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Our picks: Table topping clashes grip Bundesliga, Eredivisie and Serie A

Bayer Leverkusen face a tough test against Borussia Dortmund this weekend
Bayer Leverkusen face a tough test against Borussia Dortmund this weekendAFP
It's a big weekend across plenty of leagues across Europe this weekend, with eye-catching fixtures at the top of the Bundesliga, Eredivisie, Serie A and Championship.

There's also the small matter of the FA Cup second round taking place as England's lower league and remaining non-league sides aim for a place in the third round draw.

Take a look at Flashscore UK staff's top picks to keep an eye on over the next few days:

Bayer Leverkusen v Borussia Dortmund - Ste Carson

Aiming to continue their fine run of form, high-flying Bayer Leverkusen face a tough test against Borussia Dortmund this weekend.

Die Schwarzroten, led by Xabi Alonso, are sitting pretty at the summit of the Bundesliga – boasting an unbeaten run of 11 wins and one draw.

As one may expect, Bayern Munich are hot on this weekend's hosts' tail. The Bavarians are up against Union Berlin – a side not enjoying much favour this term – so maintaining an unbeaten streak is particularly important for Bayer. Especially so, given Dortmund's own title credentials.

The Ruhr Valley club, however, though not too far behind, have lost two of their last three Bundesliga matches and now find themselves in fourth place.

After defeats to Bayern and third-placed Stuttgart, a positive result over league leaders Bayer is exactly what die Schwarzgelben need.

Bundesliga table
Bundesliga tableFlashscore

Alejandro Grimaldo (7 goals, 4 assists) and Victor Boniface (7G, 5A) have been phenomenal for Bayer so far this season and Alonso will be hoping he can continue to rely on his star men.

It would be rude to not also point out the form both Jonas Hofmann (5G, 5A) and Jeremie Frimpong (4G, 5A) have played themselves into this term.

Following a welcome away win at Milan earlier in the week, Dortmund boss Edin Terzic will be hoping the likes of Julian Brandt (4G, 5A), Donyell Malen (4G) and Niclas Fullkrug (4G, 3A) can turn around fortunes at the BayArena.

It's a tricky one to call. On paper, it's perhaps Dortmund who have the advantage – but, under Alonso, Bayer are absolutely purring and have big goals in mind. One thing's for sure: it's going to be a great watch.

West Brom v Leicester - Anthony Paphitis

West Brom's promotion ambitions will be given a big test at lunchtime on Saturday when they host Championship leaders Leicester.

The Baggies have emerged as one of the division's form sides of late with five wins in their last six and Carlos Corberan will be confident his squad can trouble the Foxes in this all-Midlands affair.

They followed up an impressive 2-0 win over Ipswich with a gritty 1-0 win at Cardiff in midweek - placing them fifth in the table.

Championship table
Championship tableFlashscore

Leading goalscorer John Swift was restored to the line-up following injury which will have been a welcomed boost for Corberan.

It was West Brom's eighth clean sheet in their last 11 games and they will need their defensive structure on song when Leicester roll into The Hawthorns.

That is despite Enzo Maresca's team dropping points in each of their last two away games, which included a 1-1 draw against lowly Sheffield Wednesday last time out.

And one win in four has seen what looked a dominant lead at the top be slashed to just one point by Ipswich heading into the festive period.

Leicester, though, won't be overly concerned looking at their recent record against West Brom, with the last three matches yielding three wins during both teams' Premier League tenures.

The quality in midfield from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Harry Winks could prove to be the tipping point in this one as Leicester look to reassert their strength at the Championship summit.

Eastleigh v Reading - Joel Barnett

National League Eastleigh host Reading on Sunday looking to reach the third round of the FA Cup for the first time since 2016.

The Spitfires thrashed Boreham Wood 5-1 in the previous round and were given a plumb tie against their League One opponents who will play at this stage of the competition for the first time in 25 years.

Reading, relegated from the Championship last season, will be looking to shake off a disastrous start to this campaign as they languish a point and place above Cheltenham at the foot of the division.

If a week is a long time in football, it seems almost a lifetime ago the Royals were semi-finalists in this competition, eventually losing to Arsenal in extra-time at Wembley in 2015.

Favourites for back-to-back relegations eight years later, free-falling Reading will hope for FA Cup salvation at the Silverlake Stadium - but with the match scheduled for television, both sets of teams and fans will be aware that a cupset is very much on the cards.

Reading’s plight has not been helped by the club’s continuing financial problems which has resulted in the EFL slapping them with a four-point deduction this term, following hot on the heels of their six-point deduction last season.

With owner Dai Yongge on the hunt for investment and fans desperate for success, how valuable could a cup run this season prove to be?

Feyenoord v PSV - Ali Pollock

Over in the Netherlands, the top two in the Eredivisie are set to face off on Sunday, with second-placed Feyenoord hosting league leaders PSV.

It’s a smaller title race than usual given the terrible start by Ajax, leaving just the two Dutch giants to go head-to-head over the campaign.

Feyenoord have won 10, drawn two and lost one of their 13 games so far, seeing them hit an impressive 32 points already.

Top of Eredivisie
Top of EredivisieFlashscore

PSV, however, have won all 13 of their fixtures and boast a 100% league record – with 39 points putting them seven clear at the top of the table.

What’s even more impressive is Peter Bosz’s side have scored 48 and conceded just five, finding themselves on a run of three consecutive clean sheets in the Eredivisie.

Their incredible scoring record has them at 3.69 goals per game, although Feyenoord aren’t far behind with a goals per game of 3.07 (40 from 13).

Much of the hosts’ good form in front of goal is credited to the league’s top scorer Santiago Gimenez – who has netted 16 already.

PSV’s strikes are spread more evenly across their squad, with Luuk de Jong (10), Guus Til (six), Hirving Lozano and Malik Tillman (both five) all chipping in with goals.

It remains to be seen whether or not Feyenoord can break the visitor’s rock-solid defence, but a victory for the hosts could blow the title race wide open.

Three points for PSV, though, could see it put almost beyond doubt before the new year.

Napoli v Inter - Brad Ferguson

Last year's Serie A champions host this season's frontrunners for the crown as Napoli face Inter Milan on Sunday in a mouthwatering Italian feast of football.

Napoli haven't had the best of starts to this campaign, showing off some mixed form and fortunes both domestically and in Europe.

Gli Azzurri have particularly struggled at home so far, suffering disappointing losses at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona to the likes of Fiorentina and Empoli in recent weeks, as well as scraping a 2-2 draw with AC Milan. In fact, they're without a home win in five outings.

Top of Serie A
Top of Serie AFlashscore

Their tough times have been compounded by some difficult results in the Champions League too, and a fresh 4-2 hiding off of Real Madrid in midweek has left their chances of progressing to the last 16 hanging in the balance.

The hosts will especially be looking for something out of the game as they travel to Juventus for another tricky tie next week.

In stark contrast, things are going rather swimmingly in the blue and black colours of Inter; they are sitting pretty at the top of the table and picking up a good head of steam, with Juve looking like their only realistic challengers right now.

A 1-1 draw last time out against The Old Lady snapped a six-match win streak across all competitions for Simone Inzaghi's side, but Inter remain unbeaten in 11 fixtures on home shores and in the Champions League.

The Nerazzuri also boast a league-best defensive record of just seven goals conceded in 13 games this season, enough to suggest they can keep the attacking threats of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen at bay.

However, Napoli do enjoy a rich bit of history in this particular fixture, having lost just one of their last 17 home top-flight H2Hs against the Milan giants - including a comfortable 3-1 victory in the corresponding fixture last season.

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