This weekend: Zamalek in Champions League and Al Ahly in Confederation Cup

⚽ We’re in for plenty of footie this weekend, with a slew of competitions underway. Here’s what’s on our radar:

In the second round of the Europa League and the first round of the Conference League:

• KuPs vs. Trabzonspor — Conference League, 7:45pm, beIN Sports 3;
• Lyon vs. Crystal Palace — Europa League, 7:45pm, beIN Sports 2;
• Red Bull Salzburg vs. AC Milan — Europa League, 7:45pm, beIN Sports 1;
• Celta Vigo vs. Juventus — Europa League, 10pm, beIN Sports 1.

Tomorrow’s fixtures

Zamalek and Pyramids in the Champions League: Zamalek travel to Kigali tomorrow to face AS Kigali at 7pm in the first leg of the CAF Champions League round of 32. The White Knights dispatched Djibouti champions AS Port in the preliminary round — 2-1 away and 4-0 at Cairo International Stadium. Pyramids, meanwhile, face Juba FC at 4pm in the first leg at Juba Stadium in South Sudan. Both competitions air on beIN Sports and MBC Masr 2.

ZED in the Confederation Cup: ZED host Tanzanian side Azam United at Cairo International Stadium at 10pm in the first leg of the CAF Confederation Cup round of 32, live on beIN Sports.

Saturday’s fixtures

Al Ahly in the Confederation Cup: The standout African fixture on Saturday is Al Ahly’s first leg against Ugandan side Kitara FC in the CAF Confederation Cup round of 32, kicking off at 4pm.

In the Premier League: Manchester City host Ipswich Town in the seventh round of the English top flight, looking to extend their victorious run and protect their place at the top of the table. Kickoff is at 5pm.

Also in the Premier League:

• Everton vs. Chelsea — 2:20pm;
• Brentford vs. Liverpool — 5pm;
• Fulham vs. Hull City — 5pm;
• Newcastle vs. Aston Villa — 7:30pm.

In La Liga: Defending champions Barcelona face Real Betis in round nine of the Spanish league. Barça currently lead the table on 24 points — five ahead of Atletico and six clear of fourth-placed Real Madrid. Kickoff is at 7:30pm.

Other fixtures across Europe:

• Espanyol vs. Atlético Madrid — La Liga, 3pm;
• Villarreal vs. Elche — La Liga, 5:15pm;
• Strasbourg vs. PSG — Ligue 1, 6:15pm;
• Bologna vs. Inter Milan — Serie A, 7pm;
• Bayern Munich vs. Leipzig — Bundesliga, 7:30pm;
• Troyes vs. Lens — Ligue 1, 9:45pm;
• Roma vs. Genoa — Serie A, 9:45pm
• Valencia vs. Athletic Bilbao — La Liga, 10pm.

💡 All European fixtures will be broadcast on beIN Sports channels. Check out the full schedule here.

🥅 ICYMI-

A thrilling evening in the Champions League: Two-time defending champions Paris Saint-Germain prevailed over Manchester City with a 4-2 victory at the Etihad Stadium in the English side’s first home fixture since their financial penalty ruling. PSG cemented their status as tournament favorites, maintaining a perfect record so far.

MEANWHILE- Italy’s capital witnessed a dramatic comeback from Real Madrid, who netted three late goals to seal a 4-3 triumph over AS Roma after falling behind 3-1, with Kylian Mbappé among the goalscorers. Elsewhere in a nine-goal thriller, Liverpool earned a 6-3 away result against Austria’s Lask.

Across other fixtures, Aston Villa swept Fenerbahçe 6-0, Stuttgart secured a 3-0 away victory over Slovan Bratislava, and Real Betis played out a 2-2 draw against Porto. PSG, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Aston Villa, Real Betis, and Stuttgart now lead the standings with six points apiece from two matches.

🤾 In handball action: Al Ahly lifted the African Handball Champions League trophy for the ninth time in club history and the fourth consecutive year, securing a thrilling 26-25 victory over archrivals Zamalek in Wednesday’s final in Angola. Al Ahly continued their dominant streak in the tournament, while record-holders Zamalek (12 titles) settled for the silver medal.