Five Games to Watch: Title permutations in Premier League and Bundesliga
LIVERPOOL v MANCHESTER CITY
If the 2017-18 Premier League table told you one thing, it's that it was an extremely tightly-contested fight between Manchester City and Liverpool, with the former winning the league by a solitary point. In that season, they won and drew against the Reds, which highlights the importance of the fixtures between these two juggernauts. Liverpool have been relentless this campaign and are the only unbeaten team in the Premier League, while Man City have surprisingly lost twice against newly-promoted Norwich and at home against Wolves. The last fixture between the pair at Anfield was a surprisingly dull 0-0 stalemate in October, and with the quality on show again this Sunday, they could cancel each other out again. Or, it could be the game of the season.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Mane is Liverpool's top scorer in the league this campaign, and will be raring to go after being rested from the starting XI by Jurgen Klopp for the Champions League fixture against Genk.
BAYERN v DORTMUND
For Dortmund, it remains to be seen whether this is a good time or a bad time to play Bayern, as they recently sacked head coach Niko Kovac. The Bavarians could rally for their biggest game of the season, or be the Bayern who were humbled 5-1 by Frankfurt last weekend. The Bundesliga is one of the tightest leagues in Europe at the moment with just five points separating first to ninth, with BVB currently one point ahead of Bayern after beating Wolfsburg 3-0 last weekend. Lucien Favre's men will also be buoyed by their superb 3-2 comeback against Inter in the Champions League on Tuesday. The last league fixture between the two, however, saw Bayern run out huge 5-0 winners at the Allianz Arena.
PLAYER TO WATCH
In an inconsistent season for Bayern, one constant has been the excellent performances of Lewandowski, and against his former club, he could be the difference-maker for the champions again.
REAL BETIS v SEVILLA
The Andalusian Derby is one of the most fiercely-fought, loud, and bright in all of Europe, and the Benito Villamarin is the stage this weekend as Betis play Sevilla. Despite spending in excess of £80 million in the summer on the likes of Nabil Fekir and Borja Iglesias, Betis have disappointed so far this season as they currently sit 15th in La Liga, having won just three games out of 12. Sevilla, meanwhile, are up in fifth but haven't won in two games after consecutive draws, albeit decent ones, against Valencia and Atletico Madrid. The last fixture between the two was a cracker and ended 3-2 to Los Nervionenses.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Loren Moron has been one of the revelations of the Spanish Primera Division, scoring seven goals so far. If Betis are to have a chance and move away from the relegation zone, he'll be key to their plight.
MARSEILLE v LYON
After trailing PSG by eight points already, Marseille are basically in a fight for second in Ligue 1, barring a major collapse by the Parisiens. They are fourth in the table and are in inconsistent form, winning two and losing two out of the last four league fixtures. Lyon, after a horrendous start to the campaign under the now-sacked Sylvinho, are now showing major improvements under Rudi Garcia, winning the last three games including against Benfica in the Champions League. Les Gones won the last Choc des Olympiques fixture 3-0.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Depay has been in sensational form recently, scoring five goals in his last four games, including a fabulous last-minute winner against Toulouse last week.
JUVENTUS v MILAN
At one time the Serie A game between Juventus and Milan would have major title consequences for both clubs, but with the Rossoneri's decline in recent years, they head into the game as major underdogs. It is Milan's city rivals, Inter, who are Juve's major challenges this year, with the Old Lady currenty one point clear at the top of the table. Milan are down in 11th and are already on their second head coach of the campaign after Stefano Pioli replaced Marco Giampaolo at the start of October. Juve have won the last eight matches against Milan, with a late Moise Kean goal giving them a 2-1 win in April.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Although perhaps not at his goalscoring best, he is still proving to be a match winner, no more less than when he won and scored a 95th minute penalty to secure a vital three points against Genoa.