5 games to watch: El Classico headlines a stacked weekend

Here are five of the best matches around Europe this weekend, headlined by El Classico between Real Madrid and Barcelona.

There might not be a better weekend of matches this season than this one. The highlight is El Classico, with Real Madrid welcoming Barcelona to the Santiago Bernabeu. The two biggest rivals in Spain almost always play highly entertaining games and Real will want to make up for a disappointing loss in the first league game between the two clubs, and Copa del Rey defeat on Wednesday.

If that isn’t enough, Serie A offers the Rome derby and a first vs. second matchup as Juventus go to the San Paolo to play Napoli.

On top of that, the Premier League kicks off Saturday with the north London Derby between Tottenham and Arsenal.

And if that still wasn’t enough, the Bundesliga offers a game between Borussia Monchengladbach and Bayern Munich that has huge implications on the title race.

5. Napoli vs. Juventus — Sunday, March 3, 2:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

Napoli had an incredible season last year, finishing with 91 points. In almost every other season, it would have been enough for Napoli to win the title. However, they finished four points behind Juventus. The title win was the seventh straight for Juventus, who look poised to win their eighth in a row. Juventus are 13 points up on Napoli with 13 games to play. On Sunday, its first and second playing as second-place Napoli host table-topping Juventus at the San Paolo. Another win for Juve will crush any microscopic title hopes that Napoli had, while a win for Napoli will give them an inch more of hope.

4. Tottenham vs. Arsenal — Saturday, March 2, 7:30 a.m. ET (NBCSN)

The north London Derby is one of the most passionate derbies in the Premier League. On Saturday, Tottenham host Arsenal. The fans of Tottenham and Arsenal both consider the other club to be their biggest rivals. Arsenal have taken joy throughout history by finishing ahead of Spurs. However, in recent years, it has been Tottenham who have finished ahead of Arsenal. Only four points separate the two clubs ahead of their game on Saturday, with bragging rights on the line.

After losing two straight games, Spurs have fallen out of the title race and have allowed Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United to close the gap on them. Despite the three clubs below them moving closer, Mauricio Pochettino has a difficult decision to make on Saturday. Pochettino can decide to play his regulars and risk them being weakened for their midweek Champions League game against Borussia Dortmund in Germany. Or he can decide to start reserves and keep some of his key players fresh and potentially allow Arsenal to pick up all three points.

The Gunners have won three straight and five of their last six games to inch into a Champions League spot. Unai Emery’s first season in charge has been more successful than many predicted. However, a loss against Spurs and to Manchester United next weekend could potentially drop Arsenal five points behind United. That possible scenario makes picking up a point Saturday extremely important if Arsenal are going to finish in the top four.

3. Lazio vs. Roma — Saturday, March 2, 2:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

Of the local derbies across Europe, there might not be one as fierce as the Rome derby. The fans of Lazio and Roma absolutely detest each other. On Saturday, the two clubs clash at the Stadio Olimpico.

This season, Lazio started strong but have struggled lately, picking up only seven points in their last six games. After flirting with a Champions League spot during the first half of the season, the Eagles have dropped down the table and are seven points behind fourth-place AC Milan but do have a game in hand. Lazio have struggled to find goals outside of Ciro Immobile, who leads the club with 11 goals. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Luis Alberto have been incredibly disappointing this season. The duo combined for 23 goals last season but have only scored four times this one. If the midfielders don’t produce more, Lazio will likely have to settle for a spot in the Europa League again.

Roma manager Eusebio Di Francesco was likely one more loss away from getting fired after losing to Juventus on Dec. 22. Since then, Roma are unbeaten over their last eight games, picking up 20 points. Roma have climbed from 10th in the table to fifth, and are only one point behind Milan for the final Champions League spot. The turnaround for Di Francesco’s club has been incredible. After scoring only 29 goals in their first 17 games, Roma have come alive offensively, scoring 20 goals in their last eight games.

2. Borussia Monchengladbach vs. Bayern Munich  — Saturday, March 2, 12:30 p.m. (FS2)

After winning 10 of their last 11 games, Bayern Munich have moved within three points of Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga title race. With a game remaining against Dortmund in Munich, Bayern will have the chance to catch and pass their biggest rival and capture their seventh straight Bundesliga title. On Saturday, Bayern go to Borussia-Park to play third-place Borussia Monchengladbach.

The Bavarians will rely on Robert Lewandowski to find the back of the net as they look to pick up their 11th win in their past 12 games. Bayern will lean even more heavily on Lewandowski after seeing Kingsley Coman suffer another injury. The loss of Coman limits Bayern’s attacking options on the wing. After fans calling for Niko Kovac’s job earlier this season, the Croatian manager has steadied the ship and limited opposition scoring chances. However, the heat will return if Bayern lose on Saturday and are eliminated in the Champions League.

Gladbach are third in the table but have struggled recently. The Foals have lost two of their last three games, picking up only one point to drop out of the title race. While Monchengladbach have struggled, they’ve played well against Bayern since Dieter Hecking took over in December 2016, splitting four games. In the reverse fixture, Gladbach went into the Allianz Arena and convincingly defeated Bayern 3-0. The Foals will rely on Alassane Plea and Thorgan Hazard, who have combined for 19 goals, to lead the attack and hope their defense, which has allowed the second fewest goals in the Bundesliga, can contain Bayern’s attack.

1. Real Madrid vs. Barcelona — Saturday, March 2, 2:45 p.m. ET (beIN Sports)

Saturday’s game between Real Madrid and Barcelona will be the fourth time the two clubs have played this season. Despite having played three times already, it doesn’t reduce the importance of Saturday’s game. A win for Barcelona would likely eliminate Real Madrid from the title race. However, a Real win would give both Real and Atletico Madrid new life with 12 matches remaining.

Barcelona won the first La Liga game this season 5-1. In the Copa del Rey, the first leg ended in a 1-1 draw. In the second leg, Barcelona beat Real 3-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu. After already losing twice, Real will want to make sure that they do not lose three times in one season to their biggest rival. They especially don’t want to lose in such a lopsided fashion.

Real have struggled to replace Cristiano Ronaldo. Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale were expected to pick up the slack but have combined for only 18 goals. Benzema and Bale have combined for seven goals in the last five Liga games but have traditionally struggled against Barcelona. The duo will have to find the back of the net if Real are going to beat Barcelona.

Real have combined for 43 goals this season, the second most in La Liga. However, 43 goals are the same number that Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez have combined for this season. Messi has again been incredible, scoring 25 goals and 13 assists.