It was crushing defeat in the Coppa Italia for Internazionale this week, and to next-door neighbors A.C. Milan no less. With that semifinal exit, the treble of which Inter have been loudly in pursuit evaporated. Now there are merely two competitions they’re in a good position to win: the Champions League, if they can get past Barcelona in the semifinals, and the Serie A.

That’s where they’ll meet Roma this weekend for another highly difficult encounter, even at the San Siro. The capital side have not lost a league match since December, an incredible turnaround from a disastrous opening period of the season, and they’ve zipped up the table to compete for a Champions League place. At the heart of it all is Claudio Ranieri, the 73-year-old Roman who came out of retirement to manage his hometown club for one final chapter — maybe — of a lifelong football romance.

Here to get into all that ahead of kickoff is Alasdair Mackenzie, writer for TNT Sports, Destination Calcio, Total Italian Football and more.

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And as always, for kickoff times and storylines on all the other matches worth your time this weekend, check TheFootballWeekend.com.

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It’s the German clásico, Der Klassiker, though Borussia Dortmund are not having a classic season. After a recent uptick in form, they’re still eighth and just trying to get a ticket — any ticket — to Europe next season. Come to think of it, a 4-0 thrashing from Barcelona in their Champions League quarterfinal first leg this week might have put them off the whole business!

And then there’s Bayern Munich, back to being Bayern domestically. They’re six points clear of current adversaries Bayer Leverkusen at the top of the Bundesliga, and they seem to be on pace to secure Harry Kane his first career trophy. But there are still questions swirling around manager Vincent Kompany, and a recent spate of injuries — especially to thrilling young star Jamal Musiala — might have just created an opening for Dortmund here.

Joining the show to chat about all that and more is Markus Fjørtoft, a former professional footballer who now hosts The Fussball Podcast with his dad, Jan Åge Fjørtoft, who himself was a pro in the Bundesliga. Get the lowdown before it all kicks off at 12:30pm ET/5:30pm UK on Saturday.

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And as always, for kickoff times and storylines on all the other matches worth your time this weekend, check TheFootballWeekend.com.

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It’s the Manchester derby, UNITED against CITY, but it’s certainly a strange one. Both of these clubs are in a bad way, though that means something different to each of them. City have fallen from champion grace but are still battling for a Champions League place. United, on the other hand, are 13th in the league with eight matches left to play.

It’s an incredible state of affairs for one of Europe’s true superclubs, and on this week’s show, the brilliant Carl Anka of The Athletic suggests that United are becoming something like the Dallas Cowboys: a giant global sporting institution that’s lost its magic. We got into how the Red Devils spent their way into this mess, how City have become a team with a soft underbelly, and why this Sunday’s encounter may be a meeting of the legless midfields.

If you're enjoying the show, please leave us a rating and review! It will help spread the good word.

And as always, for kickoff times and storylines on all the other matches worth your time this weekend, check TheFootballWeekend.com.

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