Champions League Quarter-Finals 1st Leg
Benfica vs. Liverpool
Benfica beat Ajax 2-3 on aggregate in the Round of 16 and sit 3rd in Liga NOS as they welcome Liverpool. Since the 2nd leg they have won one and lost one. Liverpool beat Inter 2-1 on aggregate in the last round. Since then they have won all four of their games without conceding a single goal. Liverpool have not been their stellar best but they are managing to scrape through wins at the moment. Over two legs I don’t think Benfica really stand a chance, but the best Benfica can do is stop Liverpool from scoring and maybe nick a goal.
Man City vs. Atletico Madrid
Man City beat Sporting Lisbon 5-0 on aggregate in the last round. City sit top of the Premier League at the moment and since the 2nd leg they have won two and drawn one. Atletico sit 3rd in La Liga and they beat Man United 1-2 on aggregate in the Round of 16. Since then they have won both their games. Atletico travel to Manchester once again and they are in good form at the moment. The styles of both teams could not be more different and that should make for an interesting game. Many favour City to go through but if Atletico can keep City at bay in this 1st leg then they could gain an advantage going into the 2nd leg. There could be an upset in this fixture. City also have to play Liverpool in between these fixtures.
Villarreal vs. Bayern Munich
Villarreal sit 7th in La Liga but have faired better in the Champions League. They beat Juventus 1-4 in the Round of 16 with Emery getting one over Allegri. Since then they have lost both their games though. Bayern sit top of the Bundesliga as usual and beat RB Salzburg 8-2 on aggregate in the last round. Since then they have won two and drawn one of their games. Bayern on paper are the clear favourites going into this game but Nagelsmann is still a younger manager. Emery will have to challenge all his European experience to get past Bayern but it would be a very big upset. A fixture to keep an eye on for sure.
Premier League (Game in hand)
Burnley vs. Everton
Only one game in hand this week but it is a big one as relegation contenders face each other. Burnley sit 19th in the table three games in hand and four points from safety. Everton sit 17th in the table three games in hand and three points above the relegation zone. Burnley have lost their last four while Everton have won one of their last five. It is a massive game, if Burnley win they can get to within a point of safety while if Everton win they can go seven points clear of Burnley and six clear of the relegation zone. There is pressure on both Dyche and Lampard but Everton have not been great away from home while Burnley have not been good at home. Everton beat Burnley 3-1 in the reverse fixture. This is a big game in terms of the relegation race and it can go either way.
Europa League Quarter-Finals 1st Leg
RB Leipzig welcome Atalanta, West Ham entertain Lyon, Frankfurt welcome Barcelona, and Braga welcome Rangers. Some very interesting fixtures in the Europa League this season. Leipzig and Atalanta is a well balanced fixture that can go either way. West Ham have been in better form than Lyon this season and are probably favourites on paper but Lyon have been good in the Europa League. Barcelona have been rampant in recent months and should beat Frankfurt over two legs. Braga sit 4th in Liga NOS and sit 2nd in the Scottish Premier League. That is a balanced fixture as well.
Europa Conference League Quarter-Finals 1st Leg
Feyenoord welcome Slavia Praha, Marseille take on PAOK, Roma travel to Bodo/Glimt, and Leicester welcome PSV. Feyenoord vs Slavia is a balanced fixture along with Leicester against PSV. Marseille should beat PAOK while Roma should bet Bodo over two legs even though they have had a stellar European campaign.