B/R Experts: Big-Game Predictions for January 28-29
We have a mix of league and cup action across Europe this weekend.
Bleacher Report's Dean Jones has his finger on the pulse of English football and will give his verdict on the FA Cup games, while Italian football guru Adam Digby is charged with the task of deciphering what's going on in Serie A.
Spanish football expert Karl Matchett will look after La Liga, and Lars Pollmann will select his winners in Germany.
Liverpool vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers
1 of 13
What has happened to Liverpool? Their performance levels have dwindled, confidence has drained and manager Jurgen Klopp now faces his biggest test to date.
For the first time under the German manager, they are in a prolonged downturn of form, and there can be no complaints about the two-legged EFL Cup semi-final defeat to Southampton.
Now we wait to see if things can get even worse.
Liverpool have one win from seven matches and have to get back to winning ways against the Championship's 18th-placed club.
Wolverhampton Wanderers will use a recent result to raise optimism for a famous win. They knocked out Stoke City in the last round of the FA Cup thanks to a 2-0 win at the bet365 Stadium, as goalkeeper Carl Ikeme produced a wonderful string of saves to frustrate the Premier League side.
Prediction: 2-1
First Goalscorer: Roberto Firmino
Crystal Palace vs. Manchester City
2 of 13
Pep Guardiola's men blitzed West Ham United in the third round and have to fancy their chances of a goal glut here, too.
The reason? Crystal Palace's defence has been a total shambles this season. The Eagles have conceded 41 league goals, and manager Sam Allardyce is so concerned that he has been looking for signings in all four back-line positions.
Manchester City's 5-0 win at London Stadium in the previous round was an example of this team at their most ruthless, and this competition has to be viewed as their best chance of silverware.
Because of that, a strong team will be fielded. There is a good chance Gabriel Jesus will get a run-out—so look out for him scoring his first goal in English football.
City were hammered in their last away match—a 4-0 defeat at Everton—but it is still difficult to see anything other than a City victory on Saturday.
Prediction: 1-3
First Goalscorer: Kevin De Bruyne
Chelsea vs. Brentford
3 of 13
Chelsea are the best team in England and should sweep aside their west London neighbours with relative ease on Saturday.
Questions were asked about the mentality of this Blues side after they were beaten 2-0 by Tottenham Hotspur at the beginning of January.
Since then, they have won all three of their games, scoring nine times and conceding just once. Head coach Antonio Conte will be pleased with that response; it is proof of their resilience.
A few changes will be made as they head into a match against Championship opposition, yet the intensity of their performance should be as high as ever.
Brentford live in the shadow of Chelsea and reached this stage with a straightforward 5-1 win over non-league Eastleigh.
They have lost their last two matches in the league, though, and star player Scott Hogan has been left out of recent matches due to ongoing speculation over his future.
Prediction: 3-0
First Goalscorer: Willian
Tottenham Hotspur vs. Wycombe Wanderers
4 of 13
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino will use this game as an opportunity to rest some of his star names, but that does not mean his team are going to crash out of the competition.
It will most likely be a day when Vincent Janssen, Harry Winks and Ben Davies get the chance to shine, and their hunger should mean that Spurs maintain this season's terrific domestic form.
Wycombe Wanderers head to White Hart Lane on the back of an impressive 16-game unbeaten run.
Manager Gareth Ainsworth puts their success down to "hard work and togetherness," per the Bucks Free Press, and those two traits are going to be needed against one of Europe's most in-form sides.
No matter how hard they fight, though, the League Two team will see their fine run come to an end.
Prediction: 4-1
First Goalscorer: Heung-Min Son
Southampton vs. Arsenal
5 of 13
Southampton have already knocked Arsenal out of one cup competition this season, and there is no reason to believe they can't do it again.
Spirits are sky-high following an outstanding display at Liverpool on Wednesday, as they collected another 1-0 win and booked a place at Wembley Stadium in the EFL Cup final.
No Virgil van Dijk? No problem. Jack Stephens will fill in again in defence, and head coach Claude Puel can rely on the 23-year-old, judging by his display at Anfield.
The Gunners squeezed through the last round with a late 2-1 win at Preston North End and have relied heavily on late goals to keep their season alive. They will probably accept the chance to take this game to a replay.
Prediction: 1-1
First Goalscorer: Shane Long
Alaves vs. Atletico Madrid
6 of 13
It's often suggested that promoted clubs need their home form to be strong to survive an immediate drop back down; that's not the case for Alaves, who have won more times on the road this season and have only managed two home victories.
They are unlikely to add to that haul on Saturday, with Atletico Madrid back in form and focusing on gaining ground on those above them in La Liga, particularly given fixtures elsewhere.
There's still a difficulty for Atleti to attain the mix between taking the handbrake off and utilising their attacking players to their best level and in not getting caught on the counter.
Even so, they should emerge triumphant here by the odd goal.
Prediction: 1-2
First goalscorer: Antoine Griezmann
Werder Bremen vs. Bayern Munich
7 of 13
Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich had more problems than expected on Matchday 17, only narrowly escaping a post-winter-break letdown at promoted side SC Freiburg thanks to the individual brilliance of Robert Lewandowski.
They should not suffer from similar issues on Saturday, when they travel to northern Germany to face Werder Bremen. The hosts have the worst defensive record in the division, having conceded a whopping 36 goals during the first half of the season.
Six of those came in the first meeting of the season in August, with Lewandowski scoring a hat-trick. Bremen will be happy to come out of Saturday's match with a more respectable scoreline—head coach Alexander Nouri's team must know they have to win their points in the fight against relegation elsewhere.
For Bayern, meanwhile, this is the kind of match they never seem to lose. The fact that they only have a three-point advantage over RB Leipzig will keep them on their toes.
Prediction: 0-3
First goalscorer: Robert Lewandowski
Manchester United vs. Wigan Athletic
8 of 13
Wayne Rooney's late equaliser against Stoke City last weekend maintained Manchester United's unbeaten run—until the EFL Cup semi-final second-leg loss at Hull City on Thursday—and this is another fixture they will get through unscathed.
Manager Jose Mourinho will shuffle the pack, and it could be another perfect opportunity for Marcus Rashford to flourish; he scored twice when he was given the nod vs. Reading in the third round.
Wigan Athletic have won their last three games, which was needed after a seven-game run without a victory.
They are struggling in the Championship this season and will not be expecting much from their trip to Old Trafford.
Prediction: 2-0
First Goalscorer: Marcus Rashford
Real Betis vs. Barcelona
9 of 13
A total of four wins in the last five games has seen Barcelona creep back into the title fight for La Liga, but they're still third in the table and cannot afford to drop points against bottom-half clubs.
In all honesty, that's unlikely to be a problem on Sunday; there are far more resilient and organised sides around than Real Betis, despite a somewhat better showing since a managerial change in November.
There should be goals in this game, and most of them will go Barcelona's way, so we're betting on a big scoreline and all the front three to impress.
Prediction: 0-4
First goalscorer: Luis Suarez
Real Madrid vs. Real Sociedad
10 of 13
Real Madrid's unbeaten streak continues to disappear over the horizon, with just one win in their last five in all competitions.
They are still unbeaten at the Santiago Bernabeu in La Liga, but Real Sociedad will fancy their chances of giving Los Blancos a hard time on Sunday.
La Real know they must keep ticking over points if they want to maintain a top-four spot, but taking anything at all from this fixture will be seen as a bonus—and they are capable of avoiding defeat.
Prediction: 2-2
First goalscorer: Willian Jose
Mainz 05 vs. Borussia Dortmund
11 of 13
Trips to Mainz 05 have rarely been easy for Borussia Dortmund, even though they have come away with three points five of the last six times.
The matches were usually tightly contested and often came down to the higher individual quality of the visitors.
In that regard, the return of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could make the difference. The striker returned to the club during the week and will try to vent his anger on Mainz after crashing out of the Africa Cup of Nations with Gabon. He scored a brace in the season-opening win over the Zerofivers this season.
If Aubameyang does not start the game, Marco Reus could take up the baton. Mainz are his favourite opponents, with the Germany international scoring 10 goals in 15 meetings.
The hosts are 11th in the table and one of only a few teams that have both little to fear and little to play for in the second half of the Bundesliga campaign.
A drab goalless draw with FC Cologne on Matchday 17 showed how big the loss of central striker Jhon Cordoba is, and the Colombian will also miss Sunday's match with a suspension.
On the other hand, Dortmund have had trouble keeping worse attacks at bay than Mainz's, often inflicting danger on themselves with inexplicable lapses of concentration and ludicrous individual mistakes.
Prediction: 1-2
First goalscorer: Marco Reus
Sassuolo vs. Juventus
12 of 13
Last season, this fixture marked Juventus' last bad result, a 1-0 loss at Sassuolo's Mapei Stadium inspiring a streak that saw the Bianconeri win 26 of their remaining 27 matches.
This time around, however, coach Max Allegri's men arrive having finally beaten AC Milan, recording a Coppa Italia triumph on Wednesday after league and Supercoppa Italiana losses to the San Siro team.
Still just one point ahead of second-placed AS Roma, Juve will be looking to capitalise on Sassuolo's poor form, their hosts having won just two of their last eight outings in all competitions.
Sassuolo sit 14th in the table, and it is difficult to see beyond another win for the visitors on Sunday.
Prediction: 1-3
First goalscorer: Gonzalo Higuain
Udinese vs. AC Milan
13 of 13
Seeking to put their Coppa Italia exit behind them, AC Milan will be happy to see Udinese as their next opponents on Sunday.
The Rossoneri will want to bounce back from a loss to Juventus, and their weekend hosts have lost each of their last three games, repeatedly sliced open as their midfield and defence begin to look increasingly porous.
For their part, Milan have struggled in recent weeks, winning just one of their last four league fixtures. There have been over 2.5 goals scored in five of their last six Serie A away games, while Udinese have lost by a one-goal margin in each of their last three matches, making a 2-1 Milan win the most likely outcome.
Former Liverpool man Suso has struggled of late, perhaps making Colombia international Carlos Bacca the most likely first goalscorer.
Prediction: 1-2
First goalscorer: Carlos Bacca
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