After Real Madrid’s exit from the Copa del Rey at the hands of Celta Vigo, Los Blancos will look to win their league fixture against Sociedad in a bid to maintain their lead at the top of the table with a game in hand. Barcelona’s fixture against Betis is equally important for the Catalan side as they can’t afford to lose sight of first-place Madrid and second-place Sevilla.
Over in Bundesliga, Bayern are ready to take on Werder Bremen with an eye on converting their six-game winning streak into seven as Dortmund visit 11th placed Mainz as they hope to see Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang back in the side. In France, it's a top of the table clash between third place Paris Saint-Germain and league leaders Monaco.
Ahead of an exciting weekend of European league football, these are the 12 best statistics going into the gameweek.
Werder Bremen vs Bayern Munich
- The Bavarians take on 15th place Werder Bremen on Saturday. Bayern Munich have won the last 12 fixtures between the two sides in the Bundesliga and will look to maintain their dominance over the hosts. Scoring a total of 51 times in those games, the visitors have an average of 4.25 goals. However, no side has ever made it 13 consecutive wins in a single fixture.
- Werder Bremen have not defeated the league leaders since August 2008 when they won 5-2 at the Allianz Arena. However, Robert Lewandowski has been in fine form scoring seven goals in his five previous league matches. The Polish forward has also scored 10 goals in seven matches against Bremen.
Alaves vs Atletico Madrid
- A rather dull Atletico Madrid have won just four of their 10 away fixtures in the league with Alaves coming up next. With Champions League qualification on the line, Atletico cannot afford to lose points especially since they managed a draw at home in the first leg of this fixture.
- After a sedated first-half of the season, Antoine Griezmann has already scored 5 goals in all competitions in 2017, more than any other Spanish league player.
Also Read: Diego Simeone’s jaded Atletico Madrid look ready for change
Real Betis vs Barcelona
- Leo Messi has been inspirational for Barcelona since his return from injury. Joint highest goalscorer of the league so far with 15 goals, his away record this season is especially impressive scoring 10 goals in eight games. The Argentine has also scored 14 left-footed goals, more than any other league player in the campaign.
- The last time Real Betis salvaged a point from this fixture was 2012 when the game ended 2-2. It was also Pep Guardiola’s final league game with the Blaugrana after being in charge for four years.
Mainz 05 vs Borussia Dortmund
- No player in Europe has provided as many assists to a single player than Ousmane Dembele, who’s assisted Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang five times. The French midfielder has racked up seven assists and Aubameyang is the Bundesliga’s highest scorer with 16 goals.
- Dortmund right-back Lukasz Piszczek has now scored four goals this season, more than Marco Reus, Andre Schurrle and Mario Gotze combined.
Paris Saint-Germain vs Monaco
- Monaco are on a six-game winning streak, coming out on top in three league and cup games each. However, their opponent this Sunday, Paris Saint-Germain share the exact same record. However, the hosts have scored three goals or more in 12 league games, seven more than any other Ligue 1 side.
- PSG’s six-game winning streak in all competitions is their best run this season. The league’s highest scorer Edinson Cavani's has racked up 20 goals already making it a career best. The Uruguayan striker has singlehandedly scored more times than five other Ligue 1 teams – mainly Lille, Bastia, Angers, Nantes and Nancy.
Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad
- Toni Kroos has nine assists this season, four of which have come from corners, more than any other Spanish league player. However, the German midfielder has scored just once this season against Celta Vigo on 27/08/2016.
- Real Madrid have not failed to defeat Real Sociedad at home for seven consecutive fixtures and have scored at least thrice in six of those occasions of which Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 11 times. The Portuguese has now been involved in 350 goals ( 272 goals and 78 assists) for Real Madrid in the league.
