Six of the Best: The top matches to watch across Europe today

While there may not be a glamour tie among today’s Premier League fixtures there are still plenty of mouth watering encounters to look forward to across the continent, and we assess six of thebest. 

Leeds vs Norwich

There are many that won’t agree but I’m going to claim it anyway, that the top game in England today is outside of the top-flight. Indeed, top host second in the Championship as Norwich travel to Leeds, with the visitors knowing that a win would see them leapfrog the Whites in what promises to be a very tight race for promotion.

Bayer Leverkusen vs Bayern Munich

After an uncharacteristically dismal streak it’s fair to say Bayern are back on track and hot on the heels of Dortmund atop the Bundesliga. The Bavarians have won seven on the spin in the league, though a trip to Leverkusen may not be straightforward, with the hosts having won five of their last eight after a terrible start to the campaign. 

Eintracht Frankfurt vs Borussia Dortmund

This should be great fun as two of Germany’s best attacking teams go head-to-head. Four of the top five scorers in the Bundesliga will be on show, with the pairings of Luka Jovic and Sebastien Haller and Paco Alcacer and Marco Reus each scoring 24 league goals combined. Moreover, each of the last six meetings between the sides have not only ended with over 2.5 goals but both teams registering on the scoresheet.

Napoli vs Sampdoria

While this is a significant match in it’s own right between two clubs vying for European spots in Serie A, all eyes will be on Fabio Quagliarella as the veteran striker aims to make history against one of his former clubs. Should he score, the 35-year-old would stretch his league scoring streak to 12 matches and break the Gabriel Batistuta record that he equalled last time out against Udinese.

Barcelona vs Valencia

While Valencia have endured a disappointing season to now, the one thing that they can claim to be is hard to beat and they’ll be hopeful of frustrating the leaders at Camp Nou. Only the hosts and Atletico Madrid have lost fewer games in La Liga this season than Los Che (4), with the visitors never having conceded more than twice in a game in Spain’s top-flight, with the shares spoiled in the reverse fixture back in October.

Real Sociedad vs Athletic Club

This may be a mid-table clash but the Basque derby is always a big game in the Spanish calendar, with bragging rights at stake both on the day and over the season as a whole. While two teams separate the hosts in ninth and Athletic in 12th, there’s just a one point advantage in Real Sociedad’s favour so that could all change, with a European finish still very much in the sights of both sides.