The German Bundesliga continues but the competition around Europe in Austria, Croatia, Denmark, Israel and Serbia all restart this weekend to offer up an exciting few days of football.
Salzburg v Austria Lustenau
Friday 8:45pm European time - Austrian Cup Final
Austrian football returns on Friday night with a David vs Goliath battle between last season’s double winners Salzburg and second tier Austria Lustenau.
Salzburg head into the game in Klagenfurt as hot favourites, although this may be their only trophy this campaign as they’re second in the league title race six points behind shock leaders LASK Linz. The January departure of Erling Haaland hasn’t helped the 13-time Austrian champions who’ll have Patson Daka lead the way. Lustenau are midtable in the 2.Liga but knocked off Swarovski Tirol and Wacker Innsbruck to make the decider.
Saturday 3:30pm European time - German Bundesliga
Two former German powerhouses do battle on Saturday in a critical clash for both sides, with Schalke 04 in dreadful form since the resumption while Werder Bremen battle the drop.
Schalke have lost all three matches since the Bundesliga resumed, including a heavy 4-0 defeat to rivals Borussia Dortmund, which has seen them slide down to ninth. Werder have offered hope of fighting relegation with four points from three games since the restart but they remain six points from safety, sitting 17th on the table and desperately need three points here.
Saturday 8pm European time - Czech Fortuna Liga
The Czech top flight resumed last weekend and ramps up with an exciting fixture between leaders Slavia Prague and third-placed Jablonec on Saturday.
With five matches to play before the championship round, Slavia hold an eight-point buffer at the summit from second-placed Viktoria Plzen. Jablonec will be eager to keep the title race alive as they bid to keep chasing Plzen - who they trail by 10 points - with a view to European football.
Maccabi Tel Aviv v Hapoel Haifa
Saturday 7pm European time - Israeli Ligat Ha’Al
Israel’s top flight resumes this weekend, with the league splitting in half and entering the championship and relegation rounds, with leaders Maccabi Tel Aviv welcoming sixth-placed Hapoel Haifa on Saturday night.
Maccabi Tel Aviv are six points clear at the top from Maccabi Haifa and they’ll relish their charge towards the title. But Hapoel Haifa may be there to upset them, looming as a danger side. Maccabi Tel Aviv have remarkably only conceded seven goals from 26 league matches this term, so Hapoel will do well to break them down.
Monday 4pm European time - Danish Superliga
The Danish Superliga returned on Thursday night and will enjoy a long weekend of action, with leaders FC Midtjylland hosting midtable AC Horsens on Monday night.
Last season’s runners-up Midtjylland are the favourites and will look to solidify their 12-point lead at the top of the table. Horsens are down in 10th but appear set for the relegation round.
