B/R Experts: Big-Game Predictions, April 1-2
After a week of having to watch international football take centre stage, club action is back in full swing.
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 games 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.
Liverpool vs. Everton
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Liverpool are looking to maintain their quest for a place in the top four and head into this Merseyside derby on a run of decent form.
The Reds have beaten Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Burnley in their last five games, while also picking up a draw at Manchester City last time out. Truth be told, they should have won the game—only Adam Lallana knows how he failed to score from close range.
Liverpool have not conceded more than one goal since Hull City stuck two past Simon Mignolet at the beginning of February but will have their work cut out to keep Romelu Lukaku at bay. He is on fire, netting 10 times from his last seven outings for club and country.
The Toffees have begun to play the kind of football that can give hope of a genuine challenge for European football. An impressive four clean sheets from their last five matches shows just how Everton are progressing.
But remember this crucial stat: Everton have not won at Anfield for almost 18 years.
Prediction: 2-1
First goalscorer: Sadio Mane
Burnley vs. Tottenham
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Spurs have been on another good run of form, but this is an intriguing fixture, as they have not played an away league match since February 11.
Things did not go well that day, as Liverpool beat Tottenham 2-0 at Anfield, but Mauricio Pochettino's side seem to have put that setback behind them.
They have just played four games at White Hart Lane and managed a 100 percent record from the run. It could be that a 2-1 win over Burnley from earlier in the season is repeated here.
Burnley have not won in their last seven games but have the sixth-best home record in the league, with 29 of their 32 points coming at Turf Moor.
Prediction: 1-2
First goalscorer: Christian Eriksen
Chelsea vs. Crystal Palace
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The arrival of Mamadou Sakho has transformed Crystal Palace's season, giving them faint hope of picking up a point at Stamford Bridge.
Palace have won every game he has started and have not conceded a goal while he has been on the field.
Combine that with the fact Wilfried Zaha is looking like one of the league's most dangerous players and there are reasons for optimism here.
However, once you start combing through Chelsea's stats, it still seems this is going to end in defeat for Sam Allardyce and his men.
Gary Cahill's late winner at Stoke means the Blues have won their last five matches and have only lost one of their last 22.
Prediction: 2-0
First goalscorer: Diego Costa
Manchester United vs. West Bromwich Albion
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Jose Mourinho is adopting a siege mentality as United bid for Champions League football next season, and it seems to be working.
The Red Devils manager is often at his best when he feels the whole world is against him, and that is the current message being hammered home to his players.
United responded in their last outing with a 3-1 win over Middlesborough, although the victory was not as convincing as it sounds.
Expect United to grind out results between here and the end of the season. Certainly, a fixture like this is one in which they will work to wear down the opposition.
WBA boss Tony Pulis is never happier than when he has a bank of players protecting his goal area, but the Baggies have been slightly sloppy recently, losing 2-0 to Crystal Palace and 3-0 at Everton.
A 3-1 success at Arsenal before the international break improved spirits, so let's see which performance they decide to reproduce.
Prediction: 1-0
First goalscorer: Juan Mata
Bayern Munich vs. Augsburg
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Bayern Munich's unstoppable march towards a record-extending fifth Bundesliga championship in a row will hardly be derailed by the injury of world-class goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. The Germany stalwart underwent foot surgery on Thursday and is set to miss a meeting with FC Augsburg as well as a much more difficult fixture, away to 1899 Hoffenheim, during the Bundesliga's midweek matchday next week.
Augsburg have for the most part looked competitive against the Bavarian giants and even won at the Allianz Arena in 2015, but it's downright impossible to look past Carlo Ancelotti's side's incredible form in recent months: Bayern have failed to win just two of their previous 18 matches across all competitions.
Augsburg's only hope could lie in Bayern potentially not taking the match too seriously, with the Bundesliga virtually already won and the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals against longtime nemesis Real Madrid looming large, but that hope is almost guaranteed to be proved faint come Saturday afternoon.
Prediction: 3-0
First goalscorer: Robert Lewandowski
Schalke vs. Borussia Dortmund
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The 172nd edition of the Revierderby comes with surprisingly little buzz. It seems for both sides and fan groups, the decisive month in front of the two clubs from the heart of German football take precedence over the direct encounter on Saturday afternoon at the Veltins Arena.
A solid run of form has put hosts Schalke back in the running for a European spot, they trail sixth-placed Cologne by only three points. After a terrible start to the season—Schalke won their first points under new head coach Markus Weinzierl on Matchday 6 in October—making the top six would have to be considered an accomplishment, as does the Royal Blues' run in the Europa League, where they'll face Ajax in the quarter-finals.
Rivals Borussia Dortmund suddenly find second place in the Bundesliga within their reach after high-flying RB Leipzig have started stuttering since the turn of the year, but they also have the DFB-Pokal semi-finals against Bayern and the Champions League quarter-finals against AS Monaco to look forward to.
In years and, really, decades past, the derby represented the biggest highlight on the schedule, but now, it's almost just another game.
Schalke could be without arguably their best player this season in Sead Kolasinac. Weinzierl has stated the 23-year-old will only play if there is no risk involved, per Ruhr Nachrichten (link in German). Schalke losing their dynamic and combative left wing-back for the derby could prove decisive in Dortmund's favour.
Prediction: 1-2
First goalscorer: Ousmane Dembele
Malaga vs. Atletico Madrid
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Atletico Madrid’s form before the international break was extremely good, and Diego Simeone will hope his players have returned in the right frame of mind to pick up where they left off.
Naturally, Atleti will have had more players travelling around the globe than Malaga, but the Andalucian side’s home form has been abysmal of late—four defeats in the last five at La Rosaleda, and they are once again struggling to score goals.
It’s not a game we’d expect to see many clear chances in, but it’s a rare occasion when Atletico might dominate possession. With their quality in attack, one good chance is all they may need for an important three points.
Prediction: 0-1
First goalscorer: Antoine Griezmann
Arsenal vs. Manchester City
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After two matches without a win, what better situation for Man City than a road trip to London?
They have won more matches away from home this season than at the Etihad, and Citizens manager Pep Guardiola will fancy his chances of getting one over on Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger.
A second-half goal from Raheem Sterling proved decisive when the two sides last met, and he is one of the form players who will cause problems for Arsenal here, along with Leroy Sane—who was also on target in that 2-1 win.
Wenger is on the verge of agreeing a new two-year contract with Arsenal, but we all know how the atmosphere quickly turns poisonous when things do not go well.
Alexis Sanchez will be out to prove a point at a time when his own future is in doubt, but there are some deep wounds that have not healed in this Arsenal side, and as soon as the Gunners start to doubt themselves, they are there for the taking.
Prediction: 1-2
First goalscorer: Alexis Sanchez
Pescara vs. AC Milan
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Even with Zdenek Zeman’s return as coach, Pescara are already planning for next season in Serie B as the 2016/17 campaign has been nothing short of a disaster.
The Delfini sit rock bottom of the Serie A table, earning just 12 points in total after recording only two wins and with the worst defence in the league.
AC Milan will be hoping for another three points to help their continued push for a European place, and they will be looking for on-loan Everton man Gerard Deulofeu to continue the rich form that saw him score a goal and win a penalty for Spain against France.
Prediction: 3-1
First goalscorer: Gerard Deulofeu
Napoli vs. Juventus
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After waiting for the international break to end, Serie A brings one of its biggest fixtures to the fore, reigning champions Juventus taking on third-place Napoli on Sunday evening.
The game marks Gonzalo Higuain’s first appearance at the Stadio San Paolo since leaving the southern club for the Bianconeri last summer.
With his team already eight points clear in their bid for a record sixth consecutive Scudetto, Juve boss Max Allegri will be hoping to extend that lead, while Napoli manager Maurizio Sarri will be looking to avenge the two losses his team have already had against the visitors here.
Napoli will hope to dominate possession and stifle the Old Lady’s attacking prowess, with the likes of Lorenzo Insigne and Dries Mertens providing a sharp cutting edge.
Prediction: 1-1
First goalcorer: Marek Hamsik
Real Madrid vs. Alaves
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This battle of giants and minnows, at least by name, should prove entertaining.
Alaves are a formidable side, compact and aggressive, punching above their weight in La Liga this year. To an extent, their style of play is what Real Madrid struggle against: teams who will sit, be physically strong and look to hit the flanks on the counter.
Against that, Real boss Zinedine Zidane has an awful lot of quality in his ranks to choose from to open up Alaves in different ways if the starting XI don’t prove effective.
Their unbeaten home run shouldn’t come under threat, but it might take a while for Los Blancos to break through Alaves, and the scoreline could end up not being a true reflection of the game if they suddenly open the floodgates late on.
Prediction: 2-0
First goalscorer: Gareth Bale
Granada vs. Barcelona
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Granada were looking like mounting an improbable comeback a month ago, but three straight losses leave them treating almost every game like a cup final to avoid relegation.
Almost every game...but probably not this one. Barcelona are looking strong, sensing any opportunity to pounce if Real Madrid slip up, and they have more than enough firepower to find a way through Granada’s revamped, gritty, but ultimately porous back line.
It’s Granada’s home form that is all-important to their survival hopes, and they’ve only lost one of the last five there, but it’d be a surprise to see them take anything from this game.
Prediction: 1-3
First goalscorer: Luis Suarez
