Iago Aspas will be out to prove why he's as important to Celta Vigo as Lionel Messi is to Barcelona

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  • Celta Vigo talisman Iago Aspas

    The domestic fixtures this weekend acts as a reprieve from the European action ahead of semi-final second legs in the Champions League and Europa League.

    And while Serie A, La Liga and Ligue 1 have all crowned their 2018/19 champions, there is still everything to play for in the Bundesliga and the Premier League.

    Yet, intrigue does lie elsewhere as well and to help you decipher which contests to put on the box this weekend, we’ve put together the games to watch.

    SERIE A

    MATCH: Juventus v Torino

    WHERE: Allianz Stadium

    WHEN: Friday @ 10:30PM (GST)

    Cristiano Ronaldo

    Cristiano Ronaldo

    Last weekend saw the two Turin sides take on the twin Milan outfits as Juve drew 1-1 with Inter while Torino secured a massive 2-0 victory over AC. Those results means there are huge ramifications for this local fixture. The Derby della Mole has long been a one-sided affair with Torino unable to win at Juventus since 1995 with just one victory since then arriving a decade later. However, bar Cristiano Ronaldo aiming to top the league goalscoring charts, the Bianconeri have little play for having already been crowned champions. Torino by contrast are well in the hunt for a European spot and so victory is absolutely pivotal.

    PREMIER LEAGUE

    MATCH: Newcastle v Liverpool

    WHERE: St James’ Park

    WHEN: Saturday @ 10:45PM

    Rafael Benitez

    Rafael Benitez

    The Premier League title race is resembling a frozen tug of war. Liverpool continue to have the slight advantage of playing before leaders Manchester City, but then Pep Guardiola’s men own the one-point advantage. This week’s fixtures are brimming with narrative. The Reds travel to Rafa Benitez’s Newcastle, the Spanish boss fondly remembered by Liverpool supporters and also one of the club’s nearly-men in regards to ending the title drought. His side came close in 2008/09, but Brendan Rodgers’ iteration was even closer in 2013/14 and he takes his Leicester City outfit to City on Monday. Could this be the turning point in the title race?

    LA LIGA

    MATCH: Celta Vigo v Barcelona

    WHERE: Balaidos

    WHEN: Saturday @ 11:45PM

    Iago Aspas

    Iago Aspas

    Again you may wonder why a fixture involving already-crowned champions features, but like Juve’s clash, it’s the team on the other side which intrigues most. Indeed, Celta Vigo were staring relegation square in the face with their deity Iago Aspas enduring an injury hell. The striker returned to the team in late March and has since scored six goals in seven games, including four assists. Aspas has wrestled his side away from the drop zone but they are not completely safe just yet with the gap at just two points. If there is one single player more important to his team than Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, it’s Aspas and he’ll need to prove that again on Saturday.

    BUNDESLIGA

    MATCH: Bayer Leverkusen v Eintracht Frankfurt

    WHERE: BayArena

    WHEN: Sunday @ 8PM

    Peter Bosz

    Peter Bosz

    Ignore the absolute chaos which is the title race and dip your toes into the top-four contest for a weekend. There is one spot available for Champions League football next season and four teams all want it. Two of them face off on Sunday as fourth-placed Eintracht travel to sixth-placed Bayer with three points separating the pair. Peter Bosz’s young and thrilling Bayer have flamed at the right time after three damaging defeats were followed by a trio of wins. Eintracht, though, have struggled balancing their Europa League hopes with the league and have failed to win after both quarter-final legs with Benfica. They travel to Chelsea on Thursday and so Sunday could arrive with either a bounce in their step or a hangover.

    LIGUE 1

    MATCH: Monaco v St Etienne

    WHERE: Stade Louis II

    WHEN: Sunday @ 7PM

    Mathieu Debuchy

    Mathieu Debuchy

    Monaco are still hanging above the relegation zone while St Etienne continue to push for a Champions League spot. Contrasting targets for the two teams but equal significance on this one game. St Etienne are three points off third-placed Lyon and given they take on Lille who are spot above them, any dropped points must be eaten up by Jean-Louis Gasset’s men. Full-back Mathieu Debuchy is confident of securing a lucrative and unexpected route into Europe as he recently said: “There is no panicking in this team, we know that at any moment, if we put our gameplan in place, we are going to have chances. We are calm.”

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