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Liverpool vs. Man City, Man United vs. Spurs, Le Classique, and more!
The FotMob guide to the weekend's biggest games is back
There’s some massive football matches coming up in the next few days, with Big Six clashes in the Premier League, PSG vs. Marseille in France, and first vs. third in the Bundesliga. We also dive in to stories around the fifth round of the Scottish Cup and take a look at Benfica’s bizarre season under José Mourinho.
Liverpool vs. Man City
For so long, in the not-so-distant past, this would be the defining game of the Premier League season. With Arsenal on top, City second, and the Reds down in sixth, that’s perhaps not the case in this particular campaign, but it remains one of the go-to fixtures for fans of the English top flight.
Arne Slot’s title defence has long since been conceded but now, with his summer signings finally starting to gel - the in-form Bundesliga imports Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz in particular - Liverpool have been building a little bit of momentum. Both scored in last weekend’s 4-1 demolition of Newcastle and both now have four goals and two assists in their last six appearances.
Apart from January’s late heartbreak against Bournemouth, the Reds have won or drawn 11 of their last 12 league games.
Too many draws have cost Liverpool their place in the title race, and ultimately, it may be a similar story for Manchester City. Pep Guardiola’s side sit six points behind Arsenal having won just once in the league since the turn of the year.
Last week’s capitulation from two-nil up to drawing 2-2 with Spurs was their fourth draw in six games played in 2026. City do, however, remain dominant in the cups, completing a 5-1 aggregate victory over Newcastle in the Carabao Cup semifinals during the week. They are also the top scorers in the league this season.
Man United vs. Spurs
The Saturday lunchtime slot pits another two of England’s so-called Big 6 against each other as Spurs travel to Manchester United.
Spurs currently enjoy their best ever head-to-head record against United, having won three and drawn three of their last six meetings in the league. According to the Opta Analyst, only Chelsea have enjoyed a better run against the Manchester club in the 21st century!
That said, none of those previous six league meetings have come with United saviour Michael Carrick at the helm! The change of mood at Old Trafford since Carrick’s latest interim appointment as manager has been nothing short of revolutionary.
As we detailed in this article, published today, the former midfielder has got a lot of the basics right. He’s made common sense tactical decisions to fix what was wrong with Ruben Amorim’s strict formation and the results have been immediate. Back-to-back-to-back wins over Man City, Arsenal, and Fulham give Carrick an 100% record so far.
Spurs will look to test that, but on current form question marks remain over manager Thomas Frank, especially with the Londoners still winless in the league in 2026.
PSG and Marseille, the two great powers of French football, met in Kuwait just last month to decide the Trophée des Champions, the Super Cup. That match was won by Luis Enrique’s side, on penalties, following a dramatic 2-2 draw that featured a trademark stoppage time equaliser from PSG supersub Gonçalo Ramos.
Now, they face each other back in Ligue 1, with the reigning champions currently holding a narrow two point lead over Lens at the top of the table, and Marseille, a further seven points back in third.
There were wild scenes when Roberto De Zerbi led Marseille to a 1-0 victory over their rivals back in September, when they met for the first time this season. That remains one of only two league defeats that the Champions League holders have suffered in Ligue 1, the other coming against Monaco in late November.
Slowly but surely, PSG have dragged themselves back to their customary position at the top of French football. Not as free-scoring as they have been previously, but with a mean defence. Marseille have outgunned them, scoring 46 goals to PSG’s 43, but only Lens can match the league-low 16 goals that the Parisians have conceded.
Bayern Munich vs. Hoffenheim
Surprise package Hoffenheim are currently on course to match their best ever finish in the Bundesliga as they come in to the weekend sat third in the Bundesliga. They might be nine points below leaders Bayern Munich, their opponents on Sunday, but their total of 42 points after 20 games is the record ever tally for a side placed third in the table at this point in the season.
We’ve spoken about the firepower Vincent Kompany has at his disposal at Bayern in the newsletter previously (74 goals scored in 20 and counting), but Christian Ilzer’s Hoffenheim have the next best return (43 in 20). TSG also boast the third best defensive record, behind top two Bayern and Dortmund.
On paper, Hoffenheim should be a good test for Bayern, having won six of their last seven games, and with Bayern currently on their worst run of the season having drawn and lost in their last two!
No, we’re not here to discuss the famed military might of one Ancient Greeces’ most feared and revered city states. We’re here to talk about one of the lowest ranked sides still left in the Scottish Cup as the competition reaches the fifth round this weekend!
Spartans FC, originally formed as a alumni side for graduates of Edinburgh University in the 1950s, have been a regular feature in Scotland’s premier cup competition since their days in the country’s equivalent of non-league. Now, they’ve matched their best ever run in the Cup, in what is just their third season as a fully fledged member of the SPFL.
These are heady times for the Spartans as they currently top League Two by six points, and hold their highest-ever league position, as they prepare for the trip to Premiership side Dundee United in the last 16 of the Cup. A lot of credit for their success must go to longterm coach Douglas Samuel, who’s been with the club for over 20 years, and received one of the UK’s greatest honours, the MBE, for his services to the youth community that Spartans serve around their base in the north of Scotland’s capital.
The Spartans defeated another famous name of Scottish football, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, on penalties, in the previous round but will be looking to make history, and go one better tomorrow afternoon.
Life is never simple with José Mourinho at the helm. His return to Benfica for this season was supposed to be a true full circle moment for a managerial career that started out here in dramatic fashion at the Lisbon giants back in the year 2000 (he lasted 10 games!).
After 20 games of the season, Benfica remain unbeaten in the Liga Portugal, but have drawn too many games and find themselves a relatively distant third in the table. They’ve also been knocked out of two domestic cup competitions.
The following is an extract from a story on Benfica’s season that we published this week:
“Even José was amazed by what he saw, telling Paramount+ after their dramatic win over Real Madrid: “I’ve won and lost many matches, but I had never won one with my goalkeeper scoring in the last minute. I thought I had seen everything in football, but in the end, I hadn’t.”
So, what next? Well, it was one hell of a moment, but once the dust settled, there was still plenty of work to be done. Benfica travelled to lowly Tondela for their next league game, and it ended in a frustrating 0-0 draw.”
Ahead of Sunday’s headline clash between Liverpool and Manchester City, we took a look at two of the potential protagonists, one currently bang in form, and another who is going through a surprisingly barren spell…by his own lofty standards.
The English-born striker, who may well have a part to play as Jamaica look to qualify for the World Cup later this year, has been enjoying a fruitful season at Italian club Udinese. We spoke to him as he sets his sights on his best ever scoring return.
Staying in Italy, Antonio Conte has been forced to dig deep as his defending champions suffer something of an injury crisis, but it has unearthed 23-year-old talent Antonio Vergara. A diamond in the rough.
If you’ve ever dreamt of being that Michael Carrick figure, parachuted in to rescue your beloved beleaguered club, to live out your best Football Manager fantasies, the FotMob line-up builder might be for you.
Currently found at fotmob.com only, you can create a team in your image! Select from one of our pre-built formations, you can then auto-select players from any team found on FotMob, or simply click and search to replace individual players with your ideal transfer signings.
Then, download your team graphic to share with your mates, or online. Tell everyone exactly who the manager should be starting this weekend.
Pro Tip: Click on any of the matches below, then tap the star in the right hand side of the match page to add them to your Following section.
Friday: Leeds United vs. Nottingham Forest, 16th vs. 17th, kicks off the weekend in the Premier League. The new League of Ireland gets underway with champions Shamrock Rovers hosting Dundalk, and we’ll wait to see whether Cristiano Ronaldo starts for Al Nassr after his one-man protest regarding recent events in the Saudi Pro League.
Saturday: Premier League leaders Arsenal take on Sunderland while Chelsea go to bottom side Wolves in two traditional 3pm kickoffs. Barcelona host Mallorca, who in Vedat Muriqi, have one of the most inform strikers in LaLiga, and Lens know a win over Rennes will put them back on top of Ligue 1 ahead of PSG’s involvement in Le Classique.
Sunday: In LaLiga, title-chasing Real Madrid visit Valencia, and Atlético Madrid play Real Betis for a second time in four days after beating them in the Copa Del Rey on Thursday. Serie A leaders Inter travel to Sassuolo, while Juventus at at home to Lazio. And back in the Premier League, Brighton and Crystal Palace renew hostilities in their regional dispute.