THE END of Fifa’s international break means action is back in Europe’s biggest leagues this weekend.
Although these league games and domestic competitions are important, the eight teams that will play in the first legs of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals next week cannot ignore this great competition.
In England there is a big FA Cup quarterfinal match between Manchester City and Liverpool which will start at 1.45 at the Etihad Stadium this afternoon.
Manchester City has won the Carabao Cup recently, and it is important for Liverpool to put themselves in a position to take the FA Cup since they are still far from the race for the Premier League title.
City are in a good place as they are out of the Champions League but Liverpool will also be thinking about Wednesday’s Champions League match where they will visit champions Paris Saint-Germain.
Arsenal, who missed out on the Carabao Cup, will face Southampton in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup at 9pm.
The Gunners are the team expected to win the Premier League title this season and will also play a key match in the Champions League against Sporting CP of Portugal on Tuesday.
It will be looked at how coach Mikel Arteta will inspire his team to progress to the FA Cup but also not find themselves disturbed in the league and Champions League, which are more weighty competitions.
In Spain, Atletico Madrid will be visited by Barcelona in the main game of La Liga which will start at 9 in the evening.
Barcelona need the points to avoid being overtaken by Real Madrid, leaving them four points behind in the title race. The pressure is not too great on Atletico as there is little chance of being moved to the Top 4.
These teams will meet again in the quarterfinals of the Champions League which will be played at the Barca stadium on Wednesday night.
Real Madrid is in a position to put pressure on Barcelona as they will face Mallorca today at 4.15 pm. If he gets the three points it will close the gap before Barca play Atleti this evening.
However, Alvaro Arbeloa’s team also faces a difficult game in the quarterfinals of the Champions League where they will face Bayern Munich at home on Tuesday night.
Bayern, who are nine points clear at the top of the Bundesliga, will play a home league game against Freiburg today at 3.30pm before they worry about Madrid.
It will be clear today how these European teams will organize themselves in home games to reach the Champions League ready to get results that will make them enter the second legs in good shape.
The first legs of the quarterfinals of the Uefa champions league
Tuesday (9pm): Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich; Sporting vs Arsenal
Wednesday (9pm): Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid; Paris Saint-Germain vs Liverpool