5️⃣ spicy fixtures you must watch this weekend 🌶 | OneFootball

The 2022/23 season has entered its home straight with some fascinating games to whet the appetite this weekend.

Here’s five we think you should watch.

Basement battle in LaLiga

Who could have guessed that a fixture between Valencia and Sevilla in April would become a battle to avoid relegation?

Sevilla sacked Jorge Sampioli last month after just five months in charge and have improved somewhat since Jose Luis Mendilibar came in at the start of the month.

But the Andalusian side still need a win as they travel to Mestalla on Sunday, sitting just five points above the relegation zone.

Their hosts meanwhile are firmly mired in the drop zone.

Los Che are on their third coach of the campaign and have won just twice since Christmas.

It’s going to be a fascinating watch.

Spice rating: Mild 🌶

Business time in Berlin

With seven games left of the Bundesliga season we’re entering nail-biting territory for clubs at the top and bottom of the division.

One of those sides with particularly short nails are Union Berlin.

It was just four years ago that the capital club were promoted to the top flight and have been on a meteoric rise ever since.

Urs Fischer’s men are currently third in the table, four points ahead of Freiburg in fifth.

Union’s form has dipped somewhat since the turn of the year, going from serious title contenders to aiming for a top four finish.

Whatever happens, history is likely to be made at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei come the end of the campaign but they’d like that history to be Champions League football.

Union host Bochum on Sunday, a side who are 15th – two places above the relegation zone – but have won two of their last four.

Spice rating: Medium 🌶 🌶

Serie A’s race for fourth hots up

With Napoli waltzing towards the title, the real intrigue in Serie A is coming from the race for the Champions League places.

There are, arguably, eight sides who are currently battling it out for three places come the end of the season and two of those meet this weekend.

Bologna host Milan in the early kick off on Sunday with the Rossoneri fresh off the back of their European victory over Napoli.

Stefano Pioli’s side have been sensational in the Champions League this term but not so domestically.

It’s just one win in five for Milan but that win in Serie A came away at Napoli where they beat the champions-in-waiting 4-0.

They’ve been a confusing side to watch this term but will need to be at their best this weekend as they go to the Stadio Dall’Ara.

Bologna have only lost two games since January and could go above Juventus with a win.

Spice rating: Hot 🌶 🌶 🌶

All eyes on Edinburgh

It may have been the Old Firm last weekend but this time around Scotland’s capital derby takes centre stage as Hibs host Hearts.

With the division splitting into top and bottom halves in just two games time, this encounter will have a huge impact on potential European qualification come the end of the campaign.

Both sides though are on terrible runs of form.

Neither has won in four games with Hearts having sacked their coach Robbie Nelson this week.

Despite a plethora of off-field problems, the Jam Tarts are still in fourth place.

The hosts meanwhile are still smarting after losses to Dundee United and Motherwell since the start of the month and desperately need a win to stay in contention for that vital top-four finish.

Spice rating: Fire 🌶 🌶 🌶 🌶

A shot at glory

For a club as global and historic as Manchester United, the lateness to which they embraced women’s football was a blotch on their copybook.

But just five years after they created their female side, Marc Skinner and his squad are one step away from Wembley and an FA Cup final.

They face Brighton on Saturday with their international contingent back from national duty in time for arguably their biggest game of the season so far.

It’s been a remarkable rise with a number of factors convalescing at the same time to create something seriously impressive.

The hiring of Skinner from Orlando Pride back in 2019 was the first piece of the puzzle but it’s the emergence of Ella Toone and Alessia Russo that has tipped United over the top and into the realm of the brilliant.

With two genuinely world class attackers in their midst, United will be backing themselves to get past the Seagulls and lift the trophy next month.

Spice rating: Insane 🌶 🌶 🌶 🌶 🌶