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This season's battles between City and Chelsea have been arguably the most dramatic matches in the both the Premier League and the Women's Super League. What will this weekend's double-header produce?

Seven great matches to take you from Friday to Sunday. It’s the Sound of Football Weekend Boxset.

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All times are UK

Friday

FA Women’s Super League: Chelsea v Manchester City

19.15 on BBC Two & iPlayer
Chelsea are in a position to take a six point lead in the table if they win here, a lead that would pretty much seal a fifth consecutive title for Emma Hayes in her final season at the club. City are on a great run though and certainly have what it takes to cause Chelsea problems. Both sides will feel they could have got more from the reverse fixture: an epic 1-1 where City were reduced to nine players after the questionable sendings off of Lionesses Lauren Hemp and Alex Greenwood, and Chelsea equalised deep in injury time when City had yet another player off the field with a head injury. Both sides have lost key players to ACL injuries: City are without their record summer signing, Dutch playmaker Jill Roord and Chelsea have lost their talisman Sam Kerr. Both will be sidelined until the end of the year. Kerr’s replacement, (briefly) world record January signing Marya Ramerez, is available despite Colombia participating in the Concacaf Women’s Gold Cup, which starts this weekend. As Colombia are an invited team, rather than a Concacaf member, Chelsea are not obliged to release her beyond the limits of the usual international break. They will however be without their Canadian defenders Kadeisha Buchanan and Ashley Lawrence and their US striker Mia Fishel for up to four weeks. Luckily for City, Jamaica didn’t qualify so Bunny Shaw is available to play. The WSL top scorer came off during the FA Cup win over Arsenal last weekend and immediately packed her calf with ice, but is reportedly fit to start. Behind the top two, the faltering chasers Arsenal and Manchester United meet at a sold-out Emirates on Saturday. I’ll be there but if you don’t have a ticket you can watch that game on Sky Sports Premier League, Main Event, Ultra, or on Sky Showcase from 12.30. GS

Saturday

A League: Melbourne City v Melbourne Victory

08.45 on TNT Sports 1
The A League is fond of themed rounds. If last week was anything to go by, chaos round would be extremely popular. Not only did one side turn up to the wrong stadium, another took the wrong kit with them, and Sydney's Patrick Wood put forward an entry for miss of the millennium from 2 yards out. But beyond the Peak A League fun, there were plenty of goals and unexpected results, not least Melbourne Victory's unbeaten run being ended with a late goal from Macarthur and Melbourne City enduring a hammering at the hands of Brisbane Roar, a side they'd put 8 past only a few weeks earlier. This makes for a fascinating Melbourne derby, where both sides may feel it's a good time to be playing their fiercest rivals, even if the reality is that both sides are on a poor run of form. Victory started 2024 with an entertaining 3-2 win in Perth but since then have failed to win a match and desperately need points if they're to keep pace with league leaders Wellington. City, meanwhile, currently sit outside the top six, which is an unusual position for one of Australia's most dominant clubs in recent years. How this game will pan out very much depends on which City turns up: the work-in-progress defensively vulnerable side who concede too many, or the attacking, free scoring team who can carve open opponents with ease. Don't expect much different from Victory though. Tony Popovic's philosophy is to keep it tight and hit opponents on the counter. This is one of those games that could just as easily finish 5 apiece or a goalless snoozefest. A draw is probably the most likely outcome, although what we'll see over 90 minutes is anybody's guess. GA

Premier League: Manchester City v Chelsea

17.30 on Sky Sports Premier League, Main Event and Ultra
The narrative for City right now is: Kevin De Bruyne is back, Pep’s side are starting their customary run of consecutive wins, and it will take more than this shambles of a Chelsea side to stand in their way to yet another title. But the pre-match narrative of this game is all about that 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge earlier in the season. That result, for a while at least, appeared to break City, starting a run of four games without a win. Pep will be minded not to let this game get out of control like it did at the Bridge, especially with a month of big games coming up: home ties against United, Arsenal and Villa and away trips to Liverpool and Brighton, with Champions League quarter finals squeezed in between. Cole Palmer started the season for City scoring in both the domestic and European super cups, and since his August move to Chelsea has flourished despite the team’s obvious issues. He scored the eighth goal in the 4-4 from the penalty spot, deep in injury time, one of his ten Premier League goals this season, and he continually looks to be Chelsea’s main threat. Next weekend’s League Cup final against Liverpool is Pochettino’s best hope to salvage something from the season, so his side will have nothing to lose by being as expansive and chaotic here as they were back in November. If Pep plays along it could be another classic. GS

La Liga: Valencia v Sevilla

20.00 on LaLigaTV and Viaplay Sports 2
Ninth play fifteenth. For tonight’s hosts, their last appearance resulted in a two-nil loss at Atlético Madrid. They bounced back with a win at home to bottom club, Almeria, but went down to two late goals in the Canary Islands at Las Palmas last time out. Top scorer, Hugo Duro, netted against Almeria, but was misfiring in the Canaries; perhaps a return home will settle him a little. Indeed, a return to Camp de Mestalla will be welcome for Los Che as they’ve not lost a league match at home since September. For the visitors, their last appearance in the Boxset saw Girona put five past them. In the league, at least, the match proved to be a turning point for the Andalusians, who are unbeaten in the three games since. Youssef En-Nesyri returned from Afcon duty with Morocco with a fine brace in the win at Rayo Vallecano and they’ll also be encouraged by the form of youth graduate, Isaac Romero, who netted the first of his three goals for the club in the Girona game. Sevilla have improved of late, but it’s hard to see past Valencia’s home record. JB

Sunday

Serie A: Lazio v Bologna

11.30 on TNT Sports 3
In a recent interview, Roberto De Zerbi listed Maurizio Sarri and Thiaggo Motta among his favourite coaches. Sadly, he’ll probably be unable to watch the two of them face-off before his Brighton side face Sheffield United, but we can. Motta’s Bologna had a January to forget, losing to relegation threatened Cagliari and Udinese and knocked out of the Coppa Italia on penalties by Fiorentina. Their fortunes turned in a battling 2-2 draw at the San Siro against Milan, which saw the third-placed hosts miss two penalties and concede an injury time equaliser. Since then, they are three wins from three and now sit level with Atalanta for the fourth Champions League place (though have played a game more). If they finish where they are, it will be their highest placing in more than 50 years and secure their first European football since 1999. Having been defensively stable for the majority of the season, Bologna have added goals to their game in recent fixtures with Riccardo Orsolini in fine form scoring five from five, and January loan-signing Jens Odgaard scoring both times he’s come off the bench. Lazio’s Ciro Immobile will also be pleased to see the back of January. Having not found the net since November, he’s scored in all three games this month including the winner against Bayern in their Champions League round of 16 first leg in Rome on Wednesday night. GS

Premier League: Luton Town v Manchester United

16.30 on Sky Sports Premier League, Main Event & Ultra
There’s no other way of saying it: Manchester United Football Club, as all ex-Manchester United Football Club pundits seem to call them, are doing very well. Unbeaten since the turn of the year, and three straight wins in the league has them one point behind fifth placed Villa who they beat last time out thanks to a late winner from Scott ‘hold my pint’ McTominay. A visit to Kenilworth Road should be a walk in the park for ten Hag’s men, shouldn’t it? Well, no. As the local ‘Visit Bedfordshire’ tourist literature confirms, Luton isn’t a nice place to go, and this is also true in a footballing sense. Three of the current top four all came away with narrow victories, the most spectacular of which was Arsenal’s epic 4-3 win back in December. Leaders Liverpool, went there on Bonfire night and rescued a draw in the 95th minute thanks to Luis Díaz. They’ve also beaten the (dirty) Mags and absolutely hammered a decent Brighton side where Elijah Adebayo grabbed a hat-trick. They did come crashing back down to earth last week when they were well beaten by bottom club, Sheffield United, 3-1. This was the first time they’d lost by more than one goal at home all season, and it’s fair to say it was their worst result to date. They’re a physical side, yes, but they’re well drilled from dead ball situations and have a never say die attitude which might just keep them up. If Manchester United Football Club are to come away with something today, they’re going to have to work bloody hard to get it. JB

Ligue 1: Brest v Marseille

19.45 on TNT Sports 2
After a fourteenth placed finish, last season and a summer that saw them lose their best player, right winger, Franck Honorat to Borussia Monchengladbach without making too many eye-catching additions, many observers felt that Brest would struggle this season. However, the Brittany club have defied expectations and sit fifth in the table off the back of a superb unbeaten run that has lasted for twelve games. Only PSG have beaten them since November and that was in the Cup. While Romain Del Castillo, Kamoury Doumbia have been the most influential in attack, the club did very well to sign centre half Bradley Locko from Reims who is having a standout season in the heart of the defence. Coach Eric Roy will be anxious to get a win after three consecutive draws, two of which were against leaders PSG and second placed Nice. In Marseille they may have ideal opponents to help them return to the winner’s circle. Currently languishing in eight, OM are also struggling to find a W. Unlike Brest however, the pressure to succeed down there on the south coast is as intense as it has always been. Coach Gennaro Gattuso maintains that the performances are there, and the positive results will follow. He suffered another yet draw on Thursday when his team conceded an injury time equaliser against Shakhtar in the Europa League in Hamburg. TD


Whatever you watch, have a great weekend.

Graham, Terry, Jan and Gary