Here is what our editors will be watching this weekend:
Saturday, February 28th
Borussia Dortmund vs Bayern Munich - 18:30 CET
It’s a huge weekend at the top of the Bundesliga, with leaders Bayern Munich travelling to second-placed Borussia Dortmund in a high-stakes Der Klassiker on Saturday evening.
Eight points separate the two sides ahead of kick-off, as Niko Kovac’s men look to close the gap on the Bavarians and bounce back from Wednesday’s chastening Champions League defeat to Atalanta.
Dortmund are unbeaten across their previous 16 league matches (W11, D5); however, they’ll face a stern test against Bayern, who themselves are yet to taste defeat on the road in the Bundesliga this season (W9, D2).
Vincent Kompany’s side know a victory in North Rhine-Westphalia would see them put one hand firmly on the title, and with five wins from their previous seven head-to-head trips to Signal Iduna Park, the omens are good for the league leaders.
Whatever the outcome, it promises to be a thrilling Saturday night spectacle, so make sure you tune in!
Danny Clark
Sunday, March 1st
It's the fourth Old Firm Derby of the season this weekend between Rangers and Celtic, and it is by far the biggest.
The biggest teams in Scotland are having their dominance threatened this season by Hearts, who lead the Scottish Premiership by four points as we near the business end of the campaign.
It would be a record-breaking achievement for the 'Jam Tarts', who, if they win the title, will be the first team since Sir Alex Ferguson's Aberdeen to win Scotland's top flight since 1985.
To make sure it's not broken, Rangers and Celtic are both gunning for the Edinburgh side, and it would be even sweeter beating their old foes on the way.
So far this year, Rangers have won one of the league matches, the other ended in a 0-0 draw, whilst their League Cup clash went the way of Celtic.
It's been a year of turmoil for both clubs. Managers have come and gone, form has ebbed and flowed, but both know a win is a must this weekend. It will be a fiery atmosphere, as ever, at Ibrox on Sunday, with no quarter given.
Goals, red cards, controversy, expect the lot in this hugely anticipated Old Firm.
Josh Donaldson
India vs West Indies - 14:30 CET
One of the criticisms of the ongoing T20 World Cup’s format is that there aren’t enough knockout matches. With two group stages before the semi-finals, it has at times felt a bit long-winded and lacking jeopardy. However, that changes on Sunday.
We are not yet into the final four, with one round to play of the Super 8 stage, but what we have lucked upon is essentially a quarter-final. Closing out the stage is a winner-takes-all clash for a place in the semis, as co-hosts India take on the West Indies at Kolkata’s iconic Eden Gardens.
Here’s the scenario: Assuming South Africa beat the already-eliminated Zimbabwe in Sunday’s early match, they will top Group 1 ahead of India and the Windies. That’s not a foregone conclusion, but it feels very likely.
Either way, South Africa will go through, but if they lose, their net run rate could see them finish second. All that means, India and the Windies, who have both won and lost once in the stage, are playing for progression. It couldn’t be simpler: the winner goes through, the loser goes out.
Both sides have won all six matches so far at the World Cup bar one, both losing to South Africa, so their form guides are similar. Unfortunately for the Windies, they are coming off a pretty damaging loss to the Proteas on Thursday.
While India, the tournament favourites, have their tails up after thrashing Zimbabwe in a match in which all of their batters got starts and posted a mammoth total of 256 - the second-highest ever at a T20 World Cup.
Ominous signs for the West Indies, yes. But, if there’s one thing they can do, it’s score big. In fact, they compiled 254 against Zimbabwe themselves and have firepower right down to their lower order that most teams can only dream of.
As for the venue, the West Indies have already played and won twice at Eden Gardens in this tournament, while it will be India’s first match of the competition there. That could give the ‘visitors’ some kind of edge, or at least the confidence of familiarity.
Being an evening game, the toss tends to be very important in Kolkata, too. Just at this World Cup, the captain who won the toss there elected to bowl four out of five times, with the preference very much on chasing as the dew sets in.
There are exceptions to every rule, though, and with these two stacked sides, anything could truly happen. Bring it on!
Pat Dempsey
Arsenal vs Chelsea - 17:30 CET
Top-of-the-table Arsenal continue their quest for a first Premier League title since 2004, when they take on London rivals Chelsea this Sunday.
Following a dismal draw away at basement-dwellers Wolves, the pressure really began to pile on Arsenal, with question marks over whether they had the mentality to get over the line. With two wins in their previous seven and Manchester City breathing down their necks, things were getting tense.
However, an emphatic 4-1 victory over neighbours Spurs last weekend saw them start to get back on track, and another statement win against Champions League chasing Chelsea will see them in a good position heading into the final nine games of the season.
The Blues have been unbeaten in the league since the appointment of new coach Liam Rosenior, but a pair of disappointing draws against Leeds and Burnley has seen an already unhappy fanbase grow more frustrated.
With Manchester United looking in such good form, and Liverpool's results starting to improve, there is a real chance Chelsea may miss out on Champions League football, which would be a serious blow.
Which is why this weekend's meeting is so important for both teams. So much is on the line, making this London derby a must-watch!
Tolga Akdeniz
The game of the weekend from Ligue 1 is unquestionably old foes Marseille and Lyon, who face off in a crucial match on Sunday evening in the race for Champions League qualification. The wheels have fallen off Marseille's title challenge after failing to win any of their last four games in Ligue 1.
All of a sudden, Marseille have an uphill battle to qualify for the Champions League. A win against third-placed and in-form Lyon would be the perfect way to get their season back on track and put themselves back in contention to qualify for the second season in a row.
However, the manner of their defeat at Brest last weekend was alarming as they looked a far cry from the team that were looking like genuine title contenders not so long ago.
If they lose on Sunday evening, Marseille would find themselves eight points behind Lyon and in big trouble.
Paulo Fonseca's men have a fantastic opportunity. Despite their exceptional winning run coming to an end last weekend against the impressive Strasbourg, Lyon will fancy their chances in Marseille. Endrick has hit the ground running since joining, and even in the Strasbourg defeat, Lyon had some good spells.
They are still very much the in-form side heading into the vital clash, and if they play like they had been pre-Strasbourg, they have a great chance of coming out on top.
What is certain, this is not a match you want to miss as two giants of French football go to battle.
Harry Dunnett
This week's Serie A blockbuster pits together Roma and Juventus, with both sides chasing Champions League football for next season.
I Giallorossi have rediscovered their form, as they are unbeaten in their last three (2-1-0). They have scored seven times in that run, and look dangerous again in their quest for a long-awaited return to Europe's premier club competition.
They have the joint-second-best home record in Serie A, having captured 28 points from 13 matches.
It has been a painful last week and a bit for Juve, who were knocked out of the Champions League in the middle of the week against Galatasaray. La Vecchia Signora have not come out on top in the league in a month and will be desperate to end their torrid run.
Luciano Spalletti’s charges have scored the second-most goals this far, with Inter being the only team with more.
Francisco Conceicao and Lois Openda got the goals for Juve in the reverse fixture, which saw them prevail 2-1. Across the last five head-to-heads, Roma have not won (0-2-3). With that said, clashes between these two have been close - the last 11 games have been decided by one goal or less.
As such, be prepared for another cracking matchup in the Serie A, as a UCL place could very well be decided by the outcome of this one. Tune in on Sunday evening and prepare for more drama at the Stadio Olimpico.
David Parkes
