Sassuolo are one of the handful of teams in Serie A who do not really have anything to play for now. On 37 points, they’re not going to be getting dragged into the relegation battle despite there being some serious lows this season, but they also won’t be troubling the Europa League spots. That could mean that Juventus do not have to do a whole lot to get all three points given they have been very good in recent weeks of dispatching of teams like Sassuolo. They’ve made light work of Verona, Sampdoria, Torino, Spezia and Salernitana in recent weeks and despite losing to Lazio last weekend, Max Allegri clearly is not letting his team drop their level against smaller sides. They won’t be lacking motivation, either. They do stand a genuine chance of making the top four even though they were docked 15 points earlier in the season. They’re the second-best team on the pitch in Serie A and that should show at the Mapei Stadium. Even with Dusan Vlahovic misfiring badly at the moment, between the likes of Filip Kostic, Angel Di Maria, Federico Chiesa, Adrien Rabiot and Arek Milik, there still seems to be enough in the squad to get them over the line in most games. Sassuolo also have the fifth-worst defence in Serie A despite being 12th in the table so even if Juventus aren’t very entertaining to watch, expect them to work at least a handful of opportunities.

In-form Atlético Madrid will be looking to continue their fine run in LaLiga as they take on Almería at the Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano on Sunday evening. They top the form table with 16 points from their last six games, also scoring more goals than anybody else over that period with 2.33 goals per 90. In Sunday’s opponent, they take on the team with the worst away record in LaLiga. The Andalusian side have not won a single game on the road this campaign, picking up only four points in away fixtures in the league this season. That sets Atleti up for a strong display and they’ll be looking to replicate their recent home performances, such as the 6-1 destruction of Sevilla or the 3-0 thrashing of Valencia. Even so, an Almería defeat does not necessarily mean that the Andalusians won’t get on the scoresheet. Atleti had a charity friendly against Beşiktaş in Turkey on Wednesday, so there could be some tired legs in this squad that has thrived in the absence of midweek football. Almería are fairly prolific too. Despite their poor away form, they have 1.11 xG per 90 away from home, ranking 12th in LaLiga, and they have netted seven times across their past five away games. They’ve also scored in four consecutive matches overall. An Atleti win seems almost certain, but the best way to get value out of this game is to look for goals, with Diego Simeone’s side likely to get plenty of strikes on the scoresheet while Almería cannot be ruled out from grabbing at least one.

Bayer Leverkusen are unbeaten in their last 10 games across all competitions and under Xabi Alonso, are a captivating team to watch. With seven games remaining, B04 occupy sixth and are just five points behind RB Leipzig who are fourth and in the final Champions League spot. On current form, qualifying for the Champions League is certainly possible for Alonso’s side. One factor for their excellent form is the return of Florian Wirtz. The 19-year-old was injured in March 2022 and missed the remainder of the calendar year but upon returning in 2023, is now seemingly at his best. Deployed as a No. 10 or False 9 under Alonso, Wirtz has 12 goal contributions (4 goals, 8 assists) in 16 games across all competitions, and has initiated an excellent partnership with Moussa Diaby and Amine Adli – the attacking trio are fluid in attack and can cause Wolfsburg problems. Defensively, Bayer Leverkusen still have a mistake in them with Lukas Hradecky not at his best. When Mitchel Bakker plays, B04 are prone on their left and Wolfsburg’s Jakub Kaminski will look to exploit this area with his pace, just as he did against Borussia Monchengladbach despite the defeat. Of Bayer Leverkusen’s last 10 unbeaten games across all competitions, six of them have finished with Over 2.5 Goals and in their last nine Bundesliga games, they’ve kept just one clean sheet. Wolfsburg meanwhile don’t score as many as Bayer Leverkusen, but do pose a threat in attack with Kaminski, Felix Nmecha and Omar Marmoush or Jonas Wind leading the attack. Wolfsburg have scored in four of their last five Bundesliga games and with Bayer Leverkusen playing on a Thursday night, Niko Kovac’s side will look to exploit their tiredness. Don’t expect to see Alonso change his starting XI too much. Moussa Diaby holds the Spaniard in high praise and believes that the players are more focused under Alonso with the club now having a mentality. With a Champions League place still possible, don’t expect Leverkusen to rest on their laurels. Both teams to score is a potential outcome, but I’d expect Leverkusen to win outright with plenty of goals on show.

Marseille owe their fans a result at Stade Velodrome. Despite the atmospheric venue being packed on a weekly basis, OM have gone five Ligue 1 matches without winning in front of their home supporters. Now the chips are down with their Champions League place under threat, and in front of another crowd of 60,000+, they should have too much for a Troyes side that appears to be in a miserable state when they face off this Sunday evening. OM have dropped to second after a run of three draws in their last four, including disappointing ties against Strasbourg and Montpellier at home. Both these teams travelled to the Velodrome in some kind of form, though, and Troyes simply do not have that. Indeed, Patrick Kisnorbo’s men appear divided. After last weekend’s 2-0 loss against Clermont, captain Adil Rami seemed relieved when he said that he “only had eight games left under this coach”, while there was evidence of infighting as some players were accused of not being up for the relegation fight. Little wonder. Since beating Strasbourg in their first match in 2023, they have lost 11 of 14 matches, including all seven away games. Troyes have not just lost these away fixtures, they have been well beaten, losing five of them by at least two goals. The two they were not hammered in were against opponents in the relegation zone when the matches were played. Marseille boss Igor Tudor, meanwhile, lamented the defensive nature of Lorient and French football after a 0-0 away draw last weekend. Troyes are less likely to play with a packed defence given they try to abide by the City Football Group’s philosophy. Kisnorbo may not have much choice but to go ultra-defensive for this match, but it’s unlikely to do his beleaguered side much good.