The weekend gets off to a blazing start with four matches on Friday afternoon to keep an eye on including a potential debut for a sixteen year old at Borussia Dortmund and Christian Pulisic returning to the pitch for AC Milan.
Friday
Volendam v PSV – 2p on ESPN Select: PSV gave up a goal in the first 20’ minutes last weekend to eighth place Gronnigen before scoring two goals in the second half to win the match and extend their unbeaten streak to nineteen matches. They’ll look to go for number twenty this
weekend as they take on FC Volendam who are four points removed from the relegation spots. Sergino Dest got the start in the match again last week, his third in a row after missing a match in mid-January due to a minor knock.
Borussia Dortmund v Mainz – 2:30p on ESPN Select: Mathis Albert made the bench for Borussia Dortmund but did not see the field in the teams 2-1 win over Wolfsburg as they didn’t find the match winner until the 87th minute. This weekend Albert’s BVB side will take on fourteenth place Mainz where Lennard Maloney saw just two minutes last weekend and is not included in the squad for Friday’s match due to illness.
Pisa v AC Milan – 2:45p on Paramount+: Christian Pulisic and AC Milan return to action on Friday afternoon after a brief layoff. Milan last played on Tuesday, the 3rd, and Pulisic was held out of the match with “bursitis”. The team is now eight points back of Inter for the league lead but with a game in hand as they head to Pisa to take on a side that is tied for last in the table and looking like a sure relegation candidate.
Monaco v Nantes – 3:05p on beIN Sports: Folarin Balogun and Monaco were held to a scoreless draw with Nice last weekend and will now play 17th place Nantes who are also looking like a relegation candidate. Balogun is looking to snap an eight match scoreless streak.
Saturday
Bayer Leverkusen v St. Pauli – 9:30a on ESPN Select: Malik Tillman and Bayer Leverkusen will take on James Sands and St. Pauli this weekend in Bundesliga action. Leverkusen drew with Gladbach last weekend and remain in sixth place while Sands and St. Pauli defeated Stuttgart 2-1 to snap a six match winless streak though they remain in 17th place, two points back of Wolfsburg and Werder Bremen for safety.
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach – 9:30a on ESPN Select: Joe Scally came on as a late substitute last weekend as Gladbach drew with Leverkusen 1-1, seeing 12’ off the bench, it was the first time in twelve matches that Scally was available and not in the starting lineup. Gladbach remain in twelfth place and are just three points from the relegation spots.
Hamburg v Union Berlin – 9:30a on ESPN Select: Damion Downs did not start for Hamburg last weekend but did come on at the half with the match still scoreless as Hamburg would then go on to win 2-0 for the teams first win since Downs joined them in the January transfer window. Hamburg are now in 11th place and taking on ninth place Union Berlin who are coming off a 1-1 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt and are looking for their first win in seven matches.
Getafe v Villarreal – 10:15a on ESPN Select: Alex Freeman received his La Liga debut on Monday, seeing 17’ off the bench in Villarreal’s 4-1 win over sixth place Espanyol. Villareal are now tied with third place Atletico Madrid on points.
Olympique Marseille v Strasbourg – 11a on beIN Sports: Tim Weah and Marseille dropped to fourth place in the Ligue 1 table following their 5-0 humbling at the hands of PSG. Marseille will look to bounce back as they host seventh place Strasbourg who are coming off a 2-1 loss to Le Havre.
Lazio v Atalanta – Noon on Paramount+: Yunus Musah saw 12’ off the bench in Atalnata’s 2-1 win over Cremonese last weekend, it was his first appearance in the past three matches. Atalanta remain in seventh place despite the victory and will be traveling to eighth place Lazio this weekend.
Stuttgart v Koln – 12:30p on ESPN Select: Kristoffer Lund started his third straight match on Sunday as Koln fell to RB Leipzig 2-1. With the loss Koln are in tenth place and will face fifth place Stuttgart on Saturday afternoon who are coming off the 2-1 loss to St. Pauli. Stuttgart won the first match between these two teams 2-1 back in late September with Lund coming off the bench in that one.
Inter Milan v Juventus – 2:45p on Paramount+: Weston McKennie continued his great run of form last Sunday with another goal, his second in two matches and fourth in the last seven but Juventus settled for a 2-2 draw with Lazio and fell three points back of Napoli for third place in Serie A.
Real Madrid v Real Sociedad – 3p on ESPN Select: Pellegrino Matarazzo and Real Sociedad continued their winning ways over the past week with a 3-1 win over Elche last weekend and a 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals. Sociedad have moved from sixteenth place with Matarazzo took over to eighth in the league standings. The club has already earned results against Barcelona and Atletico Madrid since Matarazzo took the helm and will now face second place Real Madrid who trail Barcelona by a point and have won six straight matches across all competitions.
Sunday
Birmingham City v Leeds United – 7a on ESPN2 and ESPN Select: Brenden Aaronson and Leeds United will face English League Championship side Birmingham City on Sunday morning in FA Cup action. Aaronson and Leeds played Chelsea to a 2-2 draw on Tuesday and advanced in FA Cup action with their mid-January win over Derby though Aaronson saw just a minute off the bench in that match.
Stoke City v Fulham – 9a on ESPN Select: Antonee Robinson was an unused substitute in Fulham’s last two matches, a 2-1 loss to Everton and a midweek 3-0 loss to Man City. His team will travel to Stoke City on Sunday morning to face the fourteenth place Championship side.
Le Havre v Toulouse – 9a on beIN Sports: Mark McKenzie and Toulouse fell to Angers 1-0 last weekend after giving up a goal in the final moments of the game with McKenzie coming off the bench for the final 10’. Toulouse will now face Le Havre who are in 13th place, coming off their 2-1 win over Strasbourg.
Augsburg v Heidenheim – 9:30a on ESPN Select: Noahkai Banks started again last weekend but was pulled at the half with his team down to relegation threatened Mainz 1-0, a match they would go on to lose 2-0. Augsburg are now just two points from the relegation zone and need a result this weekend as they host last place Heidenheim.
Rayo Vallecano v Atletico Madrid – 10:15a on ESPN Deportes and ESPN Select: Johnny Cardoso has missed the last week and a half for Atletico Madrid which has included a loss to his former team, Real Betis, in league play and a 4-0 win over Barcelona in the Copa del Rey semifinals. Cardoso has appeared in just eight league matches for Atletico this season as he has really struggled with injuries and finding a regular spot with the squad.
RB Leipzig v Wolfsburg – 11:30a on ESPN Select: Kevin Paredes, who has also struggled with injury this season, received his first start last weekend in Wolfsburg’s 2-1 loss to Borussia Dortmund. Paredes played the first 64’ of the match and left with his team tied 1-1. With the loss Wolfsburg fell to 15th place and are now tied with Werder Bremen for the relegation playoff spot with nineteen points. They will face fourth place RB Leipzig this weekend who are coming off a 2-0 loss to Bayern Munich in the German Cup quarterfinals on Wednesday.
Olympique Lyon v Nice – 2:45p on beIN Sports: Tanner Tessmann and Lyon defeated Nantes 1-0 last weekend for their sixth straight victory and moving them up to third in the Ligue 1 table. They will be facing 14th place Nice who are coming off a scoreless draw with Monaco.
