After another exciting midweek, jammed-full of cracking European fixtures, UEFA competitions will take a back seat in favour of Europe’s top-five leagues, where you have several options to take advantage of soccer odds 1×2 on games across the continent.
Let’s take a look at the four most interesting matches to watch out for this weekend.
Bundesliga – Eintracht Frankfurt vs Bayern Munich / Saturday 26/02/22
A tasty-looking showdown between mid-table Eintracht Frankfurt and perennial German champions Bayern Munich at Deutsche Bank Park will serve to round Saturday’s Bundesliga action off.
Back-to-back defeats to Cologne and Wolfsburg without scoring have left Die Adler hover in mid-table lethargy as they head into proceedings lagging six points behind fourth-placed RB Leipzig.
However, despite their domestic wobble, Frankfurt have seemingly had Bayern’s number of late, with no reverse from their last two top-flight encounters (W1, D1).
Indeed, alongside Borussia Monchengladbach, Oliver Glasner’s men remain the only side to have outscored the Bavarians at the Allianz Arena this season, courtesy of a 2-1 win in early October.
So even though Bayern go into this match as odds-on favourites, looking to solidify their place at the top of the Bundesliga table, Frankfurt could throw a spanner in the works.
La Liga – Barcelona vs Athletic Bilbao / Sunday, 27/02/22
Driven by revenge following a heartbreaking Copa del Rey elimination back in January, Barcelona will be looking to settle the score with Athletic Bilbao when they meet at Camp Nou this weekend in a must-watch game of football on tv.
Inspired by marquee January signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Xavi’s men dismantled Valencia 4-1 at Mestalla last time out, with the ex-Arsenal captain bagging his first hat-trick in the Blaugrana shirt.
Barca’s high-flying run of three wins from their last four La Liga outings (D1) has put them in the driver’s seat to claim a coveted top-four finish following a dismal first half of the season.
But it should not intimidate Bilbao, who could hand their top-four hopes a huge boost with a victory at Camp Nou, where they last won in La Liga action in 2001.
Marcelino Garcia Toral’s side made light work of fellow Basque rivals Real Sociedad in the build-up to this game, cruising to an overwhelming 4-0 derby triumph last weekend.
With only five points separating them from Barcelona ahead of the kick-off, the visitors cannot afford a slip-up if they are to remain in contention for next season’s Champions League football.
Ligue 1 – Paris Saint-Germain vs St Etienne / Saturday, 26/02/22
Runaway Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain fell to a disappointing 3-1 defeat away to Nantes last time out, so they could be looking to make relegation-battling St Etienne suffer this time around.
Coming into this matchday, PSG have won four home league games on the spin, making it 11 triumphs from their 12 top-flight fixtures at the Parc des Princes this term (D1).
A staggering 13-point lead over closest chasers Marseille seemingly puts the Ligue 1 title race beyond doubt, allowing Mauricio Pochettino’s side to switch their attention to European proceedings.
Indeed, St Etienne’s visit to Paris will serve as a warm-up game ahead of PSG’s trip to Spain for the return leg of their mammoth Champions League last-16 tie.
With the French heavyweights holding a narrow 1-0 first-leg lead, Pochettino could even decide to throw a bit under-strength line-up on the field this weekend.
That should be music to St Etienne’s ears, especially after they have racked up three wins from their last four Ligue 1 matches (D1) to lift themselves outside the drop zone.
Serie A – Lazio vs Napoli / Sunday, 27/02/22
Sunday’s Serie A action closes out at the Stadio Olimpico as European bidders Lazio take on hot Scudetto contenders Napoli in a mouth-watering fixture.
Unbeaten in their last five league outings on the trot (W3, D2), Maurizio Sarri’s men still harbour genuine hopes of beating Juventus and Atalanta to a fourth-place finish.
Given Atalanta’s disastrous domestic form and Juve’s propensity for drawing high-profile matches, a four-point gap offers the Biancocelesti plenty to look forward to in the remainder of the season.
But Lazio’s top-four credentials will face a stern test on Sunday as the best Serie A defence is set to arrive in the country’s capital, keen to end a run of consecutive league draws.
Luciano Spalletti has based Napoli’s impressive domestic season on a water-tight backline, with the Partenopei conceding only 18 goals after 26 Serie A matches.
Yet, scoring could be a problem for Diego Armando Maradona’s former club.
Napoli have lost both previous Serie A visits to Lazio ‘to nil,’ while they have netted precisely one goal in four of their last six competitive away games.