Football Today, March 4, 2022: Manchester derby preview and Arsenal exclusive

The relentless pursuit of glory continues as the Manchester derby and a huge clash in Italy headline the football weekend.

As well as previews of all the big games, Joleon Lescott’s column returns and two Arsenal legends speak to us.

LiveScore columnist Lescott has played in his fair share of Manchester derbies during his Manchester City career – and now he’s picked his ultimate combined XI.

But who selected the former English defender? Did he opt for a loaded City squad or did some Manchester United players sneak into the team?

Find out about his squad, his thoughts on the derby and his predictions for Matchday 28 of the Premier League.

This clash between City and United dominates a great weekend of action at both ends of the table.

Liverpool host West Ham at Anfield in a bid to put pressure on City ahead of Sunday’s derby, while Chelsea and Arsenal travel to relegation-threatened Burnley and Watford respectively.

Downstairs, basement boys Norwich host plummeting Brentford tomorrow, while Everton visit Tottenham on Monday night.

With United and West Ham facing tough trips to City and Liverpool, Arsenal could end the weekend in the top four.

The Gunners haven’t qualified for the Champions League since the 2015-16 campaign. But with games in hand, they’re in the driver’s seat to do just that under Mikel Arteta.

Speaking exclusively to LiveScore at the London Football Awards, Alan Smith and George Graham have given their thoughts on the North London club’s bid to secure a place at the top of European football.

The big games don’t stop in the fascinating Serie A title race as co-leaders Napoli and AC Milan meet at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Sunday night.

Their clash opens the door for Inter Milan, two points behind them, to enjoy as they host Salernitana at their lowest at the San Siro tonight.

Sevilla continue to chase Real Madrid in Spain and kick off the LaLiga weekend with a trip to Alaves tonight.

They are six points behind leaders Real, who face Real Sociedad tomorrow night, while third-placed Real Betis host fifth-placed Atletico Madrid in a big clash in the race for a Champions League spot.

Runaway leaders Bayern Munich take on Bayer Leverkusen as they head for another Bundesliga title in Germany.

Borussia Dortmund’s closest challengers are eight points off the pace and travel to Mainz on Sunday.

We always have our finger on the pulse for all the latest transfer news, with Barcelona’s pursuit of Ruben Neves headlining today’s column.

If you missed the FA Cup quarter-final draw last night, find out all here.

And as always, LiveScore Daily returns to cover the big stories from around the world of football in bite-sized chunks throughout the day.