Our Picks: Friends reunited as Rooney and Carrick clash, Ramos faces Real
There's also a juicy clash in the Northern Ireland Football League to keep an eye on and a tie between two of the top contenders in Switzerland.
Take a peek at our top picks for the weekend:
Sevilla v Real Madrid - Joel Barnett
Sevilla’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League next season - at least via the league - is fading with each passing week.
Los Nervionenses have won twice in La Liga this term and sit two points adrift of the relegation zone in 14th after a slow start to the campaign.
Although Sevilla have only lost one of their last seven matches across all competitions, they will need to start winning quickly or else they will be relying on Europa League salvation once again.
Their spirited fightback from 2-0 down inside the opening 30 minutes against Rayo Vallecano before the international break earned them a respectable 2-2 draw, but they will need to be at their very best against a Real Madrid side who could move five points clear at the top of the table with a win.
Los Blancos are unbeaten in their last nine matches against Sevilla - a remarkable run stretching back over five years - and have ominously won eight of their nine league games this term with Jude Bellingham in scintillating form.
Despite a wealth of attacking talent up front, all eyes will be on two defenders with David Alaba expected to return to the Madrid starting line-up following injury and Sergio Ramos set to face his former club for the first time since his move in 2021.
Middlesbrough v Birmingham - Brad Ferguson
Former Manchester United and England teammates collide as Wayne Rooney takes charge of his first game as Birmingham boss against Michael Carrick's Middlesbrough.
Rooney comes into the job as Brum seek to secure themselves as genuine play-off contenders, with the legendary former forward himself this week revealing he turned down big money offers from Saudi Arabia to take on the challenge of getting Birmingham into the Premier League.
He'll be hoping his new manager bounce can take hold quickly to build on a couple of decent back-to-back wins against West Brom and Huddersfield, with Siriki Dembele and Fulham loanee Jay Stansfield both looking in decent goalscoring form.
Standing in Wazza's way is Carrick's Middlesbrough side who have seemingly turned their season around.
An abysmal start had many worrying for a Boro side that were tipped in pre-season to be challenging at the top of the Championship.
No wins from their first seven outings had painted a dire picture, but impressive successive wins over Southampton, Watford, Cardiff and an in-form Sunderland has got the fans dreaming of another promotion push once more.
The Riverside is not the ideal starting place for Rooney's new blue revolution with the home side purring in such fine form.
That said, it hasn't necessarily been a terrible hunting ground for Birmingham in the past. In the previous five meetings between the two sides, Boro have bagged three wins to Birmingham's two, but both of those came as the visitors.
Don't be surprised to see a fiery and ferocious start for the away side who'll no doubt come out guns blazing to impress their new manager - but they'll have to remain cautious even if they take an early lead; Middlesbrough have scored four of their five home league goals this season after half-time.
Larne v Carrick Rangers - Ste Carson
In the NIFL Premiership this week, we have the latest iteration of the eye-catching East Antrim derby.
Larne come into the match with a fine record in the league, but with a stuttering run of form more recently – they've dropped seven points in their last five matches after storming out the gates earlier in the season.
Carrick Rangers didn't start their season as brightly as their rivals, but have managed to claw up the table over the last couple of months – despite losing to Larne during that run.
It was a convincing win for Larne (4-1) when the two sides met a little over three weeks ago.
A 2-1 defeat to league leaders Linfield last week is nothing to be too concerned with for the 'Gers – in fact, getting on the scoresheet could be seen as somewhat encouraging.
That bit of fight they've shown in recent weeks will need to be present in abundance if they are to get a result against rivals Larne, that said.
Larne have conceded just nine goals so far this season and boast the fourth-highest goal difference (+16).
Carrick Rangers have the joint-leakiest defence in the league (32 goals conceded), which Larne are certain to exploit.
The 'Gers will be hoping Danny Purkis, who scored his side's only goal in their recent 4-1 defeat to Larne, adds to his tally of five league goals.
Larne, however, have a few men who will pose a significant threat – namely Andy Ryan and Lee Bonis, who have six league goals each this term.
Albeit unlikely, a win for Carrick Rangers could lift them out of the relegation group spots. If they're to do it, they'll probably need to out-score their opponents on Friday night.
A win for Larne would be welcome after settling for draws in their last two matches – they'll be fighting all-out for three points – and it could lift them to as high as second.
Young Boys v FC Zurich - Anthony Paphitis
The top dogs in Switzerland square off on Saturday evening at Stadion Wankdorf when league leaders FC Zurich travel to face Young Boys.
After romping home to the title last season, hosts Young Boys have enjoyed a positive start to the season with six wins from nine games, placing them second in the table.
Raphael Wicky’s team also got themselves on the board in the Champions League with their first point against Red Star Belgrade, although it seems likely they will be fighting for the third-placed Europa League spot with Manchester City and RB Leipzig the favourites to progress in Group G.
Production has been all over the pitch for YB with Jean Pierre Nsame leading the side with five goals while midfielder Filip Ugrinic and left-back Ulisses Garcia - both with one goal and three assists - have also been key weapons.
However, their title defence does not appear likely to be a walk in the park.
Zurich sit two points ahead of Young Boys and while they may have played a game more, they already look like decent challengers early on.
Six wins and four draws ensures FCZ are the only side in the Swiss Super League yet to be beaten which will give manager Bo Henriksen plenty of optimism ahead of their trip to Bern.
Goals have also not been short for Zurich with wingers Antonio Marchesano and Jonathan Okita notching five each for the division’s current leading scorers.
They will be wary of the threat Young Boys pose, though, considering they were hammered 4-0 in the first of their four meetings last term while drawing the next three.
Still, this should be a fixture worth the build-up in what could be part of a lengthy storyline in a potential title bout.
