Rejuvenated Real ready for Barcelona in El Clasico battle

LIKE the name of this column, the European football season is fast approaching the finish line, and this is usually the time when clubs turn up the ante as they look to win some silverware as reward after yet another gruelling campaign.

With so much action taking place, here is BT Weekend's pick of 4 key matches to keep an eye on:

Juventus vs Salernitana (Sunday, 10pm kick-off, Singapore time)

Fans of Juventus - winners of a record 36 Italian Serie A champions - are not used to seeing their team languishing in fourth place at a time when they are usually challenging for the title.

But that is exactly where Juventus are in right now, and even though they are 7 points behind leaders AC Milan, there are still 9 more fixtures to play and 27 points up for grabs.

Juventus are the hot favourites to brush aside rock-bottom Salernitana in Turin this weekend, although one question mark is how Massimiliano Allegri's men will bounce back after their humiliating exit from the Champions League in midweek.

With the players now able to focus fully on the league, Juventus will look to take out their frustrations on a struggling opponent that has failed to make an impact since being promoted from Serie B last year.

It's hard to envision anything but a comfortable win for Juventus - possibly by a 4-goal margin or even greater - in front of their supporters at the Allianz Stadium.

Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool (Monday, 2am)

The FA Cup quarter-finals are taking place this weekend and the standout game is at the City Ground, where Nottingham Forest - a club in the second tier of English football - are seeking to continue their giant-killing run in the competition against Liverpool.

It speaks volumes about Liverpool's remarkable tenacity that the Reds are still in the hunt for 3 trophies, having already lifted the Carabao Cup last month.

Jurgen Klopp will be tempted to rest some players as he juggles a fixture congestion problem over the next month or so, depending on how far Liverpool progresses in the Champions League. The Reds are also just a point behind EPL leaders Manchester City.

Forest won't be overawed by the occasion, having already swept aside Arsenal and Leicester earlier in the FA Cup. Even if Klopp doesn't field a full-strength team, Liverpool will still be an extremely tough nut to crack.

Olympique Marseille vs Nice (Monday, 3.45am)

With Paris Saint-Germain running away with the French league as usual, the attention has long switched to the race to be the runners-up.

Second-placed Marseille battle third-ranked Nice at the Stade Velodrome, with both clubs level on 50 points and having an identical goal difference. Marseille are second by virtue of having scored more goals.

Marseille coach Jorge Sampaoli has no fresh injury concerns, but Nice must do without their imposing centre back Dante who is serving a suspension after his sending-off last week against Montpellier.

With so little to choose between these two evenly-matched sides, a high-scoring draw seems the most likely outcome. A single point, however, will do either team not much good at all.

Real Madrid vs Barcelona (Monday, 4am)

Whenever the 2 most decorated teams in Spanish football play each other, it is a must-watch.

The latest instalment of the El Clasico will be staged at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, with La Liga leaders Real in cruise control at the moment and holding a dominant 15-point advantage over their arch-rivals Barcelona.

Barring a major collapse, nothing will stop Real from adding to their 34 league titles in May.

Coach Carlo Ancelotti may have to do without his in-form striker Karim Benzema, as the Frenchman is a doubt after injuring his left leg in the closing stages of the win over Mallorca on Monday.

As for Barcelona, they have put last summer's departure of Lionel Messi firmly behind them and the team now has a new-look attack comprising Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ferran Torres and Adama Traore.

Goal-less draws between these clubs are a rarity, so expect to see plenty of action at both ends of the pitch, with Real likely to come out on top at the final whistle.