The 4 best matches to watch in Europe this weekend

The weekend is headlined by four games involving eight of European football's giants. In the United Kingdom, the Premier League's leader might have a hard time scoring for fun if Arsene Wenger plays it safe, while the reigning champion could also be forced to drive around a parked bus. In Spain, the best footballer on the planet will try to do what he couldn't in Greece and score a goal. In Germany, the Bundesliga's titans will clash for the first time this season.

Manchester City vs. Arsenal

It could get ugly. Manchester City is burying one club after another, boasting 49 goals in all competitions this season and averaging 3.5 goals per game in the Premier League. Arsenal will do its best to keep things respectable on Sunday, when the Gunners invade the Etihad Stadium, but Wenger is nothing like Jose Mourinho and is unlikely to embrace an absorb-the-pressure approach.

Perhaps Wenger can study the strategy that West Bromwich Albion deployed against City, in which the Citizens allowed two goals but ultimately exited The Hawthorns with three points.

Chelsea vs. Manchester United

After Manchester United beat Tottenham Hotspur, Mourinho suggested that the Red Devils are judged differently than other clubs and didn't get enough credit for the victory. The Special One is accused of being pragmatic, and, ahead of a date at Chelsea, supporters are expecting the Portuguese manager to park the bus once again.

Regardless of whether the accusations are justified, Mourinho doesn't have the best record on the road. In his last nine away games at big-six clubs, his team only scored once, and the goal came in United's 2-1 defeat to Tottenham. Five of those matches ended in a scoreless draw. Will it be much of the same as the Red Devils visit Chelsea on Sunday?

Barcelona vs. Sevilla

Barcelona's draw at Olympiacos wasn't pretty. On a night when the Blaugrana could have punched their ticket to the Champions League's knockout phase, the Catalan club failed to score in the tournament's group stage for the first time in five years, settling for a draw.

On Saturday, Barcelona will try to restore its scoring touch as Sevilla makes a stop at Camp Nou. When the season started, there was a feeling that it was the end of an era for the Blaugrana. Real Madrid was defending its double and Neymar crossed the Iberian Peninsula. But 10 matchdays into the season, it's the club from Catalonia sitting atop La Liga's standings.

Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayern Munich

The Bundesliga is shaping up to be a fight between three clubs, as four points separate Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, and RasenBallSport Leipzig. On Saturday, the top two clubs will battle it out at the Westfalenstadion as BVB tries to leapfrog the reigning champion.

Dortmund's defence is a concern, particularly after the club surrendered a two-goal lead at Eintracht Frankfurt. Bayern looks more vulnerable than past years, and Peter Bosz will want to avoid a repeat of the DFL-Supercup, when Roman Burki produced an own goal in the 88th minute that led to Dortmund collapsing in a penalty shootout.