B/R Experts: Big-Game Predictions, March 17-19
With the last 16 of the Champions League now consigned to the history books, domestic football takes centre stage at the weekend.
Premier League 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 gives his verdict on the Premier League, 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.
Borussia Dortmund vs. Ingolstadt
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Borussia Dortmund aim to extend their impressive unbeaten run at home to a full two calendar years on Friday against FC Ingolstadt.
Head coach Thomas Tuchel has been responsible for 28 of the 32 matches since Dortmund last lost in front of their own fans at Signal Iduna Park—against Bayern Munich on April 4, 2015—but a sudden personnel shortage could make the task trickier than one would think against second-bottom FC Ingolstadt.
Teenage sensation Ousmane Dembele is suspended, Marco Reus is out injured, and there are major doubts over the availability of star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
If the Gabonese misses the game, Tuchel will be without his three most potent attackers, a trio that has accounted for 30 goals and 15 assists in the Bundesliga this season, per Transfermarkt.
However, BVB will still be expected to have few problems with an Ingolstadt side that, while looking competitive in most games, has won only twice since the start of 2017 and averages less than a goal per game this season.
Prediction: 2-1
First goalscorer: Christian Pulisic
West Bromwich Albion vs. Arsenal
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Arsenal fans are planning to fly a plane over the ground for this game, towing a banner in protest against a new contract for Arsene Wenger, per the Evening Standard.
The tide has turned against the manager in recent months with few believing he should lead the club any longer, but this may be an afternoon when he guides the Gunners to victory.
West Bromwich Albion are usually tough to break down, but they have lost their last two games without scoring.
There were some surprising changes in their line-up at Everton last week as Chris Brunt, James Morrison and Salomon Rondon did not start. It was probably right to drop the Venezuelan, but Hal Robson-Kanu could not make any real impact in attack as he spent most of the match with his back to goal.
If Arsenal can take a similar approach to the Toffees, who won 3-0, and force West Brom to camp on the edge of their own box they should have joy.
Arsenal beat the Baggies 1-0 on Boxing Day and have scored 29 goals away from home, the second highest tally in the division.
Prediction: 1-2
First goalscorer: Alexis Sanchez
Stoke City vs. Chelsea
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There would be little sense in backing anything but a Chelsea win as they march towards the Premier League title.
A season that should have been a four-horse race has become straightforward, but there seems little chance Antonio Conte will let his men become complacent and throw away their 10-point lead at the top.
Another dominant display last time out resulted in a 1-0 FA Cup win over Manchester United, but it could easily have been a bigger margin.
Again, N'Golo Kante pulled the strings in midfield, and he even scored the winner on Monday, but the goals at the Bet365 Stadium will probably come from more regular sources.
Stoke have two wins from their last seven games, scoring more than one goal on only one occasion from the sequence.
Marko Arnautovic scored both goals in their victory over Middlesbrough two weeks ago, but the man to keep an eye on is Ramadan Sobhi, who is emerging as one of the league's most exciting players.
Prediction: 1-3
First goalscorer: Eden Hazard
Athletic Bilbao vs. Real Madrid
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Usually one of the most aggressive, boisterous and incident-filled games in any La Liga season, Athletic Bilbao hosting Real Madrid should be even more exciting this time as both teams go full pelt towards their seasonal objectives: the Basque side chasing European spots and Los Blancos aiming for the title.
Nuevo San Mames is finally the fortress Athletic had hoped for, with just one defeat there all season, while Real have only suffered two losses on the road.
There's likely to be more cards than goals on Saturday afternoon, and at least two appeals for a penalty.
When the dust settles on Saturday's game, both sides will probably feel a point is a decent result—especially since they play before most of their rivals this weekend.
Prediction: 1-1
First goalscorer: Inaki Williams
AC Milan vs. Genoa
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Unfortunate to lose away at Juventus last week, AC Milan will be seeking to bounce back when they host Genoa on Saturday.
Before their trip to Turin, the Rossoneri enjoyed a five-game unbeaten run and—with three consecutive games against teams at the foot of the Serie A table before the next derby clash with Inter Milan—Vincenzo Montella's men need to take maximum points.
Genoa have struggled of late, winning just one of their last six outings and being outscored 10 goals to three over that period, but five of those games contained two goals or fewer, so a narrow scoreline should be expected.
Prediction: 2-0
First goalscorer: Gerard Deulofeu
Middlesbrough vs. Manchester United
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Few people know the mind of Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho quite like Aitor Karanka, so this may have been a bad time for Middlesbrough to ditch their manager.
The pair worked together at Real Madrid, and Karanka understands how the Special One likes to manage a game. Now that he has left, it will be down to caretaker boss Steve Agnew to second-guess how United will shape up on Teesside on Sunday.
Boro are looking for a reaction from their players in hope they can rally to secure Premier League survival, but this is not likely to be an afternoon when things fall into place.
After months in sixth position, Mourinho will want to make a late push up the table, and this could be the perfect platform. Boro have scored fewer home goals than anyone in the Premier League and won just three of 13 home games.
United have won seven away matches—one more than they have managed at home—but they will have to get through this one without the suspended Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Prediction: 0-2
First goalscorer: Marcus Rashford
Tottenham Hotspur vs. Southampton
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There will be no Harry Kane for Tottenham Hotspur, so now we wait to see if the goals dry up.
The Spurs striker had accounted for nine of their 11 goals domestically ahead of the FA Cup win over Millwall, but now that he is injured, manager Mauricio Pochettino needs to find a new hero.
Heung-Min Son could get the nod after a hat-trick against the Lions. It will also be interesting to see how Dele Alli performs on Sunday without Kane up top, as the pair usually share great combination play.
This is Southampton's fourth successive match away from St Mary's Stadium, and there is reason to believe they can get a result in north London. Manolo Gabbiadini will be the man to watch, as he has bagged six goals from his four matches in English football so far.
Prediction: 1-1
First goalscorer: Manolo Gabbiadini
Manchester City vs. Liverpool
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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is not a happy man, and in this match, he could seriously be judging who is worth keeping for next season.
On the back of a devastating Champions League exit to AS Monaco, Guardiola is considering a complete overhaul of his squad for next term, according to the Guardian, and that news might spark some life into the underperformers.
David Silva, Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane are the men Guardiola will need to rely on on Sunday, when they face a Liverpool side who have lost their last two away outings, at Hull City and Leicester City.
Georginio Wijnaldum is a man in form for the Reds, and he will be looking to find the net for a third successive game.
However, perhaps the most intriguing battle comes from the men in the dugouts. Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp have a rivalry that began in the Bundesliga between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund and has now moved on to British soil.
Klopp came out on top earlier this season as Liverpool won 1-0 at Anfield, but both these sides are so unpredictable and unreliable right now that it's tough to put faith in either.
Prediction: 1-1
First goalscorer: Sergio Aguero
Borussia Monchengladbach vs. Bayern Munich
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One of the classic Bundesliga fixtures, Borussia Monchengladbach's meeting with perennial champions Bayern Munich is also a matchup of the two most in-form sides in the league since the turn of the year.
Gladbach's turnaround under newly appointed head coach Dieter Hecking is remarkable, especially considering the fact the former Wolfsburg boss is anything but remarkable in the way he sets up his teams.
Still, it has brought the best out of key players such as Lars Stindl, and the team may yet end up in contention for European spots, having reduced their deficit on sixth-placed Eintracht Frankfurt to only three points.
Of course, that momentum could be halted by a second consecutive defeat after Gladbach fell to Hamburger SV on the previous matchday, and with Bayern coming off a week without a midweek match, there is little to suggest the Bavarians will lose their terrifying form on Sunday.
Prediction: 1-3
First goalscorer: Robert Lewandowski
Sampdoria vs. Juventus
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Having secured their place in the Champions League quarter-finals, Juventus return to domestic action with a trip to Sampdoria.
The Blucerchiati will be flying high after their derby win over Genoa last weekend, and they have not lost in their last seven league games, a streak that also includes a victory over AC Milan.
However, the Bianconeri have been in ominous form themselves, undefeated since a 2-1 loss to Fiorentina on January 15. They have scored under 2.5 goals in their last four Serie A away games but have struck at least twice in five of their last six games, making a similar result likely on Sunday.
Prediction: 0-2
First goalscorer: Mario Mandzukic
Atletico Madrid vs. Sevilla
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The two would-be title challengers have had hugely contrasting weeks: Atletico Madrid cruised through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League and beat two bottom-half opponents in league play, while Sevilla were dumped out of Europe and drew with Alaves and Leganes.
The Andalucian side still have a five-point advantage in the standings, but Atletico must sense a huge chance to close that deficit on third place here and show all their quality and experience in hunting down those above them.
Anything other than a home win would be a surprise given their respective mentalities heading into Sunday's game.
Prediction: 2-1
First goalscorer: Kevin Gameiro
Barcelona vs. Valencia
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Valencia are well clear of relegation after a decent run of form through February, but they've suffered a few bad results again recently. The suspicion might be that they're approaching end-of-season syndrome: taking their foot off the gas and cruising through the remainder of their fixture list.
Naturally, that's going to present a problem against a Barcelona side still hoping to be in the hunt for the title and with ground to make up after defeat last time out.
There should be plenty of goals, and if Los Che's mentality isn't right, it could quickly get embarrassing on Sunday—reminding fans that all their problems are far from solved.
Prediction: 5-1
First goalscorer: Luis Suarez
