We’re midway through July now and for a lot of leagues and tournaments, that means crunch time as the rush to get through the rescheduled games comes to a head. Some titles have already been decided, but for some there’s still plenty to play for so here’s our summary of what to look out for over the next few days.
? Friday Night.
??????? Following the pattern of recent weeks, Friday night has started the weekend off slowly, with perhaps the biggest game in the world being that between West Ham United and Watford in the Premier League.
With just two games to follow this one, this is crucial for both sides if they want to increase their respective 3 point cushion on the teams directly below them in the relegation zone.
??????? There could be a decisive game in the division below too, as any loss of points for West Brom, currently 2nd in the Championship would finally confirm Leeds United’s promotion back to the Premier League, after 16 long years of waiting.
The Baggies will be playing at Leeds’ Yorkshire rivals, Huddersfield Town.
?? In France, PSG are set to continue their preparations for the Champions League re-start next month, with a friendly against 2nd tier Belgian side, Wassland-Beveren. If last week is anything to go by, there may be goals!
?? And some good news from South America, where the Paraguyan Primera becomes the first league on the continent to re-start. The landlocked country has fared better than most during the pandemic, with less than 3,500 confirmed cases.
? Saturday
? The Premier League takes a bit of a back seat this weekend, with the Semi-Finals of the FA Cup set to be played at Wembley.
Saturday sees the first of those games, with Arsenal and Manchester City both desperate to win some silverware this season, or more silverware in City’s case as they’ve already got the League Cup in their locker.
?? Atalanta, the form side on the march in Serie A are the biggest side in action on Saturday – and they could cut the gap to Juventus at the top of the table down to 4 points, if they can extend their unbeaten run to 14 games.
Atalanta play at Hellas Verona.
?? Just something to make you aware of, but we’ve added our much debated player ratings and full stats for Japan’s J-League. So now, you can really keep track of how legends like Andrés Iniesta are getting on! His Vissel Kobe side take on Shimizu S-Pulse tomorrow.
?? The MLS is Back tournament gives us another edition of the fledgling rivalry between LA Galaxy and LAFC tomorrow night, affectionately christened El Tráfico thanks to the city’s notorious highway system.
? Sunday
?? The 2019/20 season in La Liga will come to a close on Sunday, and with Real Madrid having celebrated their 34th league triumph in the week, the attention may shift to the side they face in their final game. The champions are at Leganés, who are in a two-way battle with Celta Vigo to avoid the drop. For their part, Celta are at already relegated Espanyol.
And how will Barcelona fare at Deportivo Alavés after their title challenge fizzled out so disappointingly?
??????? Sunday could be the day that Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds are crowned champions of the England’s second tier. As mentioned, they may already have been promoted due to results elsewhere, but a Leeds victory over Derby County would seal the title with a game to spare.
? Manchester United and Chelsea meet in the second FA Cup Semi-Final. United fans may be confident going in to this one having done the league double over Frank Lampard’s side this season, and already defeating them in the League Cup.
?? In the penultimate round of fixtures, the title is on the line in Turkey’s Süper Lig. And none of the big three sides are involved!
Instead, it’s İstanbul Başakşehir who will confirm their 3rd league triumph in 4 seasons with a win at home to Kayserispor. Any slip-ups combined with a win for 2nd placed Trabzonspor will take it to a dramatic final round.
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