Here are the events our news editors recommend to watch this weekend:
Friday, February 28th
Formula 1 testing final day - 08:00 CET
For the first time in three years, we’re heading into a new Formula 1 season not all but certain that Max Verstappen will dominate it, and that’s made pre-season testing particularly important.
With the margins expected to be razor-thin at the top, how everyone ends their preparations on Friday could have a big impact on whether they begin their campaigns on the front foot or not, and as Verstappen showed last year, who’s able to do so can ultimately decide title fights.
While it’s never a good idea to read too much into lap times, the amount of laps that teams are able to complete can provide a real indication as to who will be in good shape for the opening race in Australia. The more laps a car completes, the more its team will understand it, and the higher the chances will be that they’ll get the best out of it in Melbourne.
Another thing to look out for on the final day in Bahrain will be how teammates compare to each other. Whether Lewis Hamilton looks as quick and comfortable as Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari is undoubtedly the most interesting question, but it will also be fascinating to see how close Liam Lawson and Kimi Antonelli can get to Verstappen and George Russell at Red Bull and Mercedes respectively.
Testing never gives us all the answers as to how the season ahead will pan out, but it does give us clues, and they’re worth tuning in for.
Finley Crebolder
Stuttgart vs Bayern Munich - 20:30 CET
Bayern Munich will be hoping to take another step towards regaining their Bundesliga crown on Friday evening when they travel to Baden-Wurttemberg to face seventh-placed Stuttgart.
Vincent Kompany’s men have the luxury of an eight-point cushion over reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen with 11 games remaining, meaning it would take an almighty collapse for the Bavarians not to secure a 34th top-flight title.
A competition-record 70 head-to-head wins over Stuttgart provides further encouragement for Kompany’s charges, although the Swabians did come out on top in the corresponding fixture last season to finish above Bayern in second.
Worryingly for Sebastian Hoeness' side, their pursuit of Champions League qualification has stalled in recent weeks with just one win from their last five in the league, including back-to-back defeats on home soil.
They’ll need to rediscover their best form and quickly to stand any chance of troubling a free-scoring Bayern outfit, so make sure you tune in to find out!
Danny Clark
Saturday, March 1st
Napoli vs Inter Milan - 18:00 CET
The Serie A title race has been absorbing this season, and on Saturday, it is set to take another dramatic twist as the top two teams, Napoli and Inter Milan, go head to head.
Defending champions Inter Milan sit on top of the table as it stands, just one point ahead of their opponents Napoli. Simone Inzaghi's outfit have been quite brilliant in the last few seasons under his management, but with just two wins in their last five league games, they are not infallible.
However, Antonio Conte's Napoli have failed to capitalise on Inter's errors, drawing three times and losing once in their last four games, allowing the Nerazzurri to leapfrog them into first. They have totally stalled and their momentum seems to have gone, and a bad result this weekend would leave them with a lot of work to do.
But interestingly, Atalanta have returned to the equation in recent weeks, and are just three points off Inter. They will be closely following events and hoping for a draw, as they eye their first ever league title.
The Serie A title race is seriously heating up with just a few months left of the season, and this weekend's clash could go some way to deciding who will be champions.
Tolga Akdeniz
Atletico Madrid vs Athletic Club - 21:00 CET
In a race for glory on multiple fronts, Atletico Madrid have a decisive couple of weeks coming up, playing Real Madrid in the Champions League as well as Barcelona in LaLiga on March 16th.
But, first, they face a stern test as Athletic Club come to town. The Basque side sit in fourth, just five points behind Saturday’s opponents, but their record against Atleti is woeful - they have not won any of their last 13 away games against Atletico in LaLiga (D2 L11) since a 2-0 win in January 2011 under Joaquin Caparros.
But Los Leones are on a 16-game unbeaten run in the league, the longest of any side in Spain’s top flight at the moment, and are high on confidence having stuffed Valladolid 7-1 last time out.
For Diego Simeone’s men they battled to a 4-4 Copa del Rey semi-final first-leg draw at Barcelona in midweek in what is a pivotal time for them. This game is a potential banana skin for Atleti, and given both sides are in the goals recently, it could be a thrill ride in Madrid. Whatever the score, expect grit, tension and a sprinkling of controversy.
Josh Donaldson