The weekend starts here

The three teams who recorded victories in UEFA Champions League quarter-final first-leg ties in midweek feature in UEFA.com's guide to the weekend's best domestic fixtures across Europe. Follow the scores from all the European leagues live in UEFA.com's MatchCentre and read an exclusive interview with Michael Ballack looking ahead to Chelsea FC's top-of-the-table clash with Manchester United FC.

FC Internazionale Milano v Bologna FC (Saturday, 15.00)
For the first time since 28 October 2006, Inter will play a Serie A match without Javier Zanetti as the 36-year-old club captain serves a suspension (along with Maicon, Lucio and Samuel Eto'o) after collecting a fourth yellow card of the season in the 2-1 defeat by AS Roma – a loss which reduced the Nerazzurri's lead at the top to just a point. Zanetti, who helped Inter defeat PFC CSKA Moskva 1-0 on Wednesday, said: "We lost at Roma despite dominating most of the game. I'm sure we'll play with the fighting spirit shown in recent weeks." Bologna are 15th.

Germany: FC Schalke 04 v FC Bayern München (Saturday, 15.30)
Fresh from their last-gasp victory against Manchester United FC, and ahead of the return at Old Trafford, Bayern make the trip to Gelsenkirchen for what has been billed as the match of the German season. The Bavarians, who won at Schalke in the German Cup last week, have lost their last two league games, allowing Schalke to open up a two-point gap as they seek a first title since 1958 and a first in the Bundesliga era. "It is an important game for us, even more important than [United]," said midweek match-winner Ivica Olić. "This is about the title and we want to win it."

Stade Rennais FC v Olympique Lyonnais (Saturday, 19.00)
Lyon travel to Rennes buoyed by an impressive 3-1 win in their all-French UEFA Champions League tie against FC Girondins de Bordeaux. Claude Puel's side have lost just once in Ligue 1 in 2010 and sit two points off the pace in fifth, while Rennes are also bang in form – four successive victories lifting them to seventh and raising hopes of European qualification. "It's a great opportunity to move closer to the top," said coach Frédéric Antonetti.

Poland: Lech Poznań v Legia Warszawa (Saturday, 19.00)
The redevelopment of Lech's stadium for UEFA EURO 2012 has led to a reduced capacity and a huge scramble for tickets – including from European scouts reportedly tracking 21-year-old Lech striker Robert Lewandowski, the 13-goal leading scorer in the First Division. The teams are respectively four and five points behind leaders Wisla Kraków, so a defeat for either would severely hamper their title ambitions. "When Lech play against Legia it's more than a game," Lech defender Manuel Arboleda told UEFA.com. "We can expect a great match as both teams are getting better and better."

Spain: FC Barcelona v Athletic Club (Saturday, 20.00)
Athletic midfielder Javi Martínez is hoping to catch title hopefuls Barcelona off guard when his side visit the Camp Nou for the 79th time in the Liga this weekend. With Los Leones in sixth place and just two points off a UEFA Champions League qualifying spot and the Azulgrana looking ahead to encounters with Arsenal FC and league leaders Real Madrid CF, Martínez believes now is the time for Joaquín Caparrós's side to consolidate their place in the standings. "With the stakes so high for [Barcelona] these days they may have their mind on other matches," the 21-year-old said. "If we concentrate on doing what we do well, we know we can win."

All kick-off times local.