With a limited Ligue 1 schedule this weekend, the pick of the matches across Europe come from Germany, Spain and Italy as title races, top-four battles and relegation dogfights intensify.
We have looked over Saturday's European coupon to assemble an enticing treble which includes a win for Real Madrid.
- Borussia Dortmund to beat Borussia Monchengladbach
- Real Madrid to beat Real Mallorca
- Bologna to beat Monza
Dortmund can bounce back from Stuttgart slip-up
Borussia Dortmund flopped in the Bundesliga last Saturday, losing ground in the race on the top four with a 1-0 defeat at home to Stuttgart.
That was followed up with a 2-1 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday, but supporters should get a response from their team when they visit Borussia Monchengladbach on Saturday.
Dortmund outshot Stuttgart 16-10 last weekend and it was a match which could have swung either way, while their Champions League quarter-final tie with Atleti is still very much alive.
Prior to the Stuttgart loss, Dortmund had reeled off five consecutive wins in all competitions, including a 2-0 victory over Bayern Munich - their first Der Klassiker win since 2019.
Edin Terzic has a pretty deep squad at his disposal and even if he chooses to ring the changes on Saturday, they should be too strong for Gladbach.
The Foals eased to an impressive 3-1 win away to Wolfsburg on Sunday, but they are in mid-table obscurity, and are closer to the drop zone than the top six.
Gladbach have won only seven games all season and only three of those victories have come in 2024.
Indeed, those three wins came in a run of 15 matches during which they lost to Union Berlin, Eintracht Frankfurt, Augsburg, Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig and Freiburg.
Dortmund were pretty comfortable 4-2 winners in the reverse fixture between these sides back in November last year and they can again claim maximum points when the teams reconvene at Borussia-Park.
Los Blancos can edge closer to La Liga title
Real Madrid fans may have only just caught their breath after their team's exhilarating 3-3 draw with Man City on Tuesday night, but Los Blancos should deliver another league win against Real Mallorca on Saturday.
Carlo Ancelotti's side found themselves 1-0 down after only two minutes in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final at the Santiago Bernabeu in midweek, following a strike from City's Bernardo Silva.
But they rallied to lead 2-1 after 14 minutes, only for City to score twice in five minutes in the second half to again take the lead.
But a 79th-minute goal from Federico Valverde saved Real Madrid from defeat and keeps the tie alive ahead of the second leg at the Etihad Stadium next week.
Sandwiched between those two matches is a visit to Mallorca in La Liga and Real can show their class by grinding out another win.
Despite player injuries and a hectic schedule, Real have been a picture of consistency in Spain's top-flight this season, chalking up 23 wins in 30 matches.
They have also conceded only 20 goals in the process and that defensive discipline will be key in a game like this when Real could be a touch fatigued and are unlikely to blow their opponents out of the water.
Mallorca were not in action in La Liga last weekend, having instead competed in the final of the Copa del Rey, which they lost on penalties to Athletic Bilbao after a 1-1 draw.
That will have undoubtedly knocked their confidence and it will be hard to recalibrate and now focus on fighting off relegation in La Liga.
Mallorca have won only two of their last eight matches in 90 minutes, failing to score more than once in any of those assignments.
And they are unlikely to cause too many problems for a sturdy Real Madrid rearguard.
Back Bologna to strength top-four pursuit
Inter Milan may be running away with the title in Serie A, but the battle to make the top four is far from over and Bologna will be looking to stay in pole position when they take on Monza on Saturday night.
With 58 points collected from 31 matches, Bologna head into the next batch of Serie A fixtures in fourth spot, three points ahead of Roma and eight ahead of Atalanta, who have a game in hand.
After a bit of a wobble either side of the new year, Bologna have now stabilised and have been on a terrific run since the start of February.
They have posted eight wins in their last ten matches with their only loss in that streak coming against red-hot table-toppers Inter.
Last Sunday Bologna were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw with Frosinone, but they are back on their own patch this Saturday and can make it count against Monza.
Monza have little left to play for this season and are in the mid-table positions with a mixed bag of results this season.
They have recorded 11 wins, nine draws and 11 defeats in Serie A this season and standards have slipped a little recently,
Monza have lost three of their last five matches in Serie A and all three of the teams to have beaten them - Roma, Torino and Napoli - are below their next opponents Bologna in the standings.
These clubs last clashed in Serie A back in September last year when it finished 0-0 with Alexis Saelemaekers having been sent off for Bologna.
But Bologna have come a long way since then and will be determined to keep their foot on the pedal as the race to make the Champions League places heats up.
Only Inter (41) have collected more points at home in Serie A than Bologna (38), who can claim another big win over Monza this weekend.
