Five fixtures you simply cannot miss in Europe this weekend

Manchester City v Arsenal (Saturday, 12:45 UK time)

According to Squawka’s Performance Score rating, this match brings together the league’s top two performing teams. Furthermore, Manchester City have the league’s best home record, winning all seven of their games at the Etihad Stadium. The Gunners, meanwhile, have the league’s joint best away record, claiming 16 points from a possible 21. This game ended 1-1 last season. No doubt, both managers will be hoping to do one better this time around.

Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool (Sunday, 16:00 UK time)

Spurs hit a bump in the road a few rounds back, but have steadied the ship following back-to-back wins on the road. An impressive 4-1 win over Anzhi Makhachkala in the Europa League would’ve further boosted them. And they’ll need it, as a game versus high-flying Liverpool, led by league-leading goal-scorer Luis Suarez, will be far from easy. Given both teams rank first and second respectively for chances created (205 and 200), this game promises to be one filled with end-to-end action.

Napoli v Inter (Sunday, 19:45 UK time)

This game brings together the teams with the league’s best attacks. Inter lead Serie A with 34 goals scored, while Napoli have netted 31 times along with league leaders Juventus. An Edinson Cavani hat-trick was enough to take all three points in this fixture last season, but Inter are in better form under new manager Walter Mazzarri and will no doubt put up more of a fight. Napoli will be on a high, though, after beating Arsenal 2-0 at home in the Champions League. They bowed out of the competition, but will still be boosted by the win heading into this big game.

Milan v Roma (Monday, 19:45 UK time)

A struggling Milan side welcome Serie A’s best performing team to the San Siro, according to Squawka’s Performance Score rating. The fact that Milan have actually set up the second-most amount of chances in the league (186) will give them a boost heading into this huge clash, as Roma’s defence has only been breached five times so far this season. At the same time, they’ve only scored 23 goals, meaning that finishing hasn’t exactly been their strong suit. It will need to be here, however, if Massimiliano Allegri is to record a huge result and thus ease some of the huge pressure on his shoulders.

Barcelona v Villarreal (Saturday, 19:00 UK time)

Tata Martino is under a bit of pressure these days, following some sub-par performances from his Barcelona side. A 1-0 loss away to high-flying Athletic Bilbao in the last round further compounded matters, although a thumping 6-1 win over Celtic in the Champions League would’ve provided a bit of reprieve.

Back in La Liga, however, he needs a win at home to another high-flying side, Villarreal, in order to keep Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid at bay. The Yellow Submarine’s last visit to the Camp Nou, back in 2011, ended in a 5-0 mauling, but the current form of Marcelino’s men suggests that they should make a better account of themselves this time around. Whether it’s enough to pull off a shock away win, however, is another matter, as Barcelona, in spite of all the criticism, are, according to Squawka’s Performance Score rating, still La Liga’s best team.