B/R Experts: Big-Game Predictions, March 4-6

When you get to this stage of the season, the football never stops. Fresh off the back of a midweek round of La Liga, Coppa Italia, FA Cup and DFB-Pokal action, we return to important matters in the domestic leagues.

Bleacher Report's Dean Jones has his finger on the pulse of English football and will give his verdict on the Premier League, while Italian football guru Adam Digby is charged with deciphering what's going on in Serie A.

Spanish football expert Karl Matchett will look after La Liga, and German football authority Lars Pollmann will select his winners in the Bundesliga.

Manchester United vs. Bournemouth

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Bournemouth find themselves in a horrible run of form as they head to Old Trafford, having lost six of their last eight matches. The other two games in that sequence ended in draws—meaning the Cherries have failed to pick up a victory since a 3-0 success at Swansea City on December 31.

The team have been encouraged to spend time together away from the pitch in recent weeks, as boss Eddie Howe attempts to find a spark that can drive them away from relegation danger. They should have been clear of that threat by now, but the 2017 slump means they are only four points above the drop zone.

Bournemouth have conceded at least two goals in every one of their last eight games, and Man Utd manager Jose Mourinho will encourage his team to extend that record. Fresh from their EFL Cup victory at Wembley over Southampton, United are on a six-game win streak and have kept six clean sheets from their last eight outings.

Prediction: 2-0

First goalscorer: Juan Mata

AS Roma vs. Napoli

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With both teams having suffered midweek disappointment in the Coppa Italia, this huge Serie A clash offers each an instant chance at redemption. AS Roma were defeated 2-0 in the first leg of their derby clash with crosstown rivals Lazio but had been in excellent form before that, outscoring their previous four opponents by an impressive 12 goals to two.

Meanwhile, Napoli suffered a controversial 3-1 loss at Juventus Stadium just three days after Atalanta handed them a 2-0 league defeat. Locked in a battle for second place in the table, this should be a high-scoring game as there have been over 2.5 goals in each of Napoli's last eight Serie A away games and in 11 of Roma's last 12 home games in the same competition.

Furthermore, Roma have won their last 15 home league matches and their last five home matches against Napoli in all competitions.

Prediction: 3-2

First goalscorer: Radja Nainggolan

Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayer Leverkusen

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Borussia Dortmund attempt to string together three consecutive Bundesliga wins for only the second time this season against Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.

The Black and Yellows will be fresher than anticipated against the eighth-placed visitors after the cancellation of their DFB-Pokal quarter-final match against Sportfreunde Lotte on Tuesday evening due to poor pitch conditions.

The Rhinelanders beat Dortmund on two of their last three trips to the Westfalenstadion, and head coach Roger Schmidt could use another away win after coming under intense scrutiny for the team's underachieving performances this season.

In many ways, Leverkusen are a more extreme version of their opponents on Saturday, capable of excellent showings just as much of incomprehensible letdowns, such as the terrible 2-0 home defeat to Mainz on the previous matchday.

Thomas Tuchel has yet to lose a single home league match in charge of Dortmund, an impressive run of 27 matches. Whatever they get out of Leverkusen's box of chocolates, chances are the hosts will make it 28.

Prediction: 2-1

First goalscorer: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Cologne vs. Bayern Munich

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Bayern Munich continued their impressive run at home with an easy 3-0 victory over Schalke in the cup, but the challenge will now be to confirm their recent uptick in performances on the road at Cologne.

It is tantamount to complaining about first-world problems given their standing in the Bundesliga table and the fact that they have won at least six more points away from home than every other side of the division, but the Bavarians have rarely looked their best outside the Allianz Arena, especially since the turn of the year.

They cut it close against Freiburg and Ingolstadt and finally dropped points against Hertha BSC, when it took the latest of late equalisers from Robert Lewandowski to avoid only the second domestic defeat of the campaign. Hosts Cologne have tumbled down the standings a bit recently, due to a run of questionable form with only eight points from six matches since the winter break.

Of course, the club hardly aimed for Europe this season, and no one will be too disheartened if the Rhinelanders end up in mid-table at the end of the year. Peter Stoger's side came away with a point from the earlier meeting this season and only lost 1-0 at home last year, so Bayern should not expect another laugher.

Prediction: 0-2

First goalscorer: Robert Lewandowski

Eibar vs. Real Madrid

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Real Madrid’s ability to come from behind and rescue a point or more in matches is a welcome trait, but manager Zinedine Zidane might prefer if it wasn’t tested every game. Falling off top spot will hit the team hard, and their mental resilience will be tested more than ever, but Real do still have the game in hand—but no more slip-ups can be countenanced.

Eibar away is a tremendously tough game, and the Basque side have an enviable home record this term; if Real start as slowly as they have against Villarreal and Valencia in recent weeks, they will find more problems headed their way.

But now, it’s crunch time. The threat of losing out on a La Liga title is real, Barca aren’t playing catch-up anymore. Big names must come forward at big moments, and this is one of them.

Prediction: 1-2

First goalscorer: Sergio Ramos

Barcelona vs. Celta Vigo

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Timing is everything. Barcelona were whooped by Paris Saint-Germain but have won three on the spin since then, and looked extremely comfortable against (an admittedly under-strength) Sporting Gijon—but that was the moment Luis Enrique revealed he wouldn’t continue as manager next season.

How the squad react to that news, to the uncertainty and the open-plan future, will determine more about the club’s title chances than their technical ability will. Do the stars play for themselves? Do the fringe players go the extra mile to make prospective new managers sit up and take notice? Or does Luis Enrique himself ease off, clearly exhausted from the demands of the job?

One thing is for sure: Celta Vigo is one of the worst opponents they could face at this point. Aggressive off the ball, fast-moving in possession, with goalscorers all over and just four days before a second leg against PSG. It’s an all-or-nothing game for Barcelona.

Prediction: 4-2

First goalscorer: Lionel Messi

Atletico Madrid vs. Valencia

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An intriguing matchup, where Atletico Madrid are clearly a better side than Valencia, yet they have suffered recent bruises that make domestic football this season far less important than European action over the next two months, while Los Che have improved dramatically of late, easing their relegation fears.

Away from home, they still aren’t quite up to scratch, but the rise in confidence and Atleti’s loss to Barcelona might make Valencia feel they have a big chance of an upset. For the part of Diego Simeone and his side, the threat of missing out on the top four is real if they don’t find consistency quickly, but this one might not be the fixture to help them find it.

Prediction: 1-1

First goalscorer: Simone Zaza

Liverpool vs. Arsenal

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This fixture often proves to be a game you cannot afford to miss, and the form of both sides makes this a game so difficult to predict.

We thought Liverpool were finding their feet when they produced a 2-0 home win against Tottenham Hotspur, but the Reds then crashed to a 3-1 defeat at Leicester on Monday night. It was a display lacking quality in every area of the field and raises question marks over just how much this team are progressing under Jurgen Klopp.

You would expect them to raise their game for a contest like this, though, particularly given memories of the thrilling 4-3 win at the Emirates from the first day of this season. Arsenal’s away record against big clubs is not particularly impressive—beaten at Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Manchester City and Everton in the past three months—so Arsene Wenger’s men could do with a psychological boost here.

But it is difficult to have faith in them on the road. Arsenal’s lack of winning mentality means Liverpool could edge this one.

Prediction: 3-2

First goalscorer: Sadio Mane

AC Milan vs. Chievo

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Having struggled in January, February saw a return to positive results for AC Milan, with Vincenzo Montella’s men notching important wins over Fiorentina and Sassuolo as they look to maintain their chase for a UEFA Europa League place.

Each of their last four matches have been tense and tight affairs, but each time they have held onto vital points, and they will face Chievo on Saturday knowing that history favours them heavily. Indeed, the Rossoneri are undefeated in their last six meetings with the Veronese side and have won the last 11 clashes at San Siro.

Milan have also kept a clean sheet in six of their last eight home games against Chievo in all competitions, while the visitors have struggled for goals this term, netting just 13 times in their 12 away games thus far.

Prediction: 2-0

First goalscorer: Carlos Bacca

Tottenham vs. Everton

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Let’s get this one out the way quickly: Spurs will win, and Harry Kane will score. That seems a pretty safe approach to apply to any Spurs fixture given their recent results.

Kane has scored three hat-tricks in his last nine matches—and has accounted for seven of their last nine goals domestically. Tottenham seem to have pushed aside a slippery spell when they lost back-to-back games against Liverpool and Gent. They remain the only top-flight side not to have lost a home game this season.

Everton are unbeaten in their last six games and seem a more cohesive unit than a few months back. Their last two away matches ended in draws to Stoke and Middlesbrough, so they need to show improvement if they are to take anything away from here.

Take their crazy 6-3 win over Bournemouth out of the equation and Everton have proved tough to break down. Ronald Koeman’s men have conceded a total of just one goal from their other five recent Premier League outings.

Prediction: 1-0

First goalscorer: Harry Kane

Sunderland vs. Manchester City

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It seems bizarre that one of the best strikers in the world is having to prove himself to Man City manager Pep Guardiola, but Sunderland could feel the force of a Sergio Aguero backlash. Faced with a place on the bench after Gabriel Jesus arrived in Manchester, Aguero now has his spot back in the side and aims to make the most of every opportunity.

The Argentinian hitman scored a brace in matches against Monaco and Huddersfield Town. You can expect another couple at the Stadium of Light. This is a must-win game if City are to retain any hope at all of winning the league. But this is also a must-win game for their hosts, who seem doomed.

Sunderland have one win from 11 games, and the case remains that Jermain Defoe is their only real hope of Premier League survival. If he doesn’t score against City, the likelihood is that Pep’s men will win to nil. Only two goals have been scored by other players this calendar year.

Prediction: 1-4

First goalscorer: Sergio Aguero

Udinese vs. Juventus

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While their competition struggle, Juventus have continued to win and will arrive at Udinese’s Dacia Arena knowing they hold a seven-point lead over their rivals.

Since Max Allegri switched to an attacking 4-2-3-1 formation, the coach has seen his side notch seven consecutive league wins, keeping six clean sheets and outscoring their opponents by 15 goals to one.

Led by former Juve boss Gigi Delneri, Udinese have struggled in 2016/17 and sit 14th in the table. They have failed to score in five of their last seven Serie A outings, and with no notable injuries or suspensions for either side, it is difficult to see anything other than a comfortable away win.

Prediction: 0-2

First goalscorer: Mario Mandzukic

West Ham United vs. Chelsea

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West Ham are preparing a new contract for Slaven Bilic, but it is difficult to get too excited about this current side. They have lost as many games as they have won at their new London Stadium home and have failed to score in three of their last five home matches.

A 2-1 EFL Cup win over Chelsea earlier this season on home turf will provide reason for belief, yet on current form, Chelsea are proving impossible to stop. Unbeaten in nine matches and with Diego Costa being backed up by goals from all over the pitch, you can’t pin Chelsea’s strengths down to one particular area.

Pedro and Eden Hazard are likely to get special attention for this London derby, but with Cesc Fabregas also experiencing a new lease of life, the supply line for Costa comes from all angles. The Blues won this fixture 2-1 on the first day of the season at Stamford Bridge, and a similar outcome is likely.

Prediction: 1-2

First goalscorer: Eden Hazard