FA Cup
12:30 Sheffield Wednesday vs Swansea
15:00 West Bromwich Albion vs Southampton
15:00 Brighton vs Coventry
17:30 Huddersfield vs Manchester United
Sunday
16:00 Rochdale vs Tottenham

Manchester City are favourites to lift the FA Cup trophy. Fresh from a convincing midweek win in Basle, they make a short trip to Wigan while the next stop for Tottenham, who drew with Serie A giants Juventus in Italy on Tuesday, head for Spotland’s less -than-perfect pitch to take on Rochdale.

SATURDAY

Sheffield Wednesday v Swansea

Smiling Swansea boss Carlos Carvalhal has tasted defeat just once in 11 games while steering his side out of the relegation zone after being booted out of Sheffield Wednesday on Christmas Eve. His replacement at Hillsborough, Jos Luhukay, has also lost just once (in nine games) ahead of this cup clash. They’re well matched as despite the managers’ impressive records, Wednesday have won just one of their last six league games at home while the Swans, in their last half dozen on the road, have beaten only Watford. This has the feel of a proper cup tie and we’ll be on the top-flight team to edge it.

Brighton v Coventry

Coventry have been kind to us with their cup run, coming in at a decent price against Stoke in round three. Those results sat nicely in a run of eight games where they conceded just five goals but after following up the MK Dons win with a 3-1 victory over Cambridge United, they’ve lost three on the bounce and shipped six goals. Brighton on the other hand are unbeaten in four. Brighton boss Chris Hughton will make changes with a relegation battle ahead and is set to start record signing Jurgen Locadia is set to start.

West Brom v Southampton

It’s only a fortnight since Southampton ended a long winless run in the Premier League by beating West Brom by the odd goal in five at The Hawthorns. The Baggies shipped three goals to Man City the game before that and three to Chelsea.
Huddersfield v Manchester United

It’s been a while since Huddersfield went into a game with a spring in their step. They’ve already beaten them in Yorkshire earlier in the season, they hammered form-team Bournemouth last weekend while the Red Devils’ last two away games have ended in disappointment for Jose Mourinho – at Tottenham and Newcastle. Rajiv van La Parra, who wants to play for a ‘bigger team’ has scored in his last two games.

• Huddersfield have won just one of their last 13 games in all competitions against Man Utd (D3 L9), though that win did come at the John Smith’s Stadium earlier this season (2-1).
• Man Utd have won two of their three FA Cup ties against Huddersfield, most recently winning 5-0 in a third round tie in January 1963, United legend Denis Law scoring a hat-trick in that game.
• The Terriers haven’t reached the FA Cup quarter-finals since the 1971-72 campaign, losing each of their last five fifth-round ties, including in a replay against Manchester City in last season’s competition.
• Man Utd have progressed past the fifth-round on each of the last eight occasions they’ve reached this stage – the last two clubs to eliminate them at this stage have gone on to win the trophy (Liverpool 2005-06, Arsenal 2002-03).
• Huddersfield have won their last two games by the same scoreline, 4-1. They last scored 4+ goals in three consecutive matches back in January 1928.
• Alexis Sanchez has been directly involved in 15 goals in 15 appearances in the FA Cup (eight goals and seven assists).

SUNDAY

Rochdale v Tottenham

They needed a replay to see off Newport but Tottenham haven’t lost to a team from the third tier. It’s got mismatch written all over it with the League One basement boys with a slim chance of seeing off Mauricio Pochettino’s men.

MONDAY

Wigan v Man City

It’s a repeat of the 2013 final, and the quarter-final the following year. Wigan are flying high in League One but, in recent weeks, have been much better on the road than in front of their own fans. City though are favourites in this one. Ilkay Gundogan scored a couple in Switzerland in midweek and he’s tipped to be on top of his game again. Wigan’s top scorer and former Man United youngster Nick Powell is the biggest threat City have to worry about.

Barcelona Unlikely To Make Big Changes For Eibar Clash Despite Champions League Tie Looming

Saturday

12:00 Las Palmas vs Sevilla
15:15 Eibar vs Barcelona
17:30 Alaves vs Deportivo La Coruna
19:45 Malaga vs Valencia
Sunday
11:00 Real Sociedad vs Levante
15:15 Atletico Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao
17:30 Espanyol vs Villarreal
19:45 Real Betis vs Real Madrid

Eibar have been enjoying another fine season in La Liga, despite a poor start, and some might suggest they’re playing Barcelona at exactly the right time, just before a Champions League knockout fixture. Though the match does lend itself to rotation from the Catalans, the likelihood of Ernesto Valverde doing so is minimal, thanks to the dropped points against Getafe.

Another slip up here and Atletico Madrid will be breathing down Barca’s necks if they see off Athletic Club. Fortunately, despite all of Eibar’s excellence, they’ve a poor record against the Blaugrana, both at the Camp Nou and Ipurua, where Saturday’s match will take place.

In seven fixtures, Los Armeros have never beaten their illustrious opponents, and never scored against them at home either. All four of their goals have been at the Camp Nou, their last two games at Ipurua being 4-0 victories for Barca. With Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi in the mood, don’t bet against a similar scoreline.

The only crumb of comfort Jose Luis Mendilibar and his troops can hold onto is that the Catalans never play at their best in the early Saturday afternoon kick-offs, but that’s really clutching at straws.

Normal service resumed for Real Madrid

One of the shock results of the season came at the Santiago Bernabeu when Real Betis hit an injury-time winner. The result left many open-mouthed but the performance which ensured the three points was a joy to watch. Real Madrid were simply played off of the pitch.

Things have changed since then, and though Los Blancos are still far from where they need to be, the manner of their own performance against PSG will give them the confidence to build again, and enjoy a fabulous end to the campaign. What’s that old saying; ‘It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.’

Zinedine Zidane pulled out all of the stops in Europe and now it’s time to do the same in domestic competition. Starting with keeping Isco in a starting role at the expense of Gareth Bale. It’s obvious what the former brings to the table and Real do look a much more balanced side with him in it. Bale as an impact sub might not be to his liking but it benefits the team. Quique Setien’s side have conceded the most out of the top 13 teams in the league and with Ronaldo sniffing blood again, prepare for another hatful from the Portuguese in amongst a swashbuckling attacking performance from the all whites.

Atletico v Athletic

No goals conceded in their last three league games means Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid are getting back to what they do best. Often maligned for grinding out 1-0 wins, Cholo will point his side being the only realistic challengers to Barcelona for this season’s La Liga title.

Jan Oblak is once again in Zamora Trophy winning form so even if Athletic’s front line manage to get through a patched-up home defence, there’s no guarantee they’ll beat ‘the wall.’ With no wins in their last five league games, and only 24 goals scored this season, Jose Ziganda’s team have clearly underperformed in 2017/18. How the Basques could do with a morale-boosting victory to hoist them up into the top half of the table. It’s unlikely to come here. Antoine Griezmann is back in the groove and his midfield supply line from the likes of Gabi, Koke and Saul Niguez has never been better than now.

Unlikely to be a high-scoring duel again, but that will be music to the ears of Simeone.
Malaga v Valencia

Marcelino’s side need to add to Malaga’s woes this weekend because Real Madrid will slot their postponed game against Leganes in just a few days after Betis, meaning that if Los Che were to lose, Los Blancos could be five points clear of them by next Wednesday.

Los Boquerones will be no pushovers at home mind. Already seven points from safety and with the games starting to count down to the business end, it’s matches like these where three points are a must. As a bare minimum, they’ll be scrapping for their lives, and that won’t suit a Valencia side that like to spray the ball around. As Malaga go hunting in packs, there’s bound to be a late challenge or two to bring this one to life.

Simone Zaza, Geoffrey Kondogbia and Goncalo Guedes, arguably the visitors’ most important trio, are all fit for this one, and the latter should set the tempo along with Dani Parejo. Jose Gonzalez will probably set Malaga up with the 4-4-2 that Atletico Madrid found so difficult to break down other than when scoring their first minute winner. If they can get the ball out wide to Keko and Castro to feed Brown Ideye, there’s chances for the hosts to spring a shock here.
Las Palmas v Sevilla

This could well be the game of the weekend for entertainment value. Both teams love to attack, and Paco Jemez will send his players out without any fear at all, against a Sevilla side that’s been a bit hit and miss since Vincenzo Montella took over. The Andalusians have arguably the better front line, though they have been found wanting in midfield on occasions this season.

Las Palmas will get at them from the first whistle, but they need to put some goals on the board. Only Malaga have scored less than their 17, only Depor have conceded more than their 50. Steven N’Zonzi should boss this centrally along with Guido Pizarro. Jesus Navas and Sergio Escudero will get forward at every opportunity to supply the bullets to Wissam Ben Yedder.

With some heavy defeats under his tutelage already, Jemez won’t want confidence knocked again, and he’ll likely base his game plan around the one that beat Valencia on the Canary Islands a short while ago. At present Sevilla are hanging on the coat tails of the top four, but I see Las Palmas’ greater need for points authoring the outcome here.

Schalke host Hoffenheim in battle for Europe

Bundesliga
14:30 Wolfsburg vs Bayern Munich
14:30 Hamburger SV vs Bayer Leverkusen
14:30 Freiburg vs Werder Bremen
14:30 FC Cologne vs Hannover 96
17:30 Schalke 04 vs Hoffenheim
Sunday
14:30 Augsburg vs VfB Stuttgart
17:00 Borussia M.Gladbach vs Borussia Dortmund
Hoffenheim travel to Schalke for the second Bundesliga clash of two of the league’s young coaching stars. Both teams remain in the running for Europe, while all eyes will be on soon-to-depart Hoffenheim striker Mark Uth. This is certainly not the first time a player will turn out for his current team in a key contest against the one he has already agreed to join after the next transfer window – and it certainly won’t be the last.

Still, Mark Uth is bound to come under close scrutiny on Saturday evening, not just from the media but from both sets of fans. The striker, who has found the back of the net 10 times in his 20 Bundesliga appearances this season, recently agreed to join Schalke on a free transfer in the summer. However, both his current coach, Julian Nagelsmann, 30, and his future boss, Domenic Tedesco, 32, told their prematch press conferences they had no doubt about his professionalism.

Beyond the novelty of having a star player taking to the field in front of his future fans, Saturday’s contest is an important one for the two teams, both of which are determined to qualify for European football next season. Sixth-placed Schalke are struggling a bit to right the ship, having fallen from second place since the second half of the season began. The Royal Blues have had a couple of disappointing results in the past few matches, but they came up with a strong performance at the Allianz Arena last weekend, despite falling 2-1 to league leaders Bayern, who are running away with the Bundesliga title again this season.

WOLFSBURG V BAYERN MUNICH: Bayern Munich boss Jupp Heynckes is likely to ring the changes for Saturday’s trip to Wolfsburg, having half an eye on the German giants’ Champions League first-leg home clash with Besiktas on Tuesday.
But, with a commanding 18-point advantage at the top ahead of second-placed RB Leipzig, the veteran boss, who is leaving at the end of the season, has that luxury. Key men Javi Martinez, James Rodriguez, Franck Ribery and Robert Lewandowski are all set to be rested but opportunity beckons for veteran full-back Rafinha and Thiago Alcantara – who is set to get his first minutes on the pitch since sustaining a knee injury in November. Kingsley Coman and Sandro Wagner could also start at the Volkswagen Arena. The Wolves were thumped at Werder Bremen last weekend and have edged dangerously close to the relegation zone in recent weeks, having won just one of their past eight matches. Bayern, on the other hand, are chasing their 10th successive Bundesliga victory.

Freiburg host Werder Bremen in what is a relegation battle, despite the fact that Christian Streich’s club remain in 12th, five points above the drop zone. Bremen have shown signs of life recently, but remain just three points above Mainz in 16th, the relegation playoff spot.

The two Borussias face off in Gladbach, with the mid-table Foals looking to keep their hopes of qualifying for Europe alive. Third-placed Dortmund, with their impressive short-term replacement for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Michy Batshuayi, will want to put more distance between themselves and the Europa League places. Batashuayi has scored five goals in three games for Dortmund, including a brace to give Dortmund a 3-1 victory over Atalanta in the Europa League.

Fan protests are expected in Germany’s banking capital as Eintracht Frankfurt host their first-ever Monday-night Bundesliga match. Monday matches, a new feature in the Bundesliga this season, are extremely unpopular with the fans. Opponents Leipzig are coming off an impressive 3-1 come-from-behind win over Napoli in the Europa League.

Serie A is highlighted by the Turin derby

Saturday
14:00 Udinese vs Roma
17:00 Chievo vs Cagliari
19:45 Genoa vs Inter
Sunday
11:30 Torino vs Juventus
14:00 Benevento vs Crotone
14:00 Bologna vs Sassuolo
14:00 Napoli vs SPAL 2013
17:00 Atalanta vs Fiorentina
19:45 AC Milan vs Sampdoria

The fight for the Scudetto is fought each week on fields across Italy. Napoli and Juventus continue to win each week as the Partenopei hang on to a one-point lead. Any misstep by either team could swing the title pendulum in the direction of either Naples or Turin. This weekend’s matches are no different, with the Turin derby between Juventus and Torino an important match as the title fight continues.

The Derby della Mole on Sunday at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino is key for both Juventus and Torino. It also comes at a pivotal moment of the season as Juve try and win the title, while Torino have a Europa League spot in their sights. Torino need at least a point as they battle with Sampdoria, AC Milan and Atalanta, clubs that have hit their strides at this juncture of the season.

Juventus aren’t an easy side to beat. Along with Napoli, they have the best defense in the league (both clubs have conceded just 15 goals in 24 matches) and enter the derby exhausted from their dramatic Champions League round of 16 match draw versus Tottenham. Despite the 2-2 outcome in the first leg, Juve’s defensive form has been astonishing this year as the club has yet to concede a goal in Serie A in 2018.

Napoli will be looking to remain league leaders as they host Spal on Sunday. Napoli, eliminated from the Champions League and Coppa Italia, are all in on trying to win their first Scudetto since 1990. It remains alive in the Europa League, but the league title is what coach Maurizio Sarri is banking on this spring.

UDINESE V ROMA: The Giallorossi face a test of their top four credentials when they travel to the Dacia Arena and face an Udinese side still pushing for Europa League football themselves. Roma‘s arch-rivals Lazio are just a point behind them in fifth while Internazionale, in third, are more than in sight given they have just a solitary point more (48). After back-to-back Serie A victories, Eusebio Di Francesco’s team will be keen to keep momentum on their side for this one ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League opener away at Shakhtar Donetsk.

Roma’s recent head-to-head against the Bianconeri doesn’t make for pleasant reading for fans of the Udine-based club, given the Stadio Olimpico outfit have won their past nine matches in all competitions against them. Remarkably, Roma’s record on the road is outstanding and they’ve suffered just a single defeat in their past 18 matches. For the hosts, Maxi Lopez will replace Kevin Lasagna and the Romans have Lorenzo Pellegrini and Radja Nainggolan back.

Ligue 1
16:00 Paris Saint Germain vs Strasbourg
19:00 Montpellier vs Guingamp
19:00 Amiens vs Toulouse
19:00 Troyes vs Metz
19:00 Angers vs Saint-Etienne
19:00 Caen vs Rennes
Sunday
14:00 Nice vs Nantes
16:00 Lille vs Lyon
20:00 Marseille vs Bordeaux

PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN V STRASBOURG: Paris Saint-Germain will be looking to bounce back from their disappointing Champions League defeat to Real Madrid. The Parisian giants host mid-table Strasbourg on Saturday, looking to extend their dominant 12-point lead at the summit of the Ligue 1 table. Although on paper a routine victory should be secured given the league leaders have won their past 12 matches on home soil, PSG will have to do without lynchpin Marco Verratti who misses out through suspension. Layvin Kurzawa and Thiago Motta are also injury doubts while it is expected Thiago Silva and Angel Di Maria could start after missing out at the Bernabeu. The one caveat to those assuming PSG will win comfortably is the fact Strasbourg, who won promotion to the top flight this season, actually beat Unai Emery’s men 2-1 in the reverse fixture in December. But theirrecord in the capital is woeful and Le Racing have lost on their past seven visits to the Parc des Princes.
Angers v St Etienne : It’s a surprise to see St Etienne such big outsiders to win this weekend considering the strides they’ve made since the January transfer market.
New signings Mathieu Debuchy, Neven Subotic, Yann Mvila and Robert Beric (back from loan) have all gone straight into the side and made the team much better.
The results reflect this: St Etienne have picked up seven points from their last three matches, including a creditable 2-2 draw against an in-form Marseille (who were 2nd in the table) last weekend.
Angers will struggle to win based on how they’ve played in recent times. Their 4-0 home defeat to Monaco last weekend was their third loss in their last four matches.
Angers have won just five of 25 Ligue 1 games all season so their chances of picking up all three points on Saturday night appear slim.
Troyes v Metz : Ligue 1’s bottom two sides meet at Stade de l’Aube on Saturday night and Metz look the better bet of the two struggling outfits.
Metz may be six points below Troyes in the standings but they’ve played better football than Troyes in recent times. The Lorraine-based outfit have improved greatly since Frederic Hantz was appointed manager in November and that’s reflected in Metz’s W4-D1-L1 record against non-top four sides since mid-December.
During the same time frame Troyes’ record against non-top four sides is W2-D0-L4. Right now there are fewer players playing well for Troyes than there are for Metz, and Metz’s self-belief and levels of determination have been more impressive than Troyes’ since the start of the year.
Troyes are 2.30 to win and Metz are 3.55 so the value lies with the visitors. Back Metz with a small start on the Asian Handicap or at 2.50 on the Draw No Bet market.
Marseille v Bordeaux: Two of Ligue 1’s in-form outfits go head-to-head in what promises to be a thrilling encounter at Stade Velodrome on Sunday night.
Marseille extended their unbeaten run to 11 games in all competitions (W8-D3-L0) with their 3-0 Europa League win over Braga on Thursday night in a game that showcased their attacking brilliance.
Striker Valere Germain netted his ninth and 10th goals in his last 13 outings and Marseille have now scored 32 times in 10 games in all competitions since the start of the year.
Bordeaux have made a fantastic start to life under new manager Gus Poyet, winning three out of three matches and playing some good football along the way.
Their 3-2 victory over Amiens last weekend followed wins against Lyon (3-1) and Strasbourg (2-0), with Bordeaux producing a more energetic, positive style of football in all three matches than they did under Poyet’s predecessor, Jocelyn Gourvennec.
The Uruguayan boss wants his players to press aggressively and break forward in good numbers, and is happy to encourage his players to do so even if it means sacrificing a little defensive solidity.
Expect attacking football from both sides and scoring opportunities at both ends. The absence of Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda and Bordeaux left-back Maxime Poundje merely increases the chances of a high-scoring encounter.

Championship
15:00 Burton vs Nottingham Forest
15:00 Preston vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
15:00 Fulham vs Aston Villa
15:00 Queens Park Rangers vs Bolton
15:00 Sunderland vs Brentford
15:00 Birmingham vs Millwall
15:00 Cardiff vs Middlesbrough
Sunday
12:00 Norwich vs Ipswich
16:30 Leeds vs Bristol City

Eredivisie
17:30 Vitesse vs Excelsior
18:45 PSV Eindhoven vs SC Heerenveen
18:45 NAC Breda vs AZ Alkmaar
19:45 ADO Den Haag vs Willem II
Sunday
11:30 Roda vs FC Utrecht
13:30 Feyenoord vs Heracles
13:30 Twente vs Sparta Rotterdam
15:45 PEC Zwolle vs Ajax

Super Lig
10:30 Antalyaspor vs Kayserispor
13:00 Sivasspor vs Osmanlispor FK
16:00 Fenerbahce vs Alanyaspor
Sunday
10:30 Karabukspor vs Akhisar Belediyespor
10:30 Bursaspor vs Yeni Malatyaspor
13:00 Trabzonspor vs Istanbul Basaksehir
16:00 Kasimpasa vs Galatasaray

Jupiler League
17:00 Royal Antwerp vs Oostende
19:00 Lokeren vs Kortrijk
19:00 Zulte-Waregem vs Eupen
19:30 Club Bruges vs Genk
Sunday
17:00 Sporting Charleroi vs Standard Liege
19:00 Royal Excel Mouscron vs Waasland-Beveren

Scottish Premiership
12:30 Ross County vs Hearts
15:00 Partick Thistle vs Dundee FC
15:00 Motherwell vs Kilmarnock
15:00 Hibernian vs Aberdeen
Sunday
14:15 Hamilton Academical vs Rangers
15:00 Celtic vs St.Johnstone

Portugal Liga NOS
16:00 Aves vs Maritimo
18:15 Benfica vs Boavista
20:30 Estoril vs Belenenses
Sunday
16:00 Moreirense vs Chaves
16:00 Vitoria de Setubal vs Pacos de Ferreira
18:00 FC Porto vs Rio Ave
20:15 Vitoria de Guimaraes vs Braga