⚽ While green pitches won’t be making an appearance on our screens today, the weekend will be packed to the brim with matches.

But first, let’s look at the draw results for the World Cup playoffs, which took place this afternoon.

The global playoffs consists of two brackets, each qualifying one team to the World Cup. The first bracket features a match between New Caledonia and Jamaica, with the victor facing DR Congo for a ticket to the big leagues. The second bracket will see Bolivia take on Suriname, with the champion meeting Iraq for the final spot.

The European playoffs consist of four brackets, each containing four teams competing in two semifinals, with the two ultimate victors meeting for a ticket to the World Cup.

Bracket #1:

  • Italy vs. Northern Ireland;
  • Wales vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina.*

Bracket #2:

  • Ukraine vs. Sweden;*
  • Poland vs. Albania.

Bracket #3:

  • Turkey vs. Romania;
  • Slovakia vs. Kosovo.*

Bracket #4:

  • Denmark vs. North Macedonia;
  • Czech Republic vs. Ireland.*

The finals will be played at the home stadiums of the victorious teams from matches marked with an asterisk (*), with all fixtures taking place between March 23-31. For more details on the playoff system, check out yesterday’s sports section.

The CAF Champions League will kick off the excitement on Saturday, with our homegrown Al Ahly embarking on their group stage campaign by hosting Algeria’s JS Kabylie at Cairo International Stadium at 6pm. The Red Devils sit in Group B alongside Morocco’s AS FAR, Tanzania’s Young Africans, and of course, Kabylie.

Pyramids will be facing Nigeria’s Rivers United at 9pm in a Group A match, which also features Morocco’s RS Berkane and Zambia’s Power Dynamos.

Al Ahly historically dominate the Champions League with 12 titles under their belt, but Pyramids are the defending champions, and come in riding high on yesterday’s award as the continent’s best club over the last season.

AND- In round 14 of the Egyptian Premier League:

  • Pharco vs. Ceramica Cleopatra (5pm);
  • Tala’ea El Gaish vs. Enppi (8pm);
  • Modern Sport vs. National Bank (8pm).

Are you ready for the return of the English Premier League? The 12th round kicks off on Saturday with Burnley hosting Chelsea at Turf Moor at 2:30pm. Chelsea have climbed the leaderboard with four victories in their last five matches to sit in third, and with 20 points under their belt, have only two points separating them from Man City, and six between them and Arsenal. But with the tight margins also behind them, they need a victory to stave off another shift on the table.

Liverpool, who have lost five of their last six league games, will be welcoming Nottingham Forest to Anfield at 5pm the same day, desperate for three points. The Reds started the season off strong, leading the table for weeks before quickly spiraling into a losing streak and dropping to eighth place. Only four points differentiate them and second place — so close, yet so far.

Other 5pm kickoffs:

  • Bournemouth vs. West Ham;
  • Brighton vs. Brentford;
  • Fulham vs. Sunderland;
  • Wolverhampton vs. Crystal Palace.

Saturday’s marquee clash will see Manchester City in St. James’ Park at 7:30pm to face off against Newcastle. The Citizens currently sit second on the leaderboard, four points behind leaders Arsenal, looking to pile pressure on the Gunners ahead of Sunday’s North London derby.

**Don’t miss out on the fierce competition in the Enterprise Fantasy Premier League — click on this link or use the code 2ez9kt to join.

En España: Camp Nou roars back to life on Saturday at 5:15pm with a Barcelona vs. Athletic Bilbao matchup for the 13th round of La Liga. The Blaugrana’s home stadium has been closed for two years for renovations to increase capacity to 105k, and will partially reopen to welcome 45k fans. Barcelona sit second on the La Liga scoreboard, three points behind leaders Real Madrid, and can temporarily claim the throne with a victory ahead of Los Merengues’ Sunday fixture.

When in Rome (figuratively): Napoli will be locking horns with Atalanta in the 12th round of Serie A at 9:45pm on Saturday. The Partenopei lost their footing as the leaders after two defeats and a draw in their last five matches, slipping into fourth place. They face a tough fight against Atalanta, who are desperate to climb out of their slump, which has seen them fall to 13th place this season.

Other European league fixtures to flip through on Saturday:

  • Dortmund vs. Stuttgart — Bundesliga (4:30pm);
  • Bayern Munich vs. Freiburg — Bundesliga (4:30pm);
  • Fiorentina vs. Juventus — Serie A (7pm);
  • Paris Saint-Germain vs. Le Havre — Ligue 1 (10:05pm).
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