Weekend Preview: A Look Ahead to the Best Action in Europe

The action across Europe this weekend is enough to whet the appetite of any football fan. With that, we at WhoScored.com preview the fixtures on the continent over the coming days. 

Premier League 

Valentine's Day looks to be one of the most important in the Premier League season, with the current top-4 each playing one another. Arsenal host Leicester in the day's early kick as the Gunners look to close the gap at the top of the table between themselves and the Foxes. The reverse fixture saw Arsenal run out 5-2 winners at the King Power Stadium, in what was only one of Leicester's two defeats in their stunning season so far. 

Arsene Wenger's men have history on their side having won each of their five Premier League meetings with Leicester on home turf, scoring 16 goals, in the process. However, the visiting side have won more points away from home (28) than any other Premier League team this season. Meanwhile, with Riyad Mahrez back to his best form and Jamie Vardy itching to add to his 18 league goals this season, it promises to be an entertaining affair at the Emirates. 

The two teams are likely to keep a close eye on how Manchester City's welcome of Tottenham pans out in the later kick off. Spurs sit five points behind Leicester coming into this fixture, but have floundered at the Etihad Stadium in recent years. The north London outfit haven't won at City since Peter Crouch's header took them into the Champions League in 2010. However, Spurs have won their last four league games, conceding only two goals in that run. 

Unfortunately for Spurs, City have a resurgent Sergio Aguero in the ranks. The Argentine has scored seven goals in six Premier League outings in 2016 and has scored more league goals against Spurs (10) than he has against any other opponent. With Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, Samir Nasri and Jesus Navas all expected to miss out, the attacking onus will be on Aguero to haul City back into the title race. 

Serie A 

The primary focus in Serie A this weekend is the top of the table clash between Juventus and Napoli at the J-Stadium. Juventus are on the current longest winning run (14 games) in Europe's top five leagues this season, while Napoli have won their last eight Serie A matches, currently the third best on the continent. Just two points separate the duo at the summit in Italy's top tier and both have at their disposal the two in-form frontmen in the league. 

Only Gonzalo Higuain (7.86) has gained a better WhoScored rating in Serie A this season than compatriot Paulo Dybala (7.72), with the clash of the Argentine strikers set to take centre-stage in Turin. Higuain has scored more goals (24) than any other player in Europe's top five leagues this season. Meanwhile, the 28-year-old has directly contributed to more goals (26) than any other player in Serie A this term, a list Dybala (21) places second in. 

The absence of Giorgio Chiellini is a huge blow to Juventus, with Max Allegri now posed with a selection conundrum over whether he continues with the three-man defensive system that has served the Old Lady well in recent weeks, bringing in Daniele Rugani as a result, or to swap to a four-man backline. Napoli, though, have lost their last three away league meetings with Juventus, conceding eight goals in the process, but with the Partenopei currently on top form, this promises to be one of the games of the weekend. 

La Liga 

Moving over to Spain, there's a battle between the two out-of-sorts sides as Valencia host Espanyol. Gary Neville has struggled following his appointment at the Mestalla, with Los Che on the longest current winless run (12 games) in Europe's top 5 leagues. They are followed by Espanyol (7 games) who are languishing perilously close to the relegation zone. Only Rayo Vallecano (47) have conceded more goals than Espanyol (46) in La Liga this season, so this is perhaps the best chance for Neville to secure his first league win as Valencia manager. 

Elsewhere, Real Madrid will hope to put pressure on league leaders Barcelona when they host Athletic Club in Saturday's early kick off. Los Blancos have scored more home goals (45) than any other team in La Liga thus far and have won their last six league games at the Bernabeu. Meanwhile, Athletic's last three defeats on the road have come at teams above them in the league - Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla - so they come into this fixture as big underdogs. 

Rounding off the weekend, Barcelona will be out to maintain their unbeaten run, which currently stands at 29 games in all competitions. Celta Vigo, who will be keen to bounce back from their Copa Del Rey exit on Thursday night, are not expected to pose too much of a threat to the Blaugrana at Camp Nou, however. Celta have lost their last three league games away from home and have won only one of their last seven La Liga outings. 

Bundesliga 

With Bayern Munich's seemingly unassailable lead at the summit of the Bundesliga and Borussia Dortmund expected to overcome lowly Hannover on Saturday afternoon, attention turns to the foot of the table, specifically the meeting between Werder Bremen and Hoffenheim. Just five points separate the two teams in the battle to stave off relegation from Germany's top tier, though much of the focus will be on the visiting team. 

Huub Stevens' decision to step down for health reasons saw 28-year-old Julian Nagelsmann take charge of the Bundesliga side, becoming the youngest manager in the league's history. He, though, has a mountainous task on his hands if he is to guide Die Kraichgauer away from the bottom two. Hoffenheim have won the joint-fewest points away from home (6) in the Bundesliga this season, though will be buoyed by Bremen's dire home record (5 points, the fewest in Germany's top tier). Either way, any winner in this encounter will take an important step to avoiding the drop into Germany's second division. 

Ligue 1 

With the title race all but over in Ligue 1, the focus shifts to the battle to secure a Champions League finish. The early pace setters - Angers and Caen - have begun to fall way, with Monaco establishing a six-point gap between themselves and third placed Nice. They can consolidate their spot in second with a win at Saint-Etienne on Sunday afternoon. Their form on the road, though, is spotty to say the least, with Leonardo Jardim's side securing six wins from their 12 league games away from home. 

Saint-Etienne have seven wins to their name in front of their fans this season but recently fell to a disappointing – albeit expected – home loss to runaway leaders PSG at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard. At the other end of the table, Montpellier and Toulouse meet as they bid to beat the drop, with the former in the stronger position and able to count on home advantage coming into their weekend meeting. One expects Toulouse to live up to their name, given their poor away performances this season - only Bastia (4) and Troyes (5) have won fewer points on the road than Toulouse (9) in Ligue 1 this term.

Click here to view this weekend's detailed previews from Europe's top 5 leagues