The best action to follow this weekend
Saturday
? Probably the biggest game in club football anywhere in the world will take place at Porto’s Estádio do Dragão this evening, as Manchester City and Chelsea meet in the Champions League Final.
This, the 66th final in the record books will be the third all-English final, with the first coming as recently as 2008 when Manchester United defeated Chelsea on penalties in the Moscow rain.
City may have won the Premier League in three of the last four seasons but famously of course, this is the first time they’ve ever made it to the top European final whilst Chelsea have the collective memory of not only that loss in Russia, but also the triumph over Bayern München four years later. And as they were that season, Chelsea come in to this game as the underdogs.
Make sure you check your TV schedule in the app for a way to watch this one.
??????? Elsewhere, believe it or not there are still other crucial games being played around Europe. Not least in the UK, where Brentford face Swansea City in the so-called richest game in football, the Championship Play-Off Final.
With a place in the Premier League on offer, Brentford will be looking to overcome their record as the side to appear in the most play-offs, up and down the English league system without winning the decisive game (they’ve missed out nice times). Victory would mean the Bees return to the top flight for the first time since 1947 with Welsh club, Swansea looking to get back to the promised land where they have spent seven of the past 10 seasons.
?? There is also an important play-off game in Germany where the side who finishes third from bottom in the Bundesliga traditionally plays off against the team that finishes third in the 2. Bundesliga, hoping to save themselves from relegation. FC Köln have that task today, in fact their predicament is even worse as they lost the first-leg of this season’s play-off against Holstein Kiel, going down 1-0 at home in midweek. Today’s game is the all-important return leg.
Under the current format, the incumbent top flight team has only failed to maintain their top flight status three times since 2008, so the Billy Goats do at least have the weight of history on their side.
Sunday
?? As we edge towards a European summer that not only includes the Euros but also tournaments like the Copa America, Gold Cup and important World Cup qualifiers, you will start to see international friendlies being listed in the app.
For example, tomorrow sees the United States play against Switzerland in St. Gallen and the shots of the USMNT training in the alps ahead of the game have been lighting up social media this week.
?? Back in the CONCACAF region itself, the second leg of the Clausura final between Cruz Azul and Santos Laguna will conclude the current campaign in Mexico tomorrow evening.
Cruz Azul, who finished the regular season top of the league hold a narrow 1-0 lead over Santos after a nervy 90 minutes played out on Thursday night. If they can back that up on Sunday, they will win their ninth title in Liga MX.
?? And finally, this weekend marks the start of the 2021 Brasileirão, one of the biggest leagues in South America.
On Sunday, back-to-back Brazilian champions Flamengo start their latest title defence against Palmeiras, current holders of the Copa Libertadores, the continents’ biggest prize of all. Right up until last weekend both clubs were involved in their respective state championships so don’t expect them to come into this game cold.
Flamengo defeated Rio-rivals Fluminense to win the Campeonato Carioca but Palmerias suffered defeat at the hands of their old enemies São Paulo, in the equivalent final of the Paulista.
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