This Weekend: European Titles on the Line

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The best action to follow this weekend


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Saturday

?? With the Bundesliga and Ligue 1 already settled – La Liga should be the next major title to fall in the European season. Real Madrid need just a point, against lowly Espanyol, to confirm what will be their 35th Spanish title.

As confirmation of their dominance this season – this will be the first time they’ve won the league with as many as four games to spare since 1990. And with the capital preparing for a wild night of celebration, the title would also be a significant landmark for coach Carlo Ancelotti. He will complete his set of league honours in all five of Europe’s top leagues.

Look out for some significant changes to his line-up though, as Ancelotti has one eye on the second leg of their Champions League semi-final – against Manchester City on Wednesday.

Elsewhere in La Liga, watch out for the derby between city rivals – Valencia and Levante. The visitors are deep in relegation trouble, six points from safety and will be fighting for anything they can get.

??????? It’s a busy day in the Premier League but with so little separating Man City and Liverpool points-wise – nothing will be decided this weekend. Both of England’s Champions League semi-finalists are in action on Saturday though – with Liverpool featuring in the early kick-off, against in-form Newcastle United.

For their part, City visit Jesse Marsch’s Leeds United later in the day. The home side are by no means free from relegation concerns, so that should be a competitive game. Amongst the four other fixtures scheduled – the ‘six-pointer’ between Watford and manager-less, but by no means rudderless Burnley, is the most crucial.

? Both semi-finals in the Women’s Champions League will be played to a conclusion on Saturday evening, albeit – one does already feel like it’s settled.

Wolfsburg need a miracle if they’re to overturn the 5-1 first leg deficit against reigning champions Barcelona. The Catalan side haven’t lost a game in the Spanish league, or the Champions League this season, scoring a grand total of 183 goals in the process.

The other tie, between fierce French rivals PSG and Lyon does however look like being a close-fought game. Lyon lead 3-2 but the Parisians will be confident of producing a result in front of their passionate fanbase.

?? With Bayern wrapping up their 10th straight Bundesliga title in Der Klassiker last weekend, Saturday is all about their beaten rivals, Dortmund securing second place. A point, at home against Bochum would be enough but you can guarantee boss Marco Rose will want to end the season on a high in this – the first of their three remaining games.

The Champions play away at Mainz, who sit mid-table and without a win in their last five. Chance then, for Robert Lewandowski to add to his 33 league goals this season?

?? It should be a historic day in Turkish football, as Trabzonspor look for the points they need to secure their first Süper Lig title since way back in 1984. And if nearest rivals Fenerbahçe drop points on Friday night, Trabzonspor’s result – at home against Antalyaspor would be academic, they’ll have already won it!

Should it go their way, in either scenario, you can prepare for your social media timelines to be full of ecstatic Trabzonspor supporters.


Sunday

?? Napoli’s dip in form and Inter’s surprise midweek defeat to Bologna has left Milan with a two-point cushion at the top of Serie A. During the second half of the Serie A season, with the table being so congested – that constitutes a massive lead.

On Sunday, Milan face seventh placed, and usually competitive Fiorentina at the San Siro, whist Inter travel to Udinese – where they haven’t lost since 2013.

Juventus, who now look nailed on for a Champions League spot, feature in the early kick-off against bottom-side, Venezia.

??????? There’s three games in the Premier League on Sunday, where Frank Lampard’s Everton can expect no favours from former-side Chelsea – where he’s a club legend, in their bid to avoid the drop.

Elsewhere, the storylines are all about the battle for European places. Spurs could move in to the top four, at least for a couple of hours ahead of Arsenal’s trip to West Ham later in the day. Antonio Conte’s side face Leicester at home, the team Steven Bergwijn scored two injury-time goals to defeat at the King Power back in January.

Europa League semi-finalists, West Ham have a place in the top six in their sights – something that would guarantee them another tilt at the same competition next season. For their opponents Arsenal, the focus is staying above their North London rivals with a win.

??????? In Scotland, the peculiarities of the split-season format mean that we have the third instalment of the Old Firm Derby to be played within the past month.

Celtic beat Rangers back on April 3, to take what looked like a decisive lead in the league table whilst Rangers got their revenge – overcoming their rivals, after extra-time in the semi-finals of the Cup on April 17. Now, Rangers must raise themselves again, forced to play this game in between the two legs of their Europa League semi-final against RB Leipzig!

?? Sunday’s one fixture of note in La Liga comes as Xavi’s Barcelona take on Mallorca at Camp Nou.

Barca’s fans won’t be happy with a repeat of last weekend’s home defeat to Rayo Vallecano – that result being the reason Real Madrid have been afforded the opportunity the win the league so early in the season.

?? Another European title is on the line this weekend, this time with Sunday’s showdown between FC Basel and FC Zürich in Switzerland. The Super League has been a duopoly, won only by Basel or Young Boys in each of the past 12 seasons.

Now, Zürich – who were the last (other) team to win the league back in 2009, have the chance to break that cycle. But only if they take three points, at nearest rivals FC Basel!

? Away from league action, there are a couple of Cup Finals to point you in the direction of.

In Austria, Salzburg could seal an eighth league and cup double in the last nine seasons – should they overcome SV Reid in the final of the ÖFB Cup. A win for Reid would therefore constitute a massive upset. The side only returned to the top flight last season and currently sit second from bottom, in the Relegation Group standings.

And in Norway, we have the delayed 2021 final of the Cupen. Normally played at the end of our season, which remember is a summer tournament, last year’s format had to be adjusted due to coronavirus restrictions. That means we have the spectacle of Bodø/Glimt – playing in their first final since 2003, against Molde – who last won it back in 2014.


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 Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to discuss all the important football going on this weekend!

Cover Image from IMAGO

This Weekend: European Titles on the Line

The best action to follow this weekend


If you would like to receive this weekly preview direct to your inbox, sign up to our FREE mailing list by clicking here.


Saturday

?? With the Bundesliga and Ligue 1 already settled – La Liga should be the next major title to fall in the European season. Real Madrid need just a point, against lowly Espanyol, to confirm what will be their 35th Spanish title.

As confirmation of their dominance this season – this will be the first time they’ve won the league with as many as four games to spare since 1990. And with the capital preparing for a wild night of celebration, the title would also be a significant landmark for coach Carlo Ancelotti. He will complete his set of league honours in all five of Europe’s top leagues.

Look out for some significant changes to his line-up though, as Ancelotti has one eye on the second leg of their Champions League semi-final – against Manchester City on Wednesday.

Elsewhere in La Liga, watch out for the derby between city rivals – Valencia and Levante. The visitors are deep in relegation trouble, six points from safety and will be fighting for anything they can get.

??????? It’s a busy day in the Premier League but with so little separating Man City and Liverpool points-wise – nothing will be decided this weekend. Both of England’s Champions League semi-finalists are in action on Saturday though – with Liverpool featuring in the early kick-off, against in-form Newcastle United.

For their part, City visit Jesse Marsch’s Leeds United later in the day. The home side are by no means free from relegation concerns, so that should be a competitive game. Amongst the four other fixtures scheduled – the ‘six-pointer’ between Watford and manager-less, but by no means rudderless Burnley, is the most crucial.

? Both semi-finals in the Women’s Champions League will be played to a conclusion on Saturday evening, albeit – one does already feel like it’s settled.

Wolfsburg need a miracle if they’re to overturn the 5-1 first leg deficit against reigning champions Barcelona. The Catalan side haven’t lost a game in the Spanish league, or the Champions League this season, scoring a grand total of 183 goals in the process.

The other tie, between fierce French rivals PSG and Lyon does however look like being a close-fought game. Lyon lead 3-2 but the Parisians will be confident of producing a result in front of their passionate fanbase.

?? With Bayern wrapping up their 10th straight Bundesliga title in Der Klassiker last weekend, Saturday is all about their beaten rivals, Dortmund securing second place. A point, at home against Bochum would be enough but you can guarantee boss Marco Rose will want to end the season on a high in this – the first of their three remaining games.

The Champions play away at Mainz, who sit mid-table and without a win in their last five. Chance then, for Robert Lewandowski to add to his 33 league goals this season?

?? It should be a historic day in Turkish football, as Trabzonspor look for the points they need to secure their first Süper Lig title since way back in 1984. And if nearest rivals Fenerbahçe drop points on Friday night, Trabzonspor’s result – at home against Antalyaspor would be academic, they’ll have already won it!

Should it go their way, in either scenario, you can prepare for your social media timelines to be full of ecstatic Trabzonspor supporters.


Sunday

?? Napoli’s dip in form and Inter’s surprise midweek defeat to Bologna has left Milan with a two-point cushion at the top of Serie A. During the second half of the Serie A season, with the table being so congested – that constitutes a massive lead.

On Sunday, Milan face seventh placed, and usually competitive Fiorentina at the San Siro, whist Inter travel to Udinese – where they haven’t lost since 2013.

Juventus, who now look nailed on for a Champions League spot, feature in the early kick-off against bottom-side, Venezia.

??????? There’s three games in the Premier League on Sunday, where Frank Lampard’s Everton can expect no favours from former-side Chelsea – where he’s a club legend, in their bid to avoid the drop.

Elsewhere, the storylines are all about the battle for European places. Spurs could move in to the top four, at least for a couple of hours ahead of Arsenal’s trip to West Ham later in the day. Antonio Conte’s side face Leicester at home, the team Steven Bergwijn scored two injury-time goals to defeat at the King Power back in January.

Europa League semi-finalists, West Ham have a place in the top six in their sights – something that would guarantee them another tilt at the same competition next season. For their opponents Arsenal, the focus is staying above their North London rivals with a win.

??????? In Scotland, the peculiarities of the split-season format mean that we have the third instalment of the Old Firm Derby to be played within the past month.

Celtic beat Rangers back on April 3, to take what looked like a decisive lead in the league table whilst Rangers got their revenge – overcoming their rivals, after extra-time in the semi-finals of the Cup on April 17. Now, Rangers must raise themselves again, forced to play this game in between the two legs of their Europa League semi-final against RB Leipzig!

?? Sunday’s one fixture of note in La Liga comes as Xavi’s Barcelona take on Mallorca at Camp Nou.

Barca’s fans won’t be happy with a repeat of last weekend’s home defeat to Rayo Vallecano – that result being the reason Real Madrid have been afforded the opportunity the win the league so early in the season.

?? Another European title is on the line this weekend, this time with Sunday’s showdown between FC Basel and FC Zürich in Switzerland. The Super League has been a duopoly, won only by Basel or Young Boys in each of the past 12 seasons.

Now, Zürich – who were the last (other) team to win the league back in 2009, have the chance to break that cycle. But only if they take three points, at nearest rivals FC Basel!

? Away from league action, there are a couple of Cup Finals to point you in the direction of.

In Austria, Salzburg could seal an eighth league and cup double in the last nine seasons – should they overcome SV Reid in the final of the ÖFB Cup. A win for Reid would therefore constitute a massive upset. The side only returned to the top flight last season and currently sit second from bottom, in the Relegation Group standings.

And in Norway, we have the delayed 2021 final of the Cupen. Normally played at the end of our season, which remember is a summer tournament, last year’s format had to be adjusted due to coronavirus restrictions. That means we have the spectacle of Bodø/Glimt – playing in their first final since 2003, against Molde – who last won it back in 2014.


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 Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to discuss all the important football going on this weekend!

Cover Image from IMAGO