Our Picks: Championship six-pointer and Leverkusen on the cusp

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Our Picks: Championship six-pointer and Leverkusen on the cusp
Ike Ugbo of Sheffield Wednesday
Ike Ugbo of Sheffield WednesdayProfimedia, Flashscore
While Bayer Leverkusen - in all likelihood - will win the Bundesliga title this weekend, sparking wild celebrations in Germany, there are big scraps to be had in the English Championship and the Spanish top flight.

Check it out 'Our Picks' below:

Sheffield Wednesday v Stoke - Ali Pollock

The relegation battle in the Championship looks set to head right to the final day, with no fewer than eight teams still at threat of going down.

Only five points separate Birmingham in 23rd and QPR in 16th.

Both Sheffield Wednesday and Stoke are right in the mix, with the Owls occupying the final spot in the bottom (22nd) three on 43 points and the Potters three places above (19th) on 46 points.

Complete standings
Complete standingsFlashscore

The two sides come face to face on Saturday in a match that will have a huge impact on the fight for survival.

A win for Wednesday could see them move out of the relegation zone while victory for Stoke could all but secure their safety.

In terms of recent form, both clubs are pretty much identical having won once, drawn twice and lost twice in their last five fixtures.

Wednesday took all three points in the reverse fixture thanks to a late winner from Anthony Musaba – one of the Dutchman’s six goals this term.

Striker Ike Ugbo has 10 for the campaign, but four of those came in the first half of the season when he was on loan at Cardiff.

Neither side is very prolific in front of goal, with Stoke’s top scorer Andre Vidigal also on six, but both teams concede a lot – a combined 125 across the campaign.

Saturday’s game doesn’t look like a cracker on paper, but it promises to have all the chaos of an end of season relegation battle – with a result that could have huge implications for both clubs.

Atletico Madrid v Girona - Anthony Paphitis

Following their first-leg win in the Champions League quarter-finals, Atletico Madrid return to La Liga action with an interesting-looking clash against Girona.

Diego Simeone's side are in a good position to qualify for the semi-finals after beating Borussia Dortmund 2-1 on Wednesday and will be hoping to complete the job in Germany next week.

The job is obviously far from done and the same can be said for their league endeavours with Atletico only two points ahead of fifth-placed Athletic Bilbao.

Top of the pile in Spain
Top of the pile in SpainFlashscore

They will be more than confident in their ability to do so, though, as they host Girona while boasting the second-best home record in the division.

Meanwhile, the visitors have been taken down a peg in recent weeks which was to be expected having stunned many for large parts of the season.

It was always going to be a tough task for the Blanquivermells to keep pace with Real Madrid at the summit, but third place and just two points behind Barcelona at this stage of the season is still an impressive feat.

Girona are nine points clear of Atletico and will be eyeing a big victory as they look to build on last week's 3-2 win over Real Betis.

It won't be easy for them, especially as their away form has faltered of late having been beaten in each of their last four games on the road.

Encounters tend to be close between Atletico and Girona, with the latter winning a hectic meeting 4-3 in the reverse fixture earlier this term.

Bayern Munich v FC Koln - Ste Carson

We are now at the stage of the Bundesliga season when Bayer Leverkusen fans are preparing themselves for the biggest celebration of their lives.

Without even playing, the Schwarzroten could claim the league title if Bayern Munich lose to FC Koln (and Stuttgart lose to Eintracht Frankfurt).

However unlikely that is, neither result will mean much if Leverkusen continue their fine form and beat Werder Bremen this coming Sunday.

Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso
Leverkusen manager Xabi AlonsoProfimedia

But first, current title holders Bayern are set to host FC Koln on Saturday afternoon and will be hoping to at least tighten their grip on second place with three points on the board.

Bayern are coming off the back of a respectable 2-2 draw with Arsenal in the Champions League, but their domestic form leaves very little to be desired.

A defeat to Borussia Dortmund and a shambolic 3-2 collapse against Heidenheim - after being 2-0 up - litters their recent of form run, which includes an 8-1 victory of Mainz.

For Koln, who are struggling in 17th place, it may not be a better time to face Bayern at the Allianz, which is typically the most daunting journey for any Bundesliga side.

As it stands in Germany
As it stands in GermanyFlashscore

The collapse against Heidenheim has shown there is a way, but, with an extensive injury list, it is perhaps too tall of a task for the Geissböcke.

Koln's last outing ended in a 2-1 triumph against fellow strugglers Bochum and walking away from Munich with something would be a huge boost.

Naturally, Bayern striker Harry Kane catches the eye for 'who to watch' - but another name to consider is that of Jamal Musiala, who is fresh off the back of winning the goal of the most award for his strike against Freiburg.

For Koln, with main outlet Davie Selke injured, Florian Kainz and Steffen Tigges have both shown that they are capable of finding the back of the net.

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