5 games to watch: AC Milan, Atalanta battle for fourth in Serie A
By Adam Stocker
Here are five of the best matches around Europe this weekend, highlighted by Atalanta and AC Milan’s battle for fourth in Serie A on Saturday.
There are no Premier League games this weekend as the FA Cup takes place in England. The other top leagues in Europe offer games between teams in the top five spots of the table. In addition to the big leagues in Europe, the smaller ones offer some enticing matchups.
5. Check out a game in one of the smaller leagues
There are some intriguing games around Europes top five leagues this weekend, but not many with significant implications at the top of the table. The smaller leagues make up for that with several games between clubs vying for Champions League qualification. The only problem with the smaller leagues: Games are extremely difficult to find on TV.
Yeni Malatyaspor vs. Besiktas – Friday, Feb. 15, 12:30 p.m. ET
The two top clubs in Turkey qualify for the Champions League. On Friday, fourth-place Yeni Malatyaspor play third-place Besiktas, with both clubs looking to catch second-place Galatasaray.
Club Brugge vs. Genk – Sunday, Feb. 17, 8:30 a.m. ET (B/R Live)
In Belgium, it’s first-place Club Brugge hosting second-place Genk, who are 11 points back. While Genk will be tough to catch, Brugge are in a tight race for second place and a spot in the Champions League next season.
Olympiacos vs. AEK Athens – Sunday, Feb. 17, 12:30 p.m. ET
The Greek Super League sees second-place Olympiacos take on third-place AEK Athens. While neither club is likely to catch PAOK at the top of the table, Sunday’s game will likely determine which club qualifies for the Champions League, as only the top two clubs in Greece qualify. Olympiacos hold a five-point lead over AEK ahead of their game on Sunday.
Sporting vs. Braga – Sunday, Feb. 17, 3 p.m. ET (GOLTV)
In Portugal, it’s fourth-place Sporting hosting third-place Braga. Traditionally, the Portuguese league has been dominated by Sporting, Benfica and Porto. The three clubs have combined to win all but two Primeira Liga titles. This season, Sporting have fallen back in the race. Instead, Braga are chasing the title and looking to become the first team outside of the Portuguese big three to win the title since 2001. Braga are only two points behind first-place Porto, and a loss on Sunday could end their title hopes.
4. Lille vs. Montpellier — Sunday, Feb. 17, 9 a.m. ET (beIN Sports)
The Ligue 1 title race has been over for a long time. Paris Saint-Germain are again running away with it, holding a 10 point lead on second-place Lille with two games in hand. With the title race over, the focus shifts to the race for Europe. The top three clubs qualify for the Champions League while fourth place enters the Europa League.
Lille have been on fire, winning five straight games. The front three of Nicolas Pepe, Jonathan Bamba and Rafael Leao have been great this season, combining for 32 goals this season. Pepe scored the winner when Lille played Montpellier in December and has been particularly good, scoring 16 goals and adding 10 assists.
On Sunday, Lille host Montpellier, who are fifth in Ligue 1. Montpellier are three points out of fourth place and have a game in hand on Saint-Etienne. La Paillade are unbeaten over their last six games but have only won once over that stretch. Montpellier can struggle to score goals at times but they have allowed the second fewest goals in Ligue 1 this season.
3. Chelsea vs. Manchester United — Monday, Feb. 18, 2:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
The FA Cup has lost some of its luster over the past few years but there’s no denying a Chelsea and Manchester United matchup. Monday’s game is made more interesting with the two clubs seemingly going in opposite directions. United have been on fire under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, passing Chelsea and Arsenal in the Premier League table. Chelsea and manager Maurizio Sarri are under fire, losing three of their last four games, including a lopsided 6-0 loss against Manchester City.
United suffered their first loss under Solskjaer, losing 2-0 to PSG in the Champions League and will look to rebound on Monday, while Chelsea played Swedish side Malmo in the Europa League on Thursday and will look to put out the fire surrounding the club recently.
2. Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Borussia Monchengladbach — Sunday, Feb. 17, 9:30 a.m. (FS2)
Nine points separate fifth-place Eintracht Frankfurt and third-place Borussia Monchengladbach ahead of their game Sunday at Commerzbank Arena. While Eintracht are unlikely to qualify for a top-four spot, without going on quite the run and one of the teams ahead of them collapsing, they can play spoiler. Monchengladbach are eight points behind Borussia Dortmund, who play last-place Nurnberg this weekend. After losing 3-0 last weekend against Hertha Berlin, another loss would end Gladbach’s title dreams. Dieter Hecking’s team has been reliant on Alassane Plea and Thorgan Hazard, who have combined for 19 of the club’s 41 goals this season.
Eintracht and Leipzig played to a scoreless draw last weekend, the third straight draw for Frankfurt. The Eagles have been successful this season because of the “magic triangle.” Luka Jovic, Ante Rebic and Sebastian Haller have combined for 32 goals this season. The play of Jovic this season has attracted the interest of Barcelona and Real Madrid and he could be in line for a summer move. Jovic leads the Bundesliga with 14 goals.
1. Atalanta vs. AC Milan — Saturday, Feb. 16, 2:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
There’s no tighter race than the race for fourth in Serie A. AC Milan enter the weekend fourth but are only one point ahead of Roma, Lazio and their opponent on Saturday, Atalanta. Every weekend, one result could dramatically change the table.
The subtraction of Gonzalo Higuain and the addition of Krzysztof Piatek has improved Milan greatly. Piatek has 23 goals in all competitions this season and has scored four goals in the four games since joining Milan from Genoa. Milan have not lost since Piatek joined the club and are unbeaten in their last six games to remain ahead of the chasing pack.
Atalanta defeated SPAL 2-1 last weekend and are also unbeaten over their last six games. Over their last 15 games, Atalanta have picked up 32 points. Duvan Zapata and Josip Ilicic scored against SPAL. Zapata, Ilicic and Papu Gomez have been great for the Goddess this season, combining for 28 goals and 16 assists.