Less Action At EBPL, As Attention Shifts To Other Leagues
By Tanko Bauka
There will be no league action in the English Barclays Premier League as the FA Cup fixtures will take centre stage, but there is going to be plenty of action in Spanish LA Liga, Italian Serie A and the German Bundesliga.
In the Spanish LA Liga, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid will rekindle their old rivalry in the Madrid derby, with both teams sitting just one point between them in the first and second position.
The first leg ended one apiece between the Madrid teams after the match was abandoned for about twenty minutes following fans unrest, but the second leg is very significant to both teams as they will seek to avoid any slip because FC Barcelona is slowly closing in on the third position.
FC Barcelona travel to Sevilla for the three points at stake to continue their momentum, while Athletic Bilbao will be at home to welcome Girona, with Real Sociedad and Espanyol battling it out to push further on top of the league.
In the Italian Serie A, Hellas Verona host Atalanta, which seems to have lost ground in their charge for the Serie A title following poor results in their previous match.
Empoli takes on AC Milan, which is pushing for a Champion League place, while the league leader Napoli ambushes Udinese, seeking to extend their lead on top of the league.
Inter Milan, one of the title contenders lost ground to level up on point with Napoli in their rescheduled match against Fiorentina as they were beaten 3-0 after the first match was abandoned in the 16 minutes.
Inter Milan would want to bounce back with a win this time at San Siro stadium in Milan against the same opponent, Fiorentina, while Lazio and AC Monza go at each other with Venezia seeking redemption against AS Roma.
In the German Bundesliga, Bayern Munich set the tone for the weekend with an encounter with Werder Bremen at Allianz Arena in the German capital, while Bayer Leverkusen travel to Wolfsburg to put more pressure on their title rival.
Borussia Dortmund host Stuttgart, Burrosia Monchengladbach welcome in form Eintracht Frankfurt, while RB Leipzig entertain FC St Pauli.
Fixtures across Europe
Spanish LA Liga
Friday
Rayo Vallacano vs Real Valladolid
Saturday
Celta Vigo vs Real Betis
Athletic Bilbao vs Girona
Las Palmas vs Villarreal
Real Madrid vs Atlectico Madrid
Sunday
Deportivo Alaves vs Gatafe
Valencia vs Laganes
Real Sociedad vs Espanyol
Sevilla vs FC Barcelona
Monday
Mallorca vs Osasuna
Italian Serie A
Friday
Como vs Juventus
Saturday
Hellas Verona vs Atalanta
Empoli vs AC Milan
Torino vs Genoa
Sunday
Venezia vs AS Roma
Cagliari vs Parma
Lazio vs AC Monza
Lacce vs Bologna
Napoli vs Udinese
Monday
Inter Milan vs Fiorentina
German Bundesliga
Friday
Bayern Munich vs Werder Bremen
Saturday
Wolfsburg vs Bayern Leverkusen
Burussia Dortmund vs Stuttgart
SC Freiburg vs Heidenheim
Mainz 05 vs FC Augsburg
Hoffenheim vs Union Berlin
Monchenglabach vs Frankfurt
Sunday
Holstein Kiel vs VFL Bochum
RB Leipzig vs FC St Pauli.
