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.
🇪🇸 Espanyol vs. Barcelona
Barcelona could/should confirm their first LaLiga title under the stewardship of legendary player Xavi Hernández over the course of the weekend ending three years of dominance by the clubs from Madrid. They could even do so before having to kick a ball in their game, in Barcelona, on Sunday night.
With a 13 point lead going into the weekend should either Real Madrid drop points against Getafe on Saturday, or Atlético fail to win at Elche, earlier on Sunday, the title will already belong to Barça. Failing that unlikely combination, a win, at city-rivals Espanyol will seal the deal for Xavi and his men, with four rounds to spare.
To do so, at the home of their relegation-threatened neighbours would be another insult in a long line of injustices felt by the less dominant side in the city. But at least Barcelona won’t have far to travel in order to celebrate what will be championship number 27 with their vast fanbase.
🏴 Arsenal vs. Brighton & Hove Albion
We’re going to have to wait a little longer before we have a definitive winner in the Premier League but results this weekend could have a huge impact on the title race. Manchester City and Arsenal are separated by just a point, with City having the advantage of four games left to play – to the Gunner’s three.
With City between legs in their Champions League semi-final battle against Real Madrid, we’ve therefore not selected their league fixture, taking place at Everton on Sunday, as one to follow, but you should really do that anyway. Then settle in for Arsenal’s clash against Brighton taking place at the Emirates straight afterwards.
The travelling Seagulls are still aiming to qualify for European football next season and due to their games in hand, they can mathematically claim a place in the top four, albeit that would require a lot of other results to go their way. Roberto De Zerbi may then have to settle for Europa or Europa Conference League qualification. And upsetting the Gunners, a side they’ve performed well against already this season, will go some way to achieving that.
Arsenal did eventually run away 4-2 winners at Brighton in their last league meeting but that scoreline flattered them somewhat and they were beaten, at home, by Brighton in the Carabao Cup back in November.
🇩🇪 Bayern München vs. Schalke 04
The Bundesliga title race is equally close with Klassiker rivals Bayern and Borussia Dortmund also separated by a single point with three rounds left in the season.
On Saturday current leaders, and 10-time defending champions, Bayern host Dortmund’s other most hated opponents, Schalke, in an afternoon kick-off. With Schalke hovering two points above the relegation zone there should, however, be no fears of them putting out a weakened side and gifting the result to Bayern, in order to scupper the hopes of their regional rivals!
Bayern, a club supposedly in crisis, appear to have steadied the ship with back-to-back wins against Hertha and Werder Bremen in the last couple of weeks but their season has been plagued with slip-ups and another one here would give Dortmund, who play Gladbach later in the day, a chance of replacing them at the top of the table.
🇳🇱 Feyenoord vs. Go Ahead Eagles
It wasn’t so long ago that the Eredivisie was looking set for an epic conclusion with all three of the league’s most famous clubs battling it out for the title. But with crucial wins against their rivals and indifferent form canceling out the threat from PSV and Ajax, it’s Feyenoord who have risen to the top.
So much so that on Sunday, at their famous home, De Kuip, they can seal what will be their 16th Dutch championship with a win over the fabulously named Go Ahead Eagles.
Arne Slot’s side have won their last 11 league matches to put themselves in this position, with three games to spare, and combined that with a run to the quarter-finals of the Europa League and the semi-finals of the KNVB Cup. It’s been a great season for the side from Rotterdam.
🇧🇪 Royal Antwerp vs. Club Brugge
In neighbouring Belgium, Royal Antwerp have also been flying in recent times. In fact, we’d wager that no one in European football has enjoyed a more important run of results since the end of April. Over the course of seven days Antwerp beat KV Mechelen to win the Croky Cup for the fourth time in their history, then won successive league games against the two sides who’d dominated the regular season – Union St. Gillose and Genk.
Those wins saw them overhaul both to go top of the Championship Group as we head towards the half-way point of the decisive second stage of the campaign. On Sunday, they’ll be looking to consolidate that position against fading force Club Brugge.
It’s the three-time defending champions who usually come to the fore in this latter portion of the season but that will not be the case this time around and should Royal Antwerp maintain this hot streak, they could be in line for a first ever league and cup double. And dare we say it, end the 66-year wait for a league title…
Plus two hidden gems from deep in your match feed…
🇺🇸 MLS Rivalry Week: LA Galaxy vs. San Jose Earthquakes
As we know, they like to go big in MLS. And therefore MLS Rivalry Week is something we always pay attention to. The Cali Clásico – LA Galaxy vs. San Jose – is one of, if not, the longest running rivalry in North American football and is one of five derbies being played this weekend with Rivalry Week actually spanning two game weeks.
And ahead of Sunday’s game and perhaps for the first time in a while, it’s the Earthquakes who are in the ascendency. They finished rock bottom of the Western Conference last year but have so far held their own, losing just three of their first 11 in 2023. That contrasts strongly with the Galaxy who since qualifying for the play offs last season have seen their form drop off a cliff. It took them eight rounds to pick up their first win of the campaign but that victory over Austin in April remains their only one in the league to date. Amidst off field problems that have seen calls for both a change in head coach and club president, the Galaxy did however beat Seattle Sounders, with a youthful side in the midweek US Open Cup Fourth Round.
🏴 Women’s FA Cup Final: Chelsea vs. Manchester United
The 2022/23 Women’s Super League season in England has been one of the most interesting since the league’s formation. With just two rounds to go, Manchester United lead defending champions Chelsea by a point, as the club look to win a first ever major trophy.
The Blues closed the gap to United thanks to a thumping 6-0 win over Leicester in midweek and do also have the advantage of having one additional game in hand. All of which points to the welcome distraction of this season’s FA Cup Final, being played at a sold out Wembley Stadium, on Sunday.
United, the relative upstarts, will need to beat Chelsea for the first time in their history should they want to take up this earlier opportunity to break their duck in the trophy department. For Emma Hayes’ superstar side, there’s the possibility of making it a hat-trick of wins in this competition, one that has been running since the 1970s.
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Cover Image from IMAGO