still struggling with a foot injury.
Raphael Guerreiro returns from injury and challenges Jacob Bruun Larsen for the spot on the left wing.
Christian Pulisic and Paco Alcácer offer further options in attacking positions.
Focus:
Freiburg have to get back on track after two defeats in back-to-back away games. They are unbeaten in seven of their last eight home matches, however, including a 1-1 draw with Bayern in their last outing at the Schwarzwald-Stadion.
Dortmund were lucky to come out on top in a 2-1 home win against Mainz last weekend, where the post and goalkeeper Roman Bürki saved them several times. They have to improve their balance again, in order to keep challenging Bayern at the top of the table.
WhoScored prediction:
Freiburg 1-2 Dortmund
PSG vs Monaco
Kick off: 21:00
Date: Sun, 21-Apr-19
Probable Lineups:
PSG team news:
Juan Bernat and Marco Verratti will return here after serving one match bans against Nantes in midweek.
Kylian Mbappé should be back in the side after being rested on Wednesday.
Angel Di Maria is close to a return as well; he had been tipped to play Nantes on Wednesday, but was excluded in the end.
Monaco team news:
Stevan Jovetic's season is over after suffering a cruciate injury against Reims.
Djibril Sidibé is suspended here; Benjamin Henrichs should step into his place at right-back.
Falcao was fit enough to feature from the bench and should start here.
Focus:
Paris Saint-Germain will welcome back at least Verratti and Mbappé, the inclusion of that pair should be enough to see off a Monaco side who, while improved since the return of Leonardo Jardim, are still no match for the leaders.
Monaco have struggled to create much on the road, having scored just 16 times in 15 away matches.
WhoScored prediction:
PSG 3-1 Monaco