Real Madrid travel away to face Real Betis
Spanish champions Real Madrid will be bidding to return to the top of the La Liga table when they travel to Real Betis on Saturday evening.
Los Blancos are currently second in the division, behind leaders Barcelona on the head-to-head record, while Real Betis occupy seventh, with Manuel Pellegrini‘s side battling to secure more European football for the 2025-26 campaign.
Real Betis have a record of nine wins, eight draws and eight defeats from their 25 league matches this season, with a total of 35 points leaving them in seventh spot, level on points with sixth-placed Rayo Vallecano.
Pellegrini’s side are also bidding for success in Europe this season, with the Green and Whites in the last-16 stage of the Conference League, preparing to tackle Vitoria de Guimaraes in the first leg of their knockout round fixture on March 6.
Real Betis will enter this match off the back of a 2-1 success over Getafe in Spain’s top flight, and they have only been beaten in one of their last five games in La Liga, recording three wins in the process.
Real Betis suffered a 2-0 defeat to Real Madrid at Bernabeu earlier this season, but three of the last four La Liga matches between these two teams have finished level, including a 1-1 draw in the corresponding match last term.
Real Madrid have been held to draws on their last two visits to Real Betis in Spain’s top flight, and it would not be a surprise to see the points shared on Saturday; Los Blancos are in strong form, though, and we are backing the returning Mbappe to inspire them to what would be a huge three points in the title race.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Napoli play host to Simone Inzaghi’s Inter Milan
The Italian Serie A continues on Matchday 27 with a blockbuster fixture between the winners of the past two top flight titles as 2022/23 champions Napoli play host to Simone Inzaghi’s Inter Milan who won the league in 2023/24. The exciting matchup is billed to take place on the 2nd of March, 2025 at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, Italy.
After winning the league in the 2022/23 season under Italian head coach Luciano Spaletti which was a first top flight title since the 1989/90 season, they endured a disappointing spell in the 2023/24 season as they finished tenth in the Serie A standings. They failed to qualify for Europe after reaching the Round of 16 in the 2023/24 Champions League season before being eliminated by Barcelona 4-2 on aggregate. They finished the season with 53 points, eight points adrift of Lazio in the final European qualifying spot.
Former Serie A winning coach Antonio Conte was brought in to steady the ship and much was expected of them going into the season. nter Milan on the other hand have had a brilliant start to the season as they look to defend their league title. They won the title in 2023/24 season in convincing fashion as they finished with 19 points ahead of second-placed city rivals AC Milan.
The first meeting between both sides this season ended 1-1. Napoli have claimed just one victory in the past five games between both clubs while Inter Milan have won twice with the remaining two ending in stalemate.
Credit: extratimetalk.com
Man City welcome Plymouth in FA Cup quarter-finals
Vying for a place in the FA Cup quarter-finals, Manchester City welcome Championship outfit Plymouth Argyle to the Etihad Stadium for a fifth-round tie on Saturday evening.
The two teams meet for the first time in any competition since February 1989 when the Citizens claimed a 2-0 victory in the old Division Two at Maine Road.
Following back-to-back defeats to Real Madrid and Liverpool, Man City returned to winning ways and secured three valuable Premier League points in a slender 1-0 victory at Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night.
Pep Guardiola‘s side are now prioritising a top-four finish in what has been a turbulent season for Man City, who after winning four Premier League titles in a row now sit a whopping 20 points behind champions-elect Liverpool. Ending the season on a high by winning silverware remains on the cards, though, as City have been listed as the bookmakers’ favourites to win the FA Cup.
Indeed, now that Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs have all been eliminated, Man City will back themselves to win an eighth FA Cup this term. The Citizens have reached at least the semi-final stage of the competition in seven of the last eight seasons under Guardiola prior to the current campaign, but they have only triumphed on two occasions in 2018-19 and 2022-23.
Plymouth could become the first team from outside the top flight to eliminate Premier League opposition in three consecutive rounds of the FA Cup since Wigan Athletic in 2017-18, but their next opponents Man City have won their last 18 FA Cup tie against teams from lower divisions by an aggregate score of 69-9, since losing 1-0 at Wigan in the 2017-18 fifth round.
Muslic will hope that his Pilgrims players can deliver another spirited performance, but it is difficult to envisage the visitors pulling off another cup shock this weekend, as Man City should be too strong for them at the Etihad, even if Guardiola opts to make multiple changes.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Spanish La Liga
Friday 28th February
Real Valladolid 20:00 Las Palmas
Saturday 1st March
Atlético Madrid 20:00 Athletic Club
Sunday 2nd March
Mallorca 17:30 Deportivo Alavés
Italian Serie A
Friday 28th February Fiorentina 19:45 Lecce
Saturday 1st March
Atalanta 14:00 Venezia
Sunday 2nd March
FA Cup 5th Round
Saturday 1st MarchCrystal Palace 12:15 Millwall
