B/R Experts: Big Game Predictions, March 10-13
After a breathtaking round of European action, domestic football takes centre stage at the weekend.
Premier League and FA Cup matches dominate the headlines in England, and we also have league action in Spain, Germany and Italy.
Bleacher Report's Dean Jones has his finger on the pulse of English football and will give his verdict on the Premier League and FA Cup, while Italian football guru Adam Digby weighs in on the big game 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.
Juventus vs. AC Milan
1 of 11
On Friday evening, Juventus and AC Milan will lock horns for the fourth time this season. The Rossoneri won the first league meeting at San Siro and the Super Cup in Doha, Qatar, but they were eliminated from the Coppa Italia in the teams' most recent clash.
That was the only one of the three meetings held in Turin, where the Old Lady have won 30 consecutive Serie A matches but will be without Juan Cuadrado (suspended) and the injured Giorgio Chiellini this time around.
Milan are missing some key players too, however, with Ignazio Abate and Suso facing late fitness tests and Giacomo Bonaventura out for the rest of the season.
With Juventus having kept clean sheets in five of their last six matches and having scored at least two goals in 16 of their last 18 home games, it is difficult to see beyond another win for Max Allegri's men.
Prediction: 2-1
First goalscorer: Gonzalo Higuain
Bayern Munich vs. Eintracht Frankfurt
2 of 11
Opposites meet in the Allianz Arena on Saturday: Bayern Munich have rattled off four impressive wins across all competitions with a combined scoreline of 19-1, whereas Eintracht Frankfurt have dropped their last four matches in the Bundesliga.
The Eagles were in the thick of the battle for Champions League qualification until their recent drop in performance but still have every chance of making it to the Europa League next season. Former Bayern midfielder Niko Kovac is in charge of Frankfurt, and the team's strong season has him among the names mentioned for Bayer Leverkusen's opening at head coach.
However, with Bayern hitting their best form during Carlo Ancelotti's first campaign in Germany—the perennial champions have played exceptionally well at home of late—anything other than a fairly comfortable home win would be a shock.
Bayern's lineup, with a few players possibly getting a well-earned rest, should decide nothing more than the margin of their victory.
Prediction: 4-1
First goalscorer: Douglas Costa
Hertha Berlin vs. Borussia Dortmund
3 of 11
Borussia Dortmund are in the middle of their most impressive spell of the season, with the 4-0 second-leg win over Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday a strong signal that Thomas Tuchel's men have hit their stride toward the important end of the season. It was their fourth straight victory across all competitions, with Dortmund scoring 16 and conceding just two goals in that spell.
Hertha, though, have given the Black and Yellows problems this season, winning a point in a heated battle at Westfalenstadion in the first meeting of the season and forcing Dortmund into penalties in a DFB-Pokal tie earlier in 2017. Pal Dardai's side have won more points at home than anyone else in the Bundesliga and conceded only five goals in 11 games in the Olympiastadion this season.
Add in Dortmund's uneven form on the road, and a slight letdown for the Black and Yellows seems on the cards.
Prediction: 1-1
First goalscorer: Vedad Ibisevic
Granada vs. Atletico Madrid
4 of 11
At first glance, this looks set to be a straightforward win for the bigger team in La Liga—but recent events have, if not evened things up, at least tilted the balance slightly back toward Granada.
They have won three in a row at home, looking far more assured defensively under new boss Lucas Alcaraz, while Atletico have won just one of their last four games on the road, at Sporting Gijon, one of just two teams below Granada in the league table.
An upset isn't exactly guaranteed to be on the cards, but with Atletico just a few days away from a big Champions League fixture and the league title not in the offing, there's every chance the relegation strugglers get a positive result.
Prediction: 1-1
First goalscorer: Adrian Ramos
Middlesbrough vs. Manchester City
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Both sides made hard work of the competition in the last round of the FA Cup. Middlesbrough edged past Oxford United 3-2, while Manchester City needed a replay to see off Huddersfield Town.
City were short of creativity against Stoke City on Wednesday, as Raheem Sterling was given the night off and David Silva only came on as a second-half substitute. Without those two, their approach play is too predictable and Sergio Aguero misses the movement around him.
If City boss Pep Guardiola learned anything, it should be that he cannot afford to rotate his squad as much as he may wish.
Middlesbrough have been poor for most of the season and have struggled for goals. Manager Aitor Karanka is under pressure, as the Teessiders have not scored in their last four league games, but perhaps the FA Cup will provide some relief. Boro managed a last-gasp draw at City when they met in the Premier League earlier in the season.
Prediction: 0-2
First goalscorer: Sergio Aguero
Arsenal vs. Lincoln City
6 of 11
Arsenal are falling apart at the seams, and Lincoln City have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take advantage of the north London horror story.
Five defeats in the last seven games would leave any team in a bad state of mind, and the Gunners are no different. The fans aren't happy, the players aren't happy and the manager, Arsene Wenger, is trying to pretend he's happy.
It's set up perfectly for Lincoln to play on Arsenal's self-doubt, and it would not be hugely surprising to see the National League side score the first goal.
On top of the psychological problems at Arsenal, a bug has hit a few players in the camp ahead of the game. They will all be feeling sick if this game does not go to plan.
It took 26 minutes to break the deadlock against Sutton United in the last round, and while Wenger will hope the nerves are eased before that, don't count on it.
Lincoln—the first non-league team to reach this stage in 103 years—surely cannot win this game. But this is Arsenal, for whom nothing is straightforward anymore.
Prediction: 2-1
First goalscorer: Lucas Perez
Tottenham vs. Millwall
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Millwall fans will make sure there is a red-hot atmosphere inside White Hart Lane on Sunday, but their players will need to stop a Tottenham Hotspur team that has been on fire.
Harry Kane is looking like he could become the best homegrown Premier League striker of all time thanks to a a run of form that has ensured he is now a three-season wonder. You simply cannot doubt his accuracy in front of goal, and if he gets chances against Millwall—a team Kane played for on loan in 2012—he could score a hatful.
Kane bagged a hat-trick in the last round against Fulham and has scored a further five goals in his three games since.
Millwall are sixth in League One, and while they are on a 17-game unbeaten run, they have only won one of their five away matches this calendar year.
We can expect the Lions to keep things tight in the first half given they have conceded just two goals in their last 13 matches. It's an incredible record—but one that will be tested to the extreme here.
Prediction: 3-0
First goalscorer: Harry Kane
Liverpool vs. Burnley
8 of 11
One of the weekend's few Premier League clashes takes place at Anfield on Sunday, and an upset might be on the cards.
Burnley have not won an away match all season, but we all know that while Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool can compete with the country's biggest clubs, fixtures like this often prove their downfall.
The Clarets' run has to end some time, and it may come on a day like this, when Liverpool are expected to collect all the points. If they could replicate their pre-2017 form, then this would be a no-brainer, but you cannot trust this Klopp side at the moment. A major slip-up never seems too far away.
Burnley beat Liverpool 2-0 back in August, with goals from Sam Vokes and Andre Gray, and they have to believe they can play on the counter-attack to pull off a surprise double.
Prediction: 1-1
First goalscorer: Andre Gray
Deportivo La Coruna vs. Barcelona
9 of 11
Barcelona's epic Champions League comeback against Paris Saint-Germain will leave this fixture in danger of seeming so dull that the players momentarily take their eye off the ball. But professionalism and quality should see them through.
Deportivo La Coruna are in plenty of trouble, just one spot outside the drop zone, and have struggled to create chances with regularity. They'll need to start fast to have any chance of taking a result, but even so, only the most optimistic home fan would predict anything other than a heavy beating.
Prediction: 2-4
First goalscorer: Emre Colak
Real Madrid vs. Real Betis
10 of 11
Real Madrid progressed in Europe after playing in much the same fashion they have all season in all competitions: rough edges to their play, moments of abysmal defending but far too much firepower for opposition defences to cope with. That's likely to be the case once again on Sunday, with their unbeaten record at the Santiago Bernabeu certain to continue.
Opponents Real Betis are reasonably clear from the fight against the drop but are struggling for form, with just one win in nine. They won't be bucking the trend in Madrid.
With a free week ahead of Zinedine Zidane's side, all the big guns are likely to be on show, and they'll make their quality count.
Prediction: 5-1
First goalscorer: Gareth Bale
Chelsea vs. Manchester United
11 of 11
The most glamorous English fixture of the weekend could prove to be a one-sided affair.
While Manchester United have undoubtedly progressed this season, they are still not convincing. Chelsea are head and shoulders above them on every level.
There will be no Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who is suspended, and without him you wonder where the extra factor will come from that helps the Red Devils break past an excellent back line.
Chelsea beat United 4-0 earlier in the season, as Pedro set the tone with a goal in the first minute. It was a nightmare return to Stamford Bridge for United boss Jose Mourinho, and it is difficult to find many reasons to suggest this will be much better.
United played well in the first half against Bournemouth in their most recent domestic fixture but still could only draw. Chelsea seemed to slip through a few gears with ease as they won at West Ham United on Monday night, though N'Golo Kante did produce another lung-busting display.
Next season, these two sides might be more comparable. But as it stands, Antonio Conte will be expecting his side to beat United on Monday and progress to the FA Cup semi-finals.
Prediction: 2-0
First goalscorer: Pedro
