Madrid Derby, Manchester Derby, PSG vs Barcelona headline top live games to watch on March 5-11, 2021

Topics: TV Schedules, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Manchester City, Dortmund, Bayern Munich, PSG, AC Milan, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, La Liga, English Premier League, Bundesliga

Bayern Munich vs Dortmund, Atletico vs Real Madrid, Man City vs Man Utd, PSG vs Barcelona, and Man Utd vs AC Milan comprise our list of must-watch fixtures.

What are the must-watch games this week?

Bayern München vs Borussia Dortmund this Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET live on ESPN

Saturday is all about Der Klassiker, with Germany's two most successful teams, Bayern Munich and Dortmund, set to lock horns. The Allianz Arena is the venue for this showdown; however, unlike their previous encounters, this is not a clash between two title challengers. The Bavarians are top of the table and in the driving seat to successfully defend their crown. Unfortunately for BVB, they are in fifth, sitting 13 points behind the league leaders. The only objective for Haaland and Co. this term is to qualify for the UEFA Champions League, with the Signal Iduna Park side sitting three points adrift of the top-four. As for Flick's crew, they boast a mere two-point advantage over second-placed RB Leipzig and are not keen on surrendering that lead. Will Lewandowski and Co. emerge triumphant or will Haaland lead his team to a crucial victory? Tune in to find out.

Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Der Klassiker, Broadcast Listings, Bundesliga

Atlético Madrid vs Real Madrid this Sunday at 10:15 a.m. ET live on Fanatiz USA and beIN Sports

While Saturday has Der Klassiker, Sunday takes it up a notch, with the Madrid Derby being one of two bitter rivalries set to be reignited on March 7. The Spanish Primera Division giants will lock horns at the most crucial time, with Los Blancos slipping up on Monday and Simeone's men marching to a five-point lead as a result. Should Los Rojiblancos lose, then Real Madrid and Barcelona could move within two points of them. Should Los Merengues suffer a defeat, then Suarez and Co. will move eight points clear of the reigning champions. This is a must-win fixture for both sides. Do not miss the latest edition of the Madrid Derby.

Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, La Liga, Broadcast Listings

Manchester City vs Manchester United this Sunday at 11:30 a.m. ET live on NBC Sports, Telemundo, SiriusXM FC

The other exciting fixture set to take place on Sunday is the Manchester Derby. Premier League leaders Man City will host their bitter rivals with the sole aim of going 17 points clear of second-placed Man United. The Citizens will need a victory in order to achieve this, but given that Gundogan and Co. are on an amazing 21-game winning streak, there's little to suggest they won't triumph at the Etihad this weekend. The Red Devils, on the other hand, are without a victory in their last three fixtures, failing to score even a single goal. Leicester are only a point behind Solskjaer's side while in-form Chelsea are only four adrift of Man Utd. Fernandes and Co. are in need of a confidence-boosting win. Whether Sunday will bring that or merely add to their misery, time will tell.

Manchester Derby, Manchester City, Manchester United, Broadcast Listings, English Premier League

PSG vs Barcelona this Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET live on Paramount+, TUDN, and ZonaFutbol

The second leg of the PSG vs Barcelona clash could either go two ways: Les Parisiens adding to the Blaugrana's misery or the Catalan giants pulling off another remarkable remontada. Given that Messi and Co. completed an incredible comeback in their midweek Copa del Rey encounter with Sevilla, Koeman's men could feel confident of repeating this achievement in Europe. The Camp Nou side hosted Los Hispalenses for the 2nd leg of their semi-final clash needing to overturn a 2-0 deficit, which they pulled off, with a last-gasp Gerard Pique header sending the game into extra time and an added-time winner from Braithwaite sealing their spot in the final. The trip to the Parc des Princes is a whole different challenge, however, as they have contend with Mbappe, the man who scored a hat-trick in the first leg, while attempting to overcome a 4-1 disadvantage.

Biggest stories of the week

Guardiola makes Premier League history with Man City's 2-1 weekend win over West Ham

Man City took on West Ham in the early kick-off of Matchweek 26 in the English Premier. The Citizens hosted David Moyes' high-flying London side on Saturday, beating them 2-1 to make it 20 victories on the trot.

Not only did that win see Man City maintain their march to the title, it also saw Guardiola make history. That victory was his 200th in the Premier League, making him the quickest manager to reach this milestone in English top-flight history. The Spaniard needed only 273 matches to shatter the record which was previously held by Jose Mourinho (309 games).

Pep continues making history in England

Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho, Manchester City, 200 wins, English Premier League

USMNT's Weston McKennie makes history with permanent transfer

Last year, Weston McKennie joined a very elite club of American players who've plied their trades in Serie A. More significant was the fact that the USMNT midfielder became the first American international to ever sign with Juventus in the organization's history.

At the time the 22-year-old Texan was brought in on a loan deal; in short, a trial to see how he'd fare in Italian football's top flight. He's since impressed Andrea Pirlo and the Juventus hierarchy with his dynamic performances in the middle of the park, which has seen him score five goals so far (four in Serie A and one in the Champions League).

Many Serie A supporters were a bit skeptical when Juventus opted to spend $5.4 million (€4.5m/£3.8m) in August as McKennie had previously played for Schalke, a team that didn't even finish in the top half of the table. Still, clearly, the Bianconeri saw his potential and he has more than repaid their faith, making over 30 appearances so far across all comps and becoming a regular in Pirlo's starting XI.

Thus, in a bid to possibly keep others at bay, Juventus decided to exercise their option to make his signature a permanent one. The deal will cost La Vecchia Signora approximately $22.3 million (€18.5m/£15.9m) over the span of the next three years, meaning that McKennie's contract will last until June 2025.

Fans will be able to see the rising USMNT star in action along with his teammates when Juventus take on Lazio this weekend, followed by a crunch clash in the Champions League against Porto just three days later on March 9th.

McKennie continues doing the USMNT proud with his Serie A display

Weston McKennie, Juventus, Transfer, Serie A

Barcelona presidential candidate Laporta claims only he can keep Messi at the Camp Nou

Barcelona's presidential elections are just around the corner, and the race to succeed Josep Maria Bartomeu has been surrounded by controversy when it comes to Lionel Messi's future. A debate on Tuesday evening between Joan Laporta, Victor Font, and Toni Freixa saw Laporta taking a step forward when discussing Messi's future beyond the season, urging Barcelona's associates to vote for him to keep "La Pulga" around.

"I am convinced that, if any of the other candidates win the election, Messi will not continue playing for Barcelona. If I win, he will stay here," Laporta confidently stated.

According to Laporta, his project will be built around Messi's figure, so the player and his entourage are satisfied with their chances of winning titles.

"He is not only thinking about money. He wants a competitive team around to win. I am convinced that he will listen to my proposal, and I am also convinced that if any of the other candidates win, he will end up leaving the club. I have a great relationship with Leo, and I know he will consider my proposal," Laporta added.

Laporta is one of Barcelona's most successful presidents in history. Is he the right man to lead the Blaugrana?

Barcelona, Lionel Messi, Joan Laporta, La Liga

Manchester United land Premier League milestone despite Palace draw

Manchester United strolled to a Premier League landmark with Wednesday night's draw with Crystal Palace. The Red Devils failed to break the deadlock against the London outfit and ended up registering a third successive 0-0 draw in all competitions.

With the result, Solskjaer's men took their away unbeaten run in the Premier League to 14, joining Leeds United, Liverpool and Arsenal as the only four clubs to achieve the feat in the competitions history.

A drab goalless draw but the Red Devils maintained their historic unbeaten away run

Manchester United, Unbeaten Away, English Premier League

This week in women's football

FA Women's Super League Matchday 16:

The FA Women's Super League is back with a full matchday after two weeks without one. Matchday 16 consists of six fixtures scheduled for Sunday, March 7, and Monday, March 8. The marquee matchup of the week will be Manchester City hosting Everton on Sunday at 9 a.m. ET.

Man City aim to win the game to keep up with league-leaders Chelsea, who are two points ahead of the Cityzens. Former Toffee Chloe Kelly is having another fantastic first season wearing sky blue with six goals and nine assists after 15 WSL games played. Kelly, 23, leads the league in assists.

On the other hand, Everton is chasing Arsenal for a top-four finish. The Toffees are four points behind the Gunners and will need to defeat the Cityzens to keep fighting for the fourth position. Veteran midfielder Jill Scott, who joined Everton from Manchester City on a loan in January, scored a game-winner against Tottenham last weekend. Scott will be looking to have a positive impact again in Sunday's game.

UEFA Champions League round of 16 dates, matchups

The Women's Champions League round of 16 consists of eight home and away fixtures in the span of two weeks, kicking off on March 3 and wrapping up on the 17th of this month. The winners will advance to the quarterfinals which are scheduled for late March-early April.

First-leg fixtures yet to be played:

Tuesday, March 9

Paris Saint-Germain vs. Sparta Praha at 10 a.m. ET

Second legs

Wednesday, March 10

Atletico Madrid vs. Chelsea (played in Monza, Italy) at 7:30 a.m. ET
Brondby vs. Lyon at 7:55 a.m. ET
LSK Kvinner vs. Wolfsburg (played in Gyor, Hungary) at 8 a.m. ET
Fortuna Hjorring vs. Barcelona at 9:55 a.m. ET
Bayern Munich vs. BIIK-Kazygurt at 12:15 a.m. ET
St. Polten vs. Rosengard at 2:30 p.m. ET

Thursday, March 11

Fiorentina vs. Manchester City at 8 a.m. ET

Wednesday, March 17

Sparta Praha vs Paris Saint-Germain at 9:30 a.m. ET

The game to watch will be the second leg of Atletico Madrid vs. Chelsea on Wednesday, March 10, at 7:30 a.m. ET. The first leg finished 2-0 in favor of Chelsea. Atletico Madrid will need to win 3-0 to in order to reach the quarterfinals. On top of the goal deficit, the game will be played in Italy and not Spain.

UEFA Women's Euro qualifying playoff draw

The UEFA Women's Euro play-off draw will be streamed live on Friday at 6 a.m. ET. The six nations that will be drawn are the Czech Republic, Northern Ireland, Portugal, Russia, Switzerland and Ukraine. The six teams will be placed in one bowl and the team drawn first for each fixture will play the first leg at home. Russia and Ukraine cannot be drawn together based on the UEFA Executive Committee decision.

Key headlines from the world of football

Liverpool's home clash vs RB Leipzig moved to Budapest

The second leg of Liverpool's UEFA Champions League round of 16 clash with RB Leipzig, which was initially scheduled to take place at Anfield, has now been moved to Budapest due to COVID-19 restrictions. This fixture will be held at Puskas Arena, the venue that staged the first-leg encounter, which the Reds won 2-0. While the game will be held at the same stadium, the Merseyside giants will be serving as the home side.

Pique ruled out of PSG vs Barcelona

Barcelona, who are still celebrating their comeback win over Sevilla to reach the Copa del Rey final, will have to fight PSG next week without one of their moral leaders. That man is none other than Gerard Piqué, the hero for Koeman's side in Wednesday's comeback victory.

While the team did not reveal the amount of time he will be unavailable, it is safe to say that Piqué will not be around to face PSG, considering that he has sprained the medial collateral ligament in his right knee.