Here are the events our news editors have circled in their calendars this week:
Friday, February 7th
Paris Saint-Germain vs Monaco - 21:05 CET
What better way to get your weekend going than a proper European blockbuster under those sparkling Friday night lights? Ligue 1 is the place to start the party this time around as leaders PSG host third-place Monaco in Paris.
Ok, so we don’t really have a title race on our hands in France. With PSG 10 points clear of Marseille and 13 ahead of Monaco, it’s hard to imagine anyone catching the reigning French champions from here.
Putting that aside, this is still an interesting fixture, not least because the Principality side have plenty to play for. Luis Enrique’s troops, however, have not lost a match since November so don't get your hopes up for an upset at the Parc des Princes.
Despite Monaco's long odds, it’s worth tuning into this match just to see PSG’s Ousmane Dembele at the peak of his powers. Our player of the month for January, the wonderfully talented forward has notched hat-tricks in his last two outings and scored eight times in four matches. What’s more, new signing Kvicha Kvaratskhelia is just getting warmed up in the capital.
As for the visitors, they have their own recent hat-trick hero in the shape of young Dane Mika Biereth - he’s scored four in three starts since arriving from Sturm Graz. In short, there’s going to be plenty of attacking talent on show in this one so don’t miss it!
Pat Dempsey
Saturday, February 8th
Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid - 21:00 CET
The Madrid derby is always a big game, but that's especially the case this time around with it being a clash that will go a long way to deciding this season's LaLiga title race.
Los Blancos head into it one point ahead of Atletico, with Barcelona just a further three off, and that should make for a match that's more open than big games involving Atleti often can be. Diego Simeone will know that a draw for his side would keep them behind Real Madrid and give Barca the chance to close the gap on them, so he may not employ the defence-first strategy he has in the past.
That's made even more likely by the fact that Real Madrid lost 1-0 to Espanyol last time out and have struggled against strong sides this season, losing to Barcelona (twice), Athletic Club, Liverpool and AC Milan, and only drawing with Atleti in their first meeting of the campaign. Carlo Ancelotti's side may be top of the league, but they're vulnerable.
Add in that the Italian may have half an eye on the first leg of the Champions League tie with Manchester City that follows it and it really does feel things could go either way in this match, one that could well be looked back on as the one that defined the fight for the title.
If either Real or Atleti win, they'll be the favourites to prevail in the battle to become champions, while a draw would arguably put Barcelona in pole position given their form. The importance of the 238th Madrid derby really can't be overstated.
Finley Crebolder
Sunday, February 9th
Aston Villa vs Tottenham - 18:35 CET
“I always win a trophy in my second season” - Ange Postecoglou’s bullish quote ahead of the season with Tottenham is slowly and painfully coming back to bite him.
A midweek thrashing to Liverpool knocked Spurs out of the EFL Cup at the semi-final round and a disappointing Premier League campaign so far sees them languishing in 14th place.
Maybe then, a respite can come in the FA Cup, one of two chances for the manager to deliver on his word. They face Aston Villa on Sunday, a team they beat 4-1 in the league back in November. Injuries have plagued Spurs’ season, but it could be a debut for January loan signing Mathys Tel, which would provide some cheer for their weary fanbase.
Villa themselves will be chasing silverware too. They have made it into the latter stages of the Champions League, but realistically the FA Cup is their best path to glory this season.
But, they have not had a great record of late against Sunday’s opponents - Tottenham Hotspur have won nine of their last 10 away games against Aston Villa in all competitions (L1), with their last two wins coming by the same 4-0 scoreline (April 2022 and March 2024).
Goals are almost guaranteed in this all-Premier League FA Cup tie, and with it being decided on the day, it lends itself to an entertaining affair with both sides desperate to progress.
Josh Donaldson
Philadelphia Eagles vs Kansas City Cheifs - 00:30 CET
The Super Bowl is finally here and the NFL gave us possibly the two least favourite teams that were remaining from the Conference Championship round in the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs (-1.5). So much so that Super Bowl tweets are receiving less traction than B-Tier NBA trade updates.
In all seriousness, these were the two best remaining teams and it’s going to give us the highest quality Super Bowl possible whether we want to admit that or not.
The Eagles stout o-line is taking on a proven Steve Spagnuolo defence and that’s what this game will come down to - the trenches - much like any other football game.
If the Eagles o-line paves the way for runningback Saquon Barkley to keep Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes off the field as much as possible, it’ll ultimately play to their advantage and they’ll win the Super Bowl - simple as that.
The Eagles were the seventh-best scoring team this year while Mahomes had the worst regular season of his career. So it’s without a shred of doubt this Eagles team can keep up with the Chiefs in terms of scoring. But there’s one obstacle - it’s still Mahomes.
Somehow, some way, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and Mahomes just find ways to win - even without the ref's help sometimes. Their winning ways are indescribable at this point. That being said, the Eagles should stop NFL history from happening this weekend and the Chiefs will miss out on the three-peat. I have Philly winning this one 30-27.
Eric Himmelheber