It would be generous to call Venezia inconsistent because they have in fact demonstrated a fair degree of reliability in their performances. Sunday’s hosts have won only 3 league games this season, drawing 7 and losing the remaining 13.

They’ve lost either half in 12 of their last 14 games, partially owing to the high number of goals scored in their matches – an average of over 2.6 over the entire season. With that in mind, it would be a surprise if they manage to block out Roma across both halves.

By contrast, Roma are now unbeaten in 7 league games, having won 4 of those matches. Each of the 3 draws came against high-flying opposition, splitting the points with Milan, Napoli, and Bologna. Roma won the reverse fixture 2-1 in what was 1 of just 3 wins across their first 13 games, amidst initial managerial turmoil.

Given they were able to get the win during their worst run of form this season, it’s likely they’ll do the double over Venezia this season. These sides have only clashed on three occasions in recent times with Roma winning at least one half in all 3.

Alaves host Getafe at the Mendizorroza Stadium on Sunday afternoon in a game which could have significant repercussions in the survival hopes for both sides. As it stands, Alaves find themselves in 18th on 21 points, while Getafe are nervously close just 3 points above.

Worryingly for Getafe, they have really struggled on the road, losing 6 of their 10 games. Defensive frailties have been a real issue, as Getafe have kept just one clean sheet when playing away. A further testament to that, they lost 5-0 midweek in the Copa del Rey to Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano.

Alaves will have the advantage here, in the sense that they have had a longer preparation time with no midweek fixture. They have generally performed better in front of a home crowd, averaging 1.3 points per game at the Mendizorroza Stadium, compared to just 0.67 points per game on the road.

Despite sitting in the Bundesliga’s top four, RB Leipzig and manager, Marco Rose, enter this fixture under pressure following a 4-match winless run in the league (D3, L1). Their most recent outing, a frustrating 0-0 draw with struggling Union Berlin, saw them struggle to break down a deep defensive effort, managing just 2 shots on target and generating a mere 0.24 xG.

With attacking fluidity seemingly missing, facing St Pauli—against whom they have failed to score in their last 4 league encounters—may appear concerning. However, a closer look at Leipzig’s home performances and record against promoted teams suggests this is the perfect fixture for them to bounce back.

Leipzig have never endured a 5-match winless streak in their Bundesliga history, and their home record remains formidable, suffering just one league defeat at the Red Bull Arena since January 2024 (W10, D5). Their dominance against newly promoted sides is another reason for optimism, as they hold a remarkable Bundesliga record of 34 unbeaten matches against such teams (W30, D4). Their only failure to win in their last 18 meetings with promoted sides was this season’s reverse fixture, a goalless draw.

While St Pauli arrive on the back of a 3-match unbeaten run, their broader struggles keep them firmly in the fight for survival. Their away form has been unpredictable, with no draws in their 10 Bundesliga road trips (W4, L6), making them 1 of only 6 teams across Europe’s top-5 leagues yet to share the spoils away from home.

All 4 of their victories have come with clean sheets, but defensive vulnerabilities have been exposed during their losses conceding 2 or more goals in 5 of these. Adding to their concerns is the psychological hurdle of their last visit to Leipzig, where they suffered a 4-2 defeat in the second round of the DFB-Pokal in October.

With Leipzig’s historical strength against promoted sides and their resilience at home, this fixture presents an ideal opportunity for Marco Rose’s men to return to winning ways.

Bologna’s form indicates this could be a walk in the park for Vincenzo Italiano’s men who have lost just 1 of their last 15 matches across all competitions. Despite having come up against Atalanta, Sporting, Dortmund, Inter, Roma, Benfica, and Juventus over the period, that loss came against relegation candidates, Verona.

That said, the xG read 2.2-0.8 in Bologna’s favour on that occasion. This selection has been a winner in 6 of Bologna’s last 7 games and Lecce are unlikely to be the team to overturn their promising run of form.

The hosts have won just 2 of their last 7 games but have accumulated fewer expected goals than their opponents in all 7. Across the entirety of the season, Lecce have won no more than 6 games, losing over half of their clashes. Despite sitting in 14th, no team has scored fewer goals, averaging just 0.78 per game. This has contributed to them boasting the worst goal difference of any Serie A side, -23.

The head-to-head form doesn’t flatter Lecce either with Bologna having won 6 of the last 7 meetings between these sides, drawing the remainder.

Averaging 3.82 goals per game in the Spanish top flight this season, no side has provided more entertainment than Hansi Flick’s Barcelona, as his tactics have often led to chances available at both ends of the field.

In fact, both teams to score has landed in 14 out of their 20 away games in all competitions this season. In January alone, the Catalan side witnessed 43 goals from 9 matches – averaging an eye-catching 4.8 goals per game.

Although Sevilla have been less enterprising so far, they have managed to cause some issues for the big sides. They lost 4-2 to Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, and 4-3 to Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano, landing this selection in both. They also got on the scoresheet in the reverse fixture against Barcelona, losing that one 5-1.