Last weekend, we had four matches featuring a pair of the WCR Top 25 Clubs in the World.  We have three more of them coming up this weekend and, in addition to that, we have two more between a ranked club and another club that received votes in the rankings.  (Upon closer reflection, we actually do have four matchups among WCR Top 25 Clubs, but (12) Dortmund is such a big favorite over (25) Union Berlin, that that match did not make this list.) And that’s not even counting all of the matches featuring such clubs during the week in various domestic cups and in Premier League matchups.  This is truly a great week of football!!!

Once again, the top matches (the top three as a matter of fact) come out of England, but the fourth-top match is from Portugal, where Benfica and Porto will do battle in Lisbon on Good Friday.  The next night will see Celtic take on Rangers, and that match isn’t even on the list!!!  There is a good mix this week of great clubs taking on each other with mid-level clubs facing off in what should be great matches.

As is our custom here, our list is compiled based not only on how highly ranked the participating clubs are, but also on how competitive we expect the matches to be.  Our list is based on power ratings and win probabilities determined by FiveThirtyEight, and it is their numbers that we will be using.  So, with so many matches every weekend, if you don’t know what to watch, we are here to help!!!

1 - (7) Liverpool vs (5) Arsenal (Eng) (Sunday)

.In the four or so weeks that we have been calculating the top matches of the weekend, this one scored the highest, breaking the 500 point barrier (which is meaningless to you, I’m sure, but it meant something to us).  Obviously, this is a super-major match for Arsenal as they try to fend off Manchester City and win the Premier League.  Liverpool, on the other hand, are watching their faint hopes of returning to Europe next year slip away.  Liverpool, however, has shown up against clubs like Newcastle United and Manchester United over the past month.  We are looking for them to step up this week and for this one to finish in a draw.  Our Prediction:  Liverpool 2 Arsenal 2.

2 - (21) Tottenham vs (20) Brighton (Eng) (Saturday)

One of the reasons that Liverpool is struggling to get into Europe is because both of these clubs are doing better than them.  Brighton has been one of the surprise teams of the season, while Spurs appears to have gotten stuck in a rut, with three draws in their last four matches in all competitions.  Both clubs have shown some inconsistency since the international break and we think both clubs will be disappointed with this week’s result.  Our Prediction:  Tottenham 1 Brighton 1.

3 - Brentford vs (13) Newcastle United (Eng) (Saturday)

Another reason that Liverpool is having trouble qualifying for Europe is that both of these clubs are better than them, too - and I doubt anybody saw that coming in August!  Both clubs are coming off of big results over the weekend, with Brentford picking up a point at Brighton and Newcastle picking up three at home against Manchester United.  A part of us wants to predict yet another draw, but it appears that the Magpies have righted the ship, so we are going to give them the slight advantage.  Our Prediction:  Brentford 0 Newcastle United 1.

4 - (10) Benfica vs (16) Porto (Por) (Friday)

This one has the same feel as the Barcelona-Real Madrid league match from a few weeks ago.  Benfica has a ten-point lead over second-place Porto in the Primeira Liga with ten matches left to play.  Porto cannot get by with a draw.  They need to score a victory to have any prayer for a league title.  But Benfica are one of the ten best clubs in the world and will be playing at home.  Porto better hope that Benfica are looking past them and focusing on Inter Milan.  Our Prediction:  Benfica 2 Porto 0.

5 - Lazio vs (14) Juventus (Ita) (Saturday)

This one right here should be a dandy.  There is a six-team battle for the final UCL spot from Italy, and Lazio is leading the pack, with a four-point lead over AC Milan for second place.  Juventus is pulling up the rear from that group, but even they are only six points out of the final UCL spot and have the best goal differential of any of them.  There will be a lot of big matches amongst these teams coming up, and this one should be a thriller.  Our Prediction:  Lazio 1 Juventus 1

6 - Borussia Monchengladbach vs Wolfsburg (Ger) (Sunday)

This is a battle of the two teams in the middle of the table in the German Bundesliga.  Wolfsburg still has a chance of playing in Europe next year.  They are only two points out of the Conference League spot and only six out of the Europa League position.  Gladbach has no hope of playing in Europe next year and no fear of being relegated this year.  They’re not playing for much other than pride, but they should be able to give Wolfsburg a good fight on Easter Sunday.  Our Prediction:  Borussia Monchengladbach 2 Wolfsburg 2

7 - Rayo Vallecano vs Atletico Madrid (Esp) (Sunday)

This isn’t an obvious match to make this list, especially considering Celtic-Rangers didn’t make the list.  Rayo Vallecano are winless in their last seven matches, while Atletico has won four league matches in a row to solidify their claim to a UCL spot for next year.  We believe Vallecano could give Atleti some trouble, however, even though we think that the pink-haired one will score a winning goal in the second half.  Our Prediction:  Rayo Vallecano 1 Atletico Madrid 2.

8 - Sevilla vs Celta Vigo (Esp) (Friday)

This is another matchup that features two decent clubs in a match that should go down to the wire.  Celta Vigo probably isn’t going anywhere and should be mostly just playing out the season.  The club with most Europa League trophies in history, however, is trying to stave off relegation, being only four points above the relegation zone and having a goal differential of -11.  This should be tight all the way.  Our Prediction:  Sevilla 1 Celta Vigo 1

9 - Wolverhampton vs (17) Chelsea (Eng)  (Saturday)

Both of these clubs have disappointed this season, with Chelsea not even in the top half of the table and Wolves struggling (but managing) to stay just above the relegation zone.  Still, there is a lot of talent here and we expect it should be a fun, tight match to watch, which is why it is on this list.  Even though Wolverhampton has more to play for, we are going to give the Blues a narrow edge because of all of the trouble the Wolves have had scoring this season.  Our Prediction:  Wolverhampton 0 Chelsea 1.

10 - Nice vs (9) PSG (Fra)  (Saturday)

PSG has been struggling recently, letting their insurmountable lead start to appear surmountable.  They are still in good place, with a six point lead over both Marseille and Lens, but with two teams within striking distance, PSG is going to have to start paying attention to what they’re doing and not just play to finish out the schedule.  Nice is a decent team.  They have only a vague chance of qualifying for a Conference League position, but they are higher in the table than Lyon, who just beat PSG at Parc des Princes, so who knows?  Our Prediction:  Nice 1 PSG 3.