5 games to watch: Madrid derby, City-Chelsea rematch

Here are five of the best matches around Europe this weekend, highlighted by the Madrid derby on Saturday.

The top four leagues in Europe each offer a game that’s sure to entertain fans this weekend. The Madrid derby is arguably the best game this weekend, as Real and Atletico renew their rivalry. Not to be outdone, the Premier League offers a top-four match, while the Bundesliga offers two games that will help determine which clubs qualify for European competitions next season.

5. Borussia Dortmund vs. Hoffenheim — Saturday, Feb. 9, 9:30 a.m. ET (FS2)

Borussia Dortmund moved seven points ahead of Bayern Munich and Borussia Monchengladbach last weekend. Dortmund will look to build to their lead on Saturday when they play Hoffenheim at Signal Iduna Park. Lucien Favre’s team is one of the most exciting in Europe, playing a high-paced attacking style. The attacking trio of Marco Reus, Paco Alcacer, and Jadon Sancho have been incredible this season, combining for 31 goals and 19 assists. If Dortmund drop points on Saturday, they would give new life to Bayern, who are chasing their seventh-straight league title and are starting to get healthy.

Hoffenheim have finished in the top four the past two seasons. However, this season, Hoffenheim have dropped down the table after seven draws in their last nine games. Julian Nagelsmann’s team enters the weekend in eighth place. Hoffenheim are eighth points back of the top four and two points back of a spot in the Europa League. They could get hot and make a strong push up the table over the final third of the table. The front two of Andrej Kramaric and Joelinton could give a banged up Dortmund backline some problems. Kramaric and Joelinton have combined for 15 goals this season.

4. Fiorentina vs. Napoli — Saturday, Feb. 9, 12:00 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

Last year, Fiorentina defeated Napoli late in the season to end their hope of winning the title. This season, the Viola can do the exact same thing. Napoli enter the weekend nine points behind Juventus with 16 games left. A Napoli loss and a Juventus win against Sassuolo would push the lead to 11 points and likely be too much for Napoli to overcome.

Fiorentina are ninth in Serie A, four points behind Atalanta, Roma, and Lazio a spot in the Europa League. The Viola have drawn 10 games this season and the dropped points have prevented them from climbing the table. If Fiorentina are going to beat Napoli on Saturday, they will have to do it without Marco Benassi, who is suspended. Benassi leads the club with seven goals.

Napoli have picked up 10 points in their last four games but have not made up any ground on Juventus. Every weekend that Napoli fails to pick up ground in the table, Juventus inches that much closer to an eighth straight Scudetto. Arkadiusz Milik is having a great feel-good season for the Donkeys. Milik joined Napoli in 2016 from Ajax. In his first two seasons with the club, he had his season cut short by a torn ACL in both of his knees. This season, Milik has stayed healthy and leads Napoli with 12 goals this season.

3. RB Leipzig vs. Eintracht Frankfurt — Saturday, Feb. 9, 9:30 a.m. (FOX Soccer Plus)

There might not be two teams in Germany that are as exciting as RB Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt. The two clubs are fourth and fifth in the Bundesliga table, with Leipzig holding a five-point edge over Frankfurt. Saturday’s game between the two clubs at Red Bull Arena could determine which club qualifies for the Champions League and which club plays in the Europa League. If Leipzig win, the eight-point cushion will likely be enough to finish in the top four. However, if Eintracht win, the race will likely come down to the final weeks of the season.

Leipzig have easily beaten Fortuna Dusseldorf and Hannover over their last two games. Timo Werner and Yussuf Poulsen have been excellent this season, combining for 23 goals. In addition to having a strong attacking team, the Red Bulls have conceded the fewest goals in the Bundesliga. Willi Orban has had a great season, organizing the back four and getting forward on set pieces, scoring three goals this season.

Eintracht’s strong season can be attributed to what has been called the “magical triangle” in Germany. Frankfurt’s attacking trio of Luka Jovic, Sebastian Haller and Ante Rebic have all had great seasons. Jovic is leading the Bundesliga with 14 goals this season, attracting the attention of Real Madrid. Haller has 11 goals and eight assists, while Rebic has seven goals. Eintracht’s success this season will be determined by the “magical triangle.” If the triangle continues to produce, they could qualify for Champions League for the first time in club history.

2. Manchester City vs. Chelsea — Sunday, Feb. 10, 11 a.m. ET (NBCSN)

After back-to-back draws by Liverpool, the Premier League title race is level again. Manchester City have overcome their three December losses to match the Reds’ 62 points. The race for the final Champions League spot in the Premier League is as interesting as the title race. Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal are within three points of each other and will likely trade positions in the table over the final months of the season.

The Citizens beat Everton 2-0 on Wednesday to move back to the top of the table but have played one more game than Liverpool. With 13 games remaining, City and Liverpool are playing a game of chicken, the first team to drop points might not be able to recover, as the teams have already played each other twice this season. Chelsea are in a similar situation, they can’t afford to drop any points. If they do, the Blues could be passed by Arsenal or Manchester United for fourth place. After back to back losses, Chelsea rebounded with a 5-0 destruction of Huddersfield. Gonzalo Higuain and Eden Hazard both scored twice in the victory. The addition of Higuain allows Chelsea to move Hazard back to the wing and gives him a target in the middle. There might not be a player in the Premier League who is having a better season than Hazard, who has 12 goals and 10 assists.

1. Atletico Madrid vs. Real Madrid — Saturday, Feb. 9, 10:15 a.m. ET (beIN Sports)

Barcelona are first in La Liga with 50 points, four ahead of Atletico and six points ahead of Real Madrid. On Saturday, Atletico host Real in the Madrid derby, with the winner keeping pace with Barcelona in the title race. While the loser will likely drop out of the title race. A draw could also end both teams title hopes, as Barcelona should pick up all three points against Athletic Bilbao.

Atletico surprisingly lost 1-0 to Real Betis last weekend, the second loss of the season for Atletico. As is always the case under Diego Simeone, Atletico are one of the best defensive sides in Spain. No La Liga club have conceded fewer goals than Atleti, who have allowed only 14 goals. The stingy defense of Atletico would be good enough to win the title most season but Atleti struggle to score goals. Atletico have scored only 32 goals in 22 games this season. Antoine Griezmann leads the club with 10 goals and is the only player with more than two goals for Atletico. Alvaro Morata made his Atleti debut last weekend after arriving from Chelsea. Morata is hoping to regain his form in his home country after struggling for 18 months in England.

Real defeated Alaves 3-0 last weekend, their fourth win in a row. Karim Benzema scored his 10th goal of the season against Alaves. Benzema has been on fire lately, scoring three goals in his last two games. The French striker will lead the line for Real as they look to steal three points from their city rivals. If Real are going to win on Saturday they will need a strong performance from Gareth Bale, who was expected to have a better season after Cristiano Ronaldo left for Juventus. The Welsh winger has struggled with health and consistency. Bale has missed four of the past seven games and has scored only five La Liga goals.