European football this weekend: Five things to watch out for

Juventus and Inter Milan are involved an intriguing battle for the scudetto, while Bayern Munich looks to bounce back from defeat.

Maurizio Sarri has begun well as manager of Juventus, with the victory over Inter Milan his biggest result since taking over from Massimiliano Allegri.

With club football returning after the international break, Sportstar looks at the possibilities across the European leagues this weekend, from Serie A to Ligue 1.

Juventus looks to apply pressure on Inter Milan

Having snatched top spot from Inter Milan right before the international break with a 2-1 win at San Siro , Juventus can apply pressure on Antonio Conte's men if it beats Bologna in a late Saturday kick-off. Inter is away at 15th-placed Sassuolo on Sunday and could kick off that fixture five points behind the Old Lady.

Can Bayern Munich bounce back from defeat?

Similar to Inter, Bayern suffered a loss before the international break , against Hoffenheim and needs a win to ensure it doesn't cede more ground to Borussia Monchengladbach and Wolfsburg, which are first and second on the table, leading the defending champion by two points and one point respectively. Bayern is away at Augsburg in an evening kick-off before Monchengladbach faces Borussia Dortmund at Westfalenstadion. Wolfsburg, too, faces a difficult away trip to RB Leipzig.

Barcelona, Real Madrid look to overcome banana skins

First-placed Real and second-placed Barcelona are away at Mallorca and Eibar respectively. Barcelona could move to the top of La Liga if it beats Eibar and Real either suffers defeat or manages a draw against Mallorca. On the flip side, Real could open up a four- or five-point lead if Barcelona fails to win at Eibar. Mallorca and Eibar are in the bottom half of La Liga and have struggled for results against formidable opposition.

Advantage PSG

That is, if it beats OGC Nice away from home in the Friday kick-off ahead of second-placed Nantes' away fixture against Metz. PSG leads Nantes by two points and could be ahead by five points by the time the second-placed outfit kicks off against Metz on Saturday. Nice, meanwhile, can break into the top four if it beats Paris Saint-Germain at home on Friday.

Atletico Madrid faces in-form Valencia

Since Marcelino was sacked in early-September, Valencia has accrued eight points from a possible 12, currently sitting eighth with 12 points. Atletico, on the other hand, comes into the fixture after back-to-back draws and could be level on points with Valencia if it suffers defeat at Wanda Metropolitano on Saturday.