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This weekend, all football fans' eyes should be on the Italian and Spanish national championships, where the teams of the first quartet will play against each other. "Serie A" will see both teams competing for the championship title, while another "El Classico" battle awaits in Spain. Additionally, midweek viewers can look forward to UEFA Champions League and Europa League matches.
Friday, March 1st
Italian "Serie A"
21:45 Napoli (2nd place) - Juventus (1st place)
The results of the last five league matches: Napoli - 2 wins and 3 draws; Juventus - 3 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss.
The upcoming weekend will start with an interesting match between the two leading teams in Serie A, Juventus and Napoli. For the team from Naples, this is an ideal opportunity to take advantage of their home field advantage and reduce the gap to 3 points. And such a difference is easily reachable.
If not for their last 3 draws, Napoli might have a chance to beat their opponents. It is interesting to note that the team led by Edinson Cavani has not felt the sting of defeat in 9 rounds, losing only once at home throughout the season. Therefore, Juventus is in for a tough night, and a draw would not be a bad result at all.
Juventus' results against the strongest teams in Serie A have not been encouraging, especially when playing away. The "Old Lady" has lost to Roma and Milan away, and at home to Inter. However, in the first match in Turin, Juventus still managed to win. Even with a thorough analysis of the results, predicting the outcome of the match is extremely difficult, even for the bookmakers. This adds extra spice to the encounter.
Saturday, March 2nd
Spanish "La Liga"
17:00 Real Madrid (3rd place) - Barcelona (1st place)
The results of the last five league matches: Real - 4 wins and 1 loss; Barcelona - 4 wins and 1 draw.
Barcelona rarely loses this season, and it is particularly unusual for the team to lose 2 out of the last 3 matches. Of course, we are not only talking about La Liga, but... The team was eliminated from the Spanish King's Cup ("Copa del Rey") competition, suffering a hopeless defeat at home to Real Madrid, and in the UEFA Champions League, they found themselves in a particularly difficult situation after losing 0:2 away to Milan.
Despite Barcelona's solid lead in the Spanish championship over their closest pursuers Atletico Madrid, a defeat on Saturday would not be a major tragedy. However, millions of football fans around the world are eagerly anticipating "El Classico," and Barcelona will do their best to prove that they are the stronger team this season and restore their reputation in the football world.
It will be interesting to see how the unpredictable Jose Mourinho will act this time, knowing that the "royal" club is heading to Manchester, where Real will play the decisive second leg of the Champions League round of 16 against Manchester United.
Considering that the strategist has already publicly stated that the team cannot win the La Liga title this year, it might be logical to rest some key players for the match against Sir Alex Ferguson's army. However, there should be no shortage of intrigue, drama, and player disputes with the referee. After all, it's El Classico!
Saturday, March 2nd
Italian "Serie A"
21:45 Milan (4th place) - Lazio (3rd place)
The results of the last five league matches: Milan - 3 wins and 2 draws; Lazio - 1 win, 1 draw, and 3 losses.
If on Friday in Italy there will be a battle for the first place between Napoli and Juventus, then on Saturday there will be a clash for the third place in Serie A. For Milan, this is a great opportunity to overtake their competitors from Rome and start looking towards the second place. Lazio's recent results have not been encouraging, and only a victory in the last round against the underdogs Pescara can bring a bit of optimism.
Milan, on the other hand, is in a completely different mood. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the team is climbing the tournament table and, if the situation does not change, can realistically compete for the championship title. The 2-0 victory over Barcelona in the Champions League, with a game relying on counterattacks, should boost morale. The quality of play in the Milan derby in the last Serie A round, where the "Rossoneri" demonstrated a much better performance and had a great opportunity to earn all 3 points, should also be positively remembered. Unfortunately, Milan's Inter managed to equalize the score.
Sunday, March 3rd
English "Premier League"
18:00 Tottenham Hotspur (3rd place) - Arsenal (5th place)
The results of the last five league matches: Tottenham Hotspur - 3 wins and 2 draws; Arsenal - 4 wins and 1 draw.
One of the most interesting matches of the 28th round of the English Premier League will see two London teams face off. This match, also known as the North London Derby, always receives special attention from Londoners. Both teams are aiming to secure at least the 4th place in the league table, which would provide them with the opportunity to play in the Champions League next season.
Tottenham Hotspur is still fighting in the Europa League, where they will face the intimidating Inter Milan in the round of 16. Arsenal, on the other hand, will likely end their Champions League campaign in the next match away against Bayern Munich, having lost 1-3 at home and practically no chance of progressing to the next round.
In the last Premier League round, Gareth Bale played impressively once again, scoring a fantastic winning goal, and Tottenham Hotspur secured a win playing away against West Ham United. This victory helped the London team rise to 3rd place and maintain a 4-point advantage over Arsenal in 5th place.
A victory for either team would significantly increase their chances of clinching the coveted spot in the top four.
Tuesday, March 5th
UEFA Champions League, Round of 16
21:45 Manchester United - Real Madrid
Without a doubt, this will be the most intriguing and highly anticipated match of the Round of 16. In the first meeting between the two teams in Madrid, the visitors Manchester United were the first to score, and the match ended in a 1-1 draw, although both teams had opportunities to score more goals. "The Red Devils" will have a slight advantage, having scored an away goal, but at the moment Real Madrid is demonstrating strong play, and to say that the "royal club" could not score in Manchester would be very bold.
It will be interesting to see how Ronaldo, who spent many years at the Manchester club, will cope with the nervous tension and how he will be welcomed by the local fans. In any case, this match promises to be a spectacle worthy of a final.
