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FIVE games to follow this weekend: Manchester United vs. Arsenal, Celtic vs. Rangers, and more

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In this weekend preview we summarise the best five games to follow on your match feed. And make a couple of suggestions for matches that you may otherwise miss.

By Bill Biss

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Premier League: Fulham vs. Manchester City

In a change to the pattern of recent weeks, Manchester City are the title rival who play first in the Premier League this weekend. In fact, they kick off the penultimate full round of games, at Fulham, in the Saturday lunchtime kick-off.

City have a fantastic record against the Cottagers, with Pep Guardiola’s charges unbeaten in the previous 18 meetings between the two. Should City make that 19, they’ll move two points above Arsenal with two games to play. With that recent history, Arsenal fans may already be looking towards City’s game in hand, the Tuesday night trip to the Gunners’ North London rivals, Tottenham, as the best opportunity to see them drop points.

Fulham have been inconsistent this season, form that has seen them rooted in a lower mid-table position, safe from any fear of relegation, and equally capable of upsetting a big side (see the win vs. Arsenal on New Year’s Eve) or going on a run of one win in seven, as is the case at the moment. They can boast one of the better defensive records in the division – they’re conceded at a rate of 1.5 goals per game, but they only have the 13th best scoring record – at 1.4 goals per game, which tallies with their league position.

Manchester City, of course, don’t have that issue, particularly with the league’s top scorer, Erling Haaland seemingly finding form again just in time for the run-in.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Premier League: Manchester United vs. Arsenal

Arsenal, then, will know exactly what they need to do to keep pace, or go back above, Manchester City when they take to the field at Old Trafford on Sunday. A meeting with Manchester United, their old title rivals from the 90s and 2000s, probably isn’t the best timing for this current Arsenal side who simply cannot afford to slip up in either of their remaining fixtures (they face Everton on the final day).

That said, the Manchester United side that lost 4-0 away at Crystal Palace last Monday night bore little resemblance to the team that was going toe-to-toe with Arsenal, and often lifting the Premier League trophy during the period previously mentioned. Erik ten Haag appears to be clinging on to his job as manager with United winning just two of their last 10 league games. February’s four back-to-back wins feel like a long time ago now, and yes, there is the FA Cup Final to look forward to, but a top six finish could now, arguably, be out of their hands.

Mikel Arteta’s side have stood up admirable in the last few weeks, winning their last four games with an aggregate scoreline of 13 to two. And the Gunners appear to have the back bone to take this title race all the way to the final day, providing they get some kind of favour from City’s remaining opponents.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scottish Premiership: Celtic vs. Rangers

You may have already seen our specialised preview for Saturday’s Old Firm Derby – if not, you can read that here. And you may remember the big billing we gave the last meeting between Rangers and Celtic that took place a little over a month ago.

At that point, Rangers trailed Celtic by a point and had a game in hand on their Glasgow rivals. The title race was well and truly on. But after a thrilling 3-3 draw that ebbed and flowed both ways, it was felt the result was a better one for Celtic. And that’s how it has panned out with Celtic winning all three of their consequent league matches, while Rangers have won two, drawn one, and lost one, thus wasting their one game advantage.

Now, with a win in this game, with only two further rounds to play, Celtic could all but wrap up what would be their 54th league title. A figure that would move them within one of Rangers’ record of 55, although we’re aware some fans dispute that latter figure.

A win for Rangers, however, would breathe new life in to this title race and leave us with two very exciting match days to look forward to.

Who will come out on top on Saturday afternoon? Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers, who appears reinvigorated in recent weeks, or Philippe Clement, the man who arrived at Rangers in October and completed revived the Ibrox outfit?

🇩🇰 Danish Superliga: Brøndby vs. FC København

Elsewhere in Europe, this Sunday, there’s another derby between two city rivals who are virtually neck-and-neck at the top of their respective league. And that comes in Denmark where Copenhagen south siders Brøndby take on FC København.

Here, just a point separates the two sides – in Brøndby’s favour – with four games to go. The Superliga format is similar to Scotland in that the main league has now split in two and this game will mark the second and last meeting between the two rivals during this stage of the campaign.

Brøndby started the second portion of the season with a huge comeback win at FCK, fullback Sean Klaiber scoring a 93rd minute winner against their arch-rivals in a game that finished 2-1. Since then, Brøndby went four games unbeaten, albeit they only picked up one other win, before they then lost to Midtjylland last weekend. København have won their last three to close the gap between the two sides.

Midtjylland also remain in the mix as they sit level on points with København, so in truth, this is really a three-horse race, or four, if you still want to include Nordsjælland who are another two points further back in fourth! Whatever the result, this could be an exciting league to keep an eye on over the next few weeks.

🇩🇪 Bundesliga: Bochum vs. Bayer Leverkusen

We’ve included this game, between a side already crowned Bundesliga champions, and Bochum, who could still do with a win to ease any lingering relegation play-off fears, for one reason only. And that is for you all to make sure you’re following along to see whether Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen can extend their unbeaten season to an amazing half century of games across all competitions.

Leverkusen have been notorious for scoring a lot of late goals in recent weeks, rescuing draws, or winning games from losing positions with an extraordinary knack for persistence, something we coined Xabi-Time in a recent article (here). The 49th game in their run fits this profile perfectly, and it came in the home leg of their Europa League semi-final against Roma on Thursday night. Leading 2-0 from the first leg in Rome, Leverkusen then conceded twice from the penalty spot, meaning the tie was level on aggregate heading in to the final 10 minutes of the game. But then, as they have done on countless occasions recently, Leverkusen pulled one back.

That would have been enough to win the tie, but Alonso’s side were never going to settle for that, they’re aiming for a full invincible season, and so they carried on knocking on the door, eventually equalising through substitute Josip Stanišić in the 97th minute!

Leverkusen, then, are still on for the treble. They have the league in the bag and there’s still the DFB Pokal Final and Europa League Final to come. And for reference, the 49-game unbeaten streak is a European record since the introduction of UEFA club competitions in the mid-1950s.

Plus two further suggestions from a little deeper in your match feed…

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Women’s FA Cup Final: Manchester United vs. Tottenham Hotspur

Sunday’s Women’s FA Cup Final is a notable one in England as it does not include one, or two of Manchester City, Chelsea, or Arsenal – the current top three in the WSL – for the first time since 2005!

Manchester United were the losing finalists last season, when they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea, so they have something to prove in a game that they at least have some recent experience of. Opponents Spurs have never made it this far in the competition and it can be argued that this game is therefore the biggest in their 39-year history.

In the league campaign, United sit fifth in the table, seven points above sixth placed Spurs. And the sides played out a 2-2 draw just a couple of weekends ago, the first time Spurs have managed to take points off United in five previous meetings. United won the earlier fixture this season by four goals to nil.

🏆 AFC Champions League Final, First Leg: Yokohama F. Marinos vs. Al Ain

On Saturday, we get the first leg of the Asian Champions League, a competition that has been raging since 1967. And it’s set to be a big game with Japanese side Yokohama F. Marinos taking on Al Ain, the most successful side to stem from the UAE Pro League.

For all their recent success at home, Yokohama have won two of the last five J.League titles, and finished as runners-up in two of the other three during that period, they have not made a continental final of this magnitude since losing the 1989/90 final. Things haven’t started so well this season under the management of former Socceroo and Premier League stalwart, Harry Kewell, with the side currently sat 11th in the league after 12 rounds.

Al Ain, notably, knocked out Saudi giants Al Hilal in the semi-finals, and saw off Ronaldo’s Al Nassr in the round before that. They too are well off the pace in their domestic league but they appear to have some serious momentum behind them on the continental stage.

If you want to follow any of the games mentioned above, click on the relevant link and tap the bell icon to receive all the key match updates.

Or join us on our Social channels for updates on all the important football going on this weekend – search @FotMob on x, @fotmobapp everywhere else!

Images from IMAGO

FIVE games to follow this weekend: Manchester United vs. Arsenal, Celtic vs. Rangers, and more

In this weekend preview we summarise the best five games to follow on your match feed. And make a couple of suggestions for matches that you may otherwise miss.

By Bill Biss

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Premier League: Fulham vs. Manchester City

In a change to the pattern of recent weeks, Manchester City are the title rival who play first in the Premier League this weekend. In fact, they kick off the penultimate full round of games, at Fulham, in the Saturday lunchtime kick-off.

City have a fantastic record against the Cottagers, with Pep Guardiola’s charges unbeaten in the previous 18 meetings between the two. Should City make that 19, they’ll move two points above Arsenal with two games to play. With that recent history, Arsenal fans may already be looking towards City’s game in hand, the Tuesday night trip to the Gunners’ North London rivals, Tottenham, as the best opportunity to see them drop points.

Fulham have been inconsistent this season, form that has seen them rooted in a lower mid-table position, safe from any fear of relegation, and equally capable of upsetting a big side (see the win vs. Arsenal on New Year’s Eve) or going on a run of one win in seven, as is the case at the moment. They can boast one of the better defensive records in the division – they’re conceded at a rate of 1.5 goals per game, but they only have the 13th best scoring record – at 1.4 goals per game, which tallies with their league position.

Manchester City, of course, don’t have that issue, particularly with the league’s top scorer, Erling Haaland seemingly finding form again just in time for the run-in.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Premier League: Manchester United vs. Arsenal

Arsenal, then, will know exactly what they need to do to keep pace, or go back above, Manchester City when they take to the field at Old Trafford on Sunday. A meeting with Manchester United, their old title rivals from the 90s and 2000s, probably isn’t the best timing for this current Arsenal side who simply cannot afford to slip up in either of their remaining fixtures (they face Everton on the final day).

That said, the Manchester United side that lost 4-0 away at Crystal Palace last Monday night bore little resemblance to the team that was going toe-to-toe with Arsenal, and often lifting the Premier League trophy during the period previously mentioned. Erik ten Haag appears to be clinging on to his job as manager with United winning just two of their last 10 league games. February’s four back-to-back wins feel like a long time ago now, and yes, there is the FA Cup Final to look forward to, but a top six finish could now, arguably, be out of their hands.

Mikel Arteta’s side have stood up admirable in the last few weeks, winning their last four games with an aggregate scoreline of 13 to two. And the Gunners appear to have the back bone to take this title race all the way to the final day, providing they get some kind of favour from City’s remaining opponents.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scottish Premiership: Celtic vs. Rangers

You may have already seen our specialised preview for Saturday’s Old Firm Derby – if not, you can read that here. And you may remember the big billing we gave the last meeting between Rangers and Celtic that took place a little over a month ago.

At that point, Rangers trailed Celtic by a point and had a game in hand on their Glasgow rivals. The title race was well and truly on. But after a thrilling 3-3 draw that ebbed and flowed both ways, it was felt the result was a better one for Celtic. And that’s how it has panned out with Celtic winning all three of their consequent league matches, while Rangers have won two, drawn one, and lost one, thus wasting their one game advantage.

Now, with a win in this game, with only two further rounds to play, Celtic could all but wrap up what would be their 54th league title. A figure that would move them within one of Rangers’ record of 55, although we’re aware some fans dispute that latter figure.

A win for Rangers, however, would breathe new life in to this title race and leave us with two very exciting match days to look forward to.

Who will come out on top on Saturday afternoon? Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers, who appears reinvigorated in recent weeks, or Philippe Clement, the man who arrived at Rangers in October and completed revived the Ibrox outfit?

🇩🇰 Danish Superliga: Brøndby vs. FC København

Elsewhere in Europe, this Sunday, there’s another derby between two city rivals who are virtually neck-and-neck at the top of their respective league. And that comes in Denmark where Copenhagen south siders Brøndby take on FC København.

Here, just a point separates the two sides – in Brøndby’s favour – with four games to go. The Superliga format is similar to Scotland in that the main league has now split in two and this game will mark the second and last meeting between the two rivals during this stage of the campaign.

Brøndby started the second portion of the season with a huge comeback win at FCK, fullback Sean Klaiber scoring a 93rd minute winner against their arch-rivals in a game that finished 2-1. Since then, Brøndby went four games unbeaten, albeit they only picked up one other win, before they then lost to Midtjylland last weekend. København have won their last three to close the gap between the two sides.

Midtjylland also remain in the mix as they sit level on points with København, so in truth, this is really a three-horse race, or four, if you still want to include Nordsjælland who are another two points further back in fourth! Whatever the result, this could be an exciting league to keep an eye on over the next few weeks.

🇩🇪 Bundesliga: Bochum vs. Bayer Leverkusen

We’ve included this game, between a side already crowned Bundesliga champions, and Bochum, who could still do with a win to ease any lingering relegation play-off fears, for one reason only. And that is for you all to make sure you’re following along to see whether Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen can extend their unbeaten season to an amazing half century of games across all competitions.

Leverkusen have been notorious for scoring a lot of late goals in recent weeks, rescuing draws, or winning games from losing positions with an extraordinary knack for persistence, something we coined Xabi-Time in a recent article (here). The 49th game in their run fits this profile perfectly, and it came in the home leg of their Europa League semi-final against Roma on Thursday night. Leading 2-0 from the first leg in Rome, Leverkusen then conceded twice from the penalty spot, meaning the tie was level on aggregate heading in to the final 10 minutes of the game. But then, as they have done on countless occasions recently, Leverkusen pulled one back.

That would have been enough to win the tie, but Alonso’s side were never going to settle for that, they’re aiming for a full invincible season, and so they carried on knocking on the door, eventually equalising through substitute Josip Stanišić in the 97th minute!

Leverkusen, then, are still on for the treble. They have the league in the bag and there’s still the DFB Pokal Final and Europa League Final to come. And for reference, the 49-game unbeaten streak is a European record since the introduction of UEFA club competitions in the mid-1950s.

Plus two further suggestions from a little deeper in your match feed…

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Women’s FA Cup Final: Manchester United vs. Tottenham Hotspur

Sunday’s Women’s FA Cup Final is a notable one in England as it does not include one, or two of Manchester City, Chelsea, or Arsenal – the current top three in the WSL – for the first time since 2005!

Manchester United were the losing finalists last season, when they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea, so they have something to prove in a game that they at least have some recent experience of. Opponents Spurs have never made it this far in the competition and it can be argued that this game is therefore the biggest in their 39-year history.

In the league campaign, United sit fifth in the table, seven points above sixth placed Spurs. And the sides played out a 2-2 draw just a couple of weekends ago, the first time Spurs have managed to take points off United in five previous meetings. United won the earlier fixture this season by four goals to nil.

🏆 AFC Champions League Final, First Leg: Yokohama F. Marinos vs. Al Ain

On Saturday, we get the first leg of the Asian Champions League, a competition that has been raging since 1967. And it’s set to be a big game with Japanese side Yokohama F. Marinos taking on Al Ain, the most successful side to stem from the UAE Pro League.

For all their recent success at home, Yokohama have won two of the last five J.League titles, and finished as runners-up in two of the other three during that period, they have not made a continental final of this magnitude since losing the 1989/90 final. Things haven’t started so well this season under the management of former Socceroo and Premier League stalwart, Harry Kewell, with the side currently sat 11th in the league after 12 rounds.

Al Ain, notably, knocked out Saudi giants Al Hilal in the semi-finals, and saw off Ronaldo’s Al Nassr in the round before that. They too are well off the pace in their domestic league but they appear to have some serious momentum behind them on the continental stage.

If you want to follow any of the games mentioned above, click on the relevant link and tap the bell icon to receive all the key match updates.

Or join us on our Social channels for updates on all the important football going on this weekend – search @FotMob on x, @fotmobapp everywhere else!

Images from IMAGO