This Weekend: Everything you need to know in 5 minutes

This Weekend: Everything you need to know in 5 minutes

Welcome to our regular guide to what’s going on in world football across the weekend. This one is kind of a biggy, what with both of UEFA’s showpiece finals coming just 48 hours apart but as usual, there’s plenty going on elsewhere to get stuck into for the obsessional, or just plain inquisitive fans of the beautiful game.


? Friday Night

? This is the big one tonight, no doubt about it as Sevilla and Inter contest the 49th Europa League Final.

Famously, Sevilla are no strangers to this stage as five times winners of the competition, both under its former guise as the UEFA Cup and since the re-brand. They won three back-to-back between 2014 and 2016 so Antonio Conte’s side are facing some real pedigree.

View this post on Instagram

#UELfinal Day. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ In the week that next season’s Europa League odyssey began, it’s finally time to settle this year’s competition. The #UELfinal pits Sevilla, the best side in the history of the competition against Inter, many people’s favourites since they dropped out of the Champions League.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This will be the 49th time Europe’s second most important club tournament has been run, with this game taking place in Cologne, Germany.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Inter are looking to this final to validate what’s been a massive season of improvement, but disappointment for them – having seen their Serie A title bid run close, losing out in the Coppa Italia at the semi-final stage plus that early knock-out in the Champions League. ?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ For Sevilla, the Europa League brings something special out of the team – regardless of the players involved and who’s in the dugout. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ It’s fair to say they’re pretty focussed on the goal of picking up a SIXTH tournament win, extending their own record in the process. ?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ? Check our TV schedule in the app to see where you can watch this one.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ :⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ :⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ : ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #FotMob #FotMobApp #AlwaysFootball #ThePulseOfFootball ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #Football #Futbol #Soccer #Fotball #Calcio #Fußball #UELFinal #UEL #EuropaLeague #SEVINT #Sevilla #Inter

A post shared by FotMob (@fotmobapp) on

? Elsewhere in top European competition, UEFA’s Women’s Champions League returns with the start of the quarter-finals.

The games are played in another mini-tournament setting, this time at the homes of Basque La Liga sides, Athletic Club and Real Sociedad. And today, Glasgow City face German champions, Wolfsburg whilst Spain’s two biggest sides go head-to-head – Atlético Madrid vs. Barcelona.

You should be able to watch both games via UEFA.com, or via official club channels.

? And in US football, there’s the beginnings of a new rivalry starting tonight as New Amsterdam FC, formed just this year and based in the Bronx go up against New York Cosmos, one of the more established names competing in the NISA League.


? Saturday

?? League football returns to French soil this weekend with the start of the 2020/21 Ligue 1 season. Bordeaux get proceedings underway tonight, but in tomorrow’s biggest game there’s a chance to see how Lille are shaping up when they play Rennes.

https://twitter.com/FotMob/status/1283690643815112704

?? We like to call this one the big cat derby, but it’s not really a term that’s caught on to be honest. El Classico Universitario is the name more often given to tomorrow’s clash between Liga MX’s two biggest university sides – Tigres vs. Pumas.

?? It’s also Derby Day in the MLS where the league, now back in to the regular campaign after the recent one-off tournament in Florida throws up another edition of El Tráfico, LA Galaxy vs. LAFC.

It’s a game that usually guarantees goals so you can blame it on FotMob if this one turns out to be a damp squib.

? In one of those strange coincidences that football does so well, tomorrow also features a re-match, of sorts for fans of Lyon and Bayern München. This time, their respective sides meet in the quarter-finals of the Women’s Champions League.


? Sunday

? In case you’ve been living under a rock for the last few weeks, you’ll already know all about Sunday’s top game!

It is of course, the 65th Champions League Final – featuring for the very first time, French champions Paris Saint-Germain up against tournament stalwarts, Bayern München.

Bayern have been all-conquering so far in the competition, racking up 42 goals in the 10 games they’ve played, with Robert Lewandowski scoring at least once in each of them. But PSG have surprised a few teams along the way and with their attacking trio of Mbappé, Neymar and Di María restored to the starting line-up in this week’s semi-final against Leipzig, it’s far too soon to write them off.

?? If that wasn’t enough action for you on Sunday, there’s another derby in the MLS as Portland Timbers, recent winners of the league’s comeback tournament in Florida go up against old rivals Seattle Sounders, the current holders of the regular MLS Cup.

?? And lastly, the biggest game in Ecuadorian football takes place on Sunday night where Shipyard rivals, Barcelona and Emelec meet at the 52,000 capacity Estadio Monumental in Guayaquil, the country’s second city.

The atmosphere is usually electric at Barcelona so it will be a real shame to see the game take place behind closed doors.


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!

Posted by Bill Biss
Rose Lavelle joins Man City

Rose Lavelle joins Man City

The #USWNT star has confirmed her much anticipated move to the WSL, where she will re-unite with fellow World Cup winnner, Sam Mewis at Manchester City.


?? Lavelle, who starred for the Washington Spirit in the recent NWSL Challenge Cup was the subject of a domestic trade just last week in anticipation of her move abroad, with OL Reign announcing that they would hold the rights to the player’s contract should she eventually return home.

??????? But for now, Lavelle will be joining up with her new teammates at one of England’s biggest clubs as Manchester City look forward to the new FA WSL season set to start early next month.


If you would like to follow Manchester City’s progress in the FA WSL, you can favourite Rose Lavelle’s new side by clicking – here.

Or to keep track of everything that’s going on in the FA WSL, head here and hit that star in the top right!

Posted by Bill Biss
This Weekend: Everything you need to know in 5 minutes

This Weekend: Everything you need to know in 5 minutes

We’re another week deep into the August marathon of Champions League and Europa League action from the mini-tournaments being held in Portugal and Germany. And we hope you’re loving it as much as we are!

For this weekend’s preview we are, of course focusing on the headline game from the app each day but we thought you might also want to hear about a few other matches that are going on in the various leagues running around the world.


? Friday Night

?? The Estádio da Luz, usually home to Benfica plays host to tonight’s biggest game. In fact, it’s probably the most anticipated of the Champions League quarter-finals. Barcelona meet Bayern München in a clash between the only two sides left in the competition who’ve actually won it in the past. It also gives us a meeting between two of the world’s greatest forwards – Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski.

The two have 16 goals between them in this season’s competition with the Pole scoring 13 of them, and if stats are your thing – Lewandowski is leading the way in a lot of ours.

Make sure you check our TV schedule so you don’t miss this one wherever you are!

?? Meanwhile, in Italy there are still some important details to sort out ahead of the next season there. In Serie B for instance, there are ongoing play-offs for both promotion to the elite level and relegation to the third tier. And tonight we’ll see whether Pescara, and their excellent kit designed by a 6-year-old boy can hold on to their place in the league. They currently have a 2-1 advantage over Perugia heading into tonight’s second leg.

?? Here in Norway, there’s also an interesting match-up in our second tier. Trømso currently lead the table, taking their relegation from last season’s Eliteserian to heart by winning their first eight games straight! Tonight they take on Grorud a side managed by Eirik Kjønø, a young coach as addicted to Football Manager as we are.


? Saturday

?? Back in Portugal, the last of the four Champions League semi-finalists will be decided when Manchester City meet Lyon at the Estádio José Alvalade (home to Sporting).

Lyon, with just one competitive game under their belts since March pulled off an unlikely victory, on away goals in the last round – upsetting Juventus to set up this tie. But will they be able to stop City’s array of attacking talent, who pressed so hard to bring about Real Madrid’s downfall in their game last week?

Whoever gets through this will go on to face the winners of Friday’s clash between Barça and Bayern in the final four.

Elsewhere, we have a big day of North American football to look forward to.

?? In Canada, the Island Games – a bubble like tournament got underway this week and will now form the full second season of the fledgling Canadian Premier League.

And on Saturday, we’ll get a first look at expansion club Atlético Ottawa, as the side owned by their famous namesakes in La Liga play their inaugural game against York 9, one of the favourites for this season’s championship.

?? And following a surge of requests from our users in the US, we’ve made the bold step of adding a brand new competition to the app! The NISA league sits at the 3rd tier of football in the States and is now home to one of the country’s most historic clubs.

Which means you’ll be able to follow New York Cosmos, formally home to all-time greats like Pelé and Raúl as they play Michigan Stars tomorrow evening.

?? And in Australia, where the A League’s regular season is now coming to a close, Premier Plate winners, Sydney FC have one more game to get through – tomorrow, against Alessandro Diamanti’s Western United before we move on to the play-offs, taking place later this month.,


? Sunday

After four days of back-to-back Champions League action, it’s the turn of the Europa League to take centre-stage on Sunday.

?? In the first of the semi-finals, Sevilla will face Manchester United in Cologne with the Europa League specialists looking to reach their fourth final in seven years.

The Spanish side have won five editions of the competition in total, more than anyone else, with a famous hat-trick of wins coming between 2014 and 2016. Manchester United actually won the next Final, defeating Ajax in 2017 so they’ll be plenty of pedigree on show in this one. ?


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!

Posted by Bill Biss
This Weekend: Everything you need to know in 5 minutes

This Weekend: Everything you need to know in 5 minutes

You can hear it can’t you? That familiar build, that crescendo, that chorus that makes you sing along like ‘THE CHAAAAAAAAAAAMPIONS – that’s right, the UEFA Champions League is back, and will dominate the agenda over the coming days.

But wait, there is other important stuff going on too, so let us talk you through the weekend!


? Friday Night

Tonight we’ll see two of the final Champions League Round of 16 games left to be resolved from before the pandemic put a hold on the competition.

??????? Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City have waited 5 months to defend the 2-1 lead they earned in the first leg of their tie against Real Madrid. Since then, Zinedine Zidane has marshalled Madrid to the Spanish league title and their form has looked rather ominous. This game is poised!

?? And the same could be said for tonight’s other Champions League game in Turin, where newly crowned Serie A champions Juventus need to overturn a 1-0 deficit to Lyon if they want to progress to next week’s final tournament. The French club have only played one competitive game since lockdown, taking PSG to an eventual penalty shoot-out defeat in the Coupe de la Ligue Final last weekend.

?? Whilst UEFA’s premier competition runs to a conclusion over the next few weeks, a lot of domestic European leagues are actually just about to start their next season.

And in Bulgaria, they’ve come up with a crazy opening fixture.


? Saturday

?? There is a lot more to get excited about in the Champions League tomorrow, with perhaps the biggest game taking place at the Nou Camp.

Can Barcelona pull themselves together to get past Gennaro Gattuso’s spirited Napoli side? The 1st leg, way back in February ended in a cagy 1-1 draw but we’re hoping for more fireworks from Lionel Messi and co. in the return game.

?? Meanwhile, Chelsea fans will be dreaming of a miracle in Munich where their side take to the field 3-0 against the now double-winning Germans, Bayern. Stranger things have happened in this competition, especially in recent seasons so Frank Lampard won’t be throwing in the towel just yet.

?? Elsewhere, and believe it or not but next year’s Champions League will be getting underway in Switzerland – yes, right when we’re in the midst of all this season’s drama!

A 4-team mini-tournament, involving the league winners from Northern Ireland, Andorra, Kosovo and San Marino acts as the Preliminary round of qualifying, with the winning side moving through to the first round of qualifying proper.

?? In Japan, the J.League is now back in full swing and there will be a full fixture list to keep an eye on over the weekend. Leaders Kawasaki Frontale take on Oita Trinita whilst Andrés Iniesta’s inconsistent Vissel Kobe host Vegalta Sendai.


? Sunday

?? After a delay of about 3 months, one of South America’s biggest domestic leagues – the Brasileiro finally begins its 2020 season on Sunday.

Defending champions Flamengo start with a big game against fellow giants, Atlético Mineiro at what will be an empty Maracaña stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

??????? Rangers and Celtic both got off to winnings starts when the new Scottish Premiership season got underway last weekend but we’ll have to wait until Sunday to see if each side can build on that.

Rangers play St. Mirren at Ibrox whilst Celtic are on the road at Kilmarnock.

?? And Sunday is derby day in Stockholm where Djurgården and Hammarby meet at their shared home, the Tele2 Arena.


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!

Posted by Bill Biss
This Weekend: Everything you need to know in 5 minutes

This Weekend: Everything you need to know in 5 minutes

We’ve made it through to the end of July, and with that the climax of some of Europe’s major leagues ahead of an action packed August – which will see the culmination of both the Champions and Europa League. Plus, we’ll still be bringing you all the goals from all the regular league competitions that are ongoing around the world.

But back to this weekend, and all the matches you should be looking out for in the coming days!


? Friday Night

?? Another week and it’s another domestic Cup final for French giants PSG. Tonight, the Parisian side look to complete a domestic treble as they take on Lyon for the Coupe de la Ligue crown.

PSG’s 1-0 victory over Saint Etienne in the final of the Coupe de France last weekend didn’t come without cost – namely, the injury to Kylian Mbappé so they’ll be looking to get through this one with the minimum of fuss. For Lyon’s part, they’ll be looking for their first silverware since 2012.

?? Like France, the Netherlands was another country where the league season was suspended back in March, just at the onset of the pandemic. But unlike many of their European cousins, the Dutch authorities have yet to sanction the return of competitive action – instead, we have a new interim friendly tournament.

The Eredivisie Comeback competition features sides from the top two divisions and starts tonight, with a game between MVV Maastricht and ADO Den Haag. You’ll have to wait until tomorrow to see how Arjen Robben gets on having come out of retirement to join boyhood club, FC Groningen.

?? Traditionally a summer league, the top division in Ireland is also returning to the app today as the new 2020 season gets underway. There’s two games tonight, and we’ll be hoping for more of this as Dundalk take on St. Patrick’s Athletic.


? Saturday

??????? In the long history of the FA Cup, the world’s oldest national competition there’s never been a final played this late in the year.

So tomorrow’s meeting between London rivals, Arsenal and Chelsea – in what will be the 139th FA Cup Final is a particularly special occasion. Arsenal already hold the all-time record for most tournament wins, so they’ll be looking to add to their 13 previous titles whilst Chelsea, after their top four finish in the league will be trying to cap their domestic season with a 9th Cup win.

?? Tomorrow will see the start of the final round in Serie A’s most difficult of seasons. Top spot may already be taken, with Juve earning their 9th straight title but below them – there’s a three way battle for second.

Atalanta (3rd) vs. Inter (2nd) will be the headline game, it being a straight shoot out for that runners-up place but Lazio (4th) could leapfrog them both if they win and the game in Bergamo ends in a draw.

??????? We also welcome back the Scottish Premiership tomorrow, with the league beginning its new campaign. Aberdeen and Rangers were sat 3rd and 2nd in the table, respectively when the last season was suspended and ultimately awarded to Celtic back in March.

Now, the two sides meet at Pittodrie to start the new season with a bang.

?? In Portugal, FC Porto have had the upper hand over Benfica all year – beating them home and away in a league campaign in which they finished 5 points clear of their rivals. Tomorrow though, the side from Lisbon will have a chance of revenge in the final of the Taça de Portugal.

Benfica will be boosted by the return of former-manager Jorge Jesus, who has just ended an epic 13-month spell with Flamengo to come back to restore the club’s fortunes. He won 5 major honours during his time in Brazil, and also provided this priceless content.


? Sunday

?? On the last day of the season in Italy, two clubs will be fighting over the 3rd and final relegation spot. The maths is fairly simple – Lecce need to beat Parma and hope that betters the result that Genoa earn against Hellas Verona.

??????? If you’re after a game of equal importance but perhaps at a lower tier, the Play-Off Final in England’s National League might be of interest. This is the game that decides the second promotion spot from the top flight of non-league to the English Football League itself – and it will feature the oldest professional side from anywhere in the world!

Established in 1862, Notts County have fallen on hard times of late, but on Sunday – they have the chance to return to the league structure which they helped found in the 1880s. Opposition side, Harrogate Town are looking to enter the upper echelons of the professional game for the very first time. ?


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!

Posted by Bill Biss
FotMob’s EPL Team of the Season

FotMob’s EPL Team of the Season

We let you have 48 hours to digest the final day of the campaign, but now it’s time to bring you our Team of the Season for the English top flight!

Our team is based on the best average FotMob player rating for each position in a basic 4-3-3 formation.


? As you’d expect, the runaway champions provide the majority of the side with Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson joined by 5 of his teammates.

⭐️ It’s Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne though, who boasted our highest average rating of the season. His record-equalling achievement of 20 assists, not to mention the 13 goals he scored himself set him apart from his peers, earning him an overall rating of 7.97 which for the sake of the graphic here, we’ve rounded up to 8.0.

⚽️ In the forward line, we’ve included Marcus Rashford in a central role – his rating of 7.44 making him our 3rd best striker and therefore the player we decided to move in from his more common position on the left – leaving Sadio Mané and Mo Salah in their regular spots.

? Please remember – if you want to take a more detailed look at all of the stats we have for the Premier League season, head for the league profile in your app – or click here.



For more of this kind of thing, make sure you give us a follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Posted by Bill Biss
This Weekend: Everything you need to know in 5 minutes

This Weekend: Everything you need to know in 5 minutes

The weekend is here again and with it, a whole host of key match ups in leagues across the world. Here, we try and pick out the best of them to explain why these games are worth a follow in the app.


? Friday Night.

?? Tonight, there’s competitive top quality football in France for the first time since the country locked down, with the Final of the Coupe de France.

Two famous names are in the final, but in Saint Étienne, one who’s glory days are somewhat behind them – with their last win in France’s premier Cup competition coming way back in 1977.

PSG have already been awarded the league and are now chasing a domestic treble with two finals – this one and the Coupe de la Ligue due before the re-start of the Champions League in which they still have a vested interest.

?? Thanks to a shock defeat for Juventus on Thursday evening, Atalanta’s outside shot at the Serie A table have been given a boost. They currently sit in 2nd and could cut their deficit down to just 3 points, if they manage to beat a much improved Milan side at the San Siro this evening.

?? And there’s silverware on the line in Poland, where they too, have a Cup Final. Cracovia take on reigning champions, Lechia Gdańsk in the city of Lublin. Amazingly, despite being the country’s oldest team in existence and having five league titles to their name – Cracovia have never won this competition.


? Saturday

?? The Portuguese league organisers clearly wanted to end their extended season with a bang when they planned out the post-lockdown fixtures – scheduling games between the country’s big four for the final weekend.

As it happens, FC Porto have already wrapped up the league – and only their opponents, 4th placed Braga can move up a position if the key results favour them on Saturday.

For Benfica (2nd) and Sporting (3rd), there’s just the small matter of local pride as the two Lisbon clubs meet in one of Europe’s most famous derbies.

https://twitter.com/FotMob/status/1285336641519968256

?? There’s only three games in Serie A tomorrow, so Inter’s trip to Genoa will take centre-stage. Having looked the most likely challengers to Juve’s dominance this season, they’ve stumbled since the restart – but along with Atalanta, could mathematically still catch them!

?? The Chinese Super League season has obviously been delayed this year – but will finally get underway on Saturday. The 16 teams have been split into two groups and will play all their games in a single city assigned to each group, before a knock-out series planned for later in the year. Reigning champions Guangzhou Evergrande kick things off against Shanghai Shenhua.

?? In Russia, there’s another Cup Final to tell you about as league champions and dominant domestic force, Zenit St. Petersburg take on FC Khimki.

Khimki, hailing from just outside Moscow are a second division team but they too have already enjoyed a successful season as they were awarded promotion for being in 2nd place at the time of the league’s suspension.

https://twitter.com/FotMob/status/1281218927331336194


? Sunday

??????? We’ll be closing the weekend in some style with what will be an action-packed final day of the English Premier League. First and second may be locked in, but there’s so much else left to sort out!

Leicester City vs. Manchester United is the key game at the top, with the result vital to the aspirations of up to five clubs hoping to qualify for European football next season. Whoever wins that one will be guaranteed a place in the Champions League.

A Manchester United win would be good news for Chelsea too, as that would assure them 4th place regardless of their result against Wolves – themselves looking to secure their place in the Europa League.

At the bottom, only one of Aston Villa, Watford or Bournemouth can survive.

Watford go to Arsenal needing to better Villa’s result at West Ham, or hope Villa lose by 2 or more goals. AFC Bournemouth are the side most at risk but they could still stay up on goal difference, if they win at Everton and both their relegation rivals lose.

?? Back to Serie A, and despite what we’ve said elsewhere – Juventus could finally win their 9th straight title when they host Sampdoria on Sunday. That’s with the right combination of results for the chasing pack and thanks to the leagues use of head-to-head records rather than goal difference in tie-break situations.

?? Lastly, there’s a great looking game in our local league, the Eliteserien. The two unbeaten sides go head-to-head with leaders Bodø/Glimt facing defending champions and second placed, Molde. The home side have scored an astonishing 35 goals in 9 games so far and Molde too are averaging over 3 goals a game.


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!

Posted by Bill Biss
This Weekend: Everything you need to know in 5 minutes

This Weekend: Everything you need to know in 5 minutes

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.


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!

Posted by Bill Biss
FotMob’s EPL Team of the Week

FotMob’s EPL Team of the Week

Here’s the FotMob TOTW for the latest round of games in the Premier League.

Southampton’s last gasp equaliser at Old Trafford drew the latest round of Premier League action to a dramatic close last night, ensuring that with 3 games to go – there’s still plenty to play for in the race to qualify for the Champions League.


? Our side is dominated by the two sides who won big over the weekend, with 4 City players and 3 from West Ham United earning the highest rating in their respective positions.

⭐️ Somehow we still managed to find something wrong with Michail Antonio’s 4-goal starring role for the Hammers, but he still top-rated with a 9.7.

⚽️⚽️⚽️ That was matched by Raheem Sterling, who scored his 3rd hat-trick of the campaign for Manchester City.

? Dean Henderson bagged his 2nd clean sheet in a row, and his 13th of the season as Sheffield United upset Chelsea at Bramall Lane.


For more of this kind of thing, make sure you give us a follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Posted by Bill Biss
This Weekend: Everything you need to know in 5 minutes

This Weekend: Everything you need to know in 5 minutes

With the amount of midweek football taking place in the world’s biggest leagues, you may be surprised to hear that the weekend – traditionally home to the majority of fixtures is here once again! And with it comes our usual guide to the games that may pique your interest over the next few days.


? Friday Night.

?? There are two matches in La Liga tonight – Real Sociedad, out of sorts since the re-start host mid-table Granada and league leaders, Real Madrid play Deportivo Alavés.

Zidane’s side have won all seven on their games since the league resumed, the last four without conceding a goal and if they win another one tonight, they’ll re-open a 4 point lead over Barcelona at the top of the table.

?? The imaginatively entitled, MLS is Back Tournament got underway this week, with all the league’s clubs shielded away from the rest of the US in the bubble of ESPN’s Wide World of Sports complex at Disney World, Florida.

The tournament features a 3 match group stage, with results counting to the overall season before a straight knock-out competition. Tonight’s headline game gives us a chance to see 2019 champions Seattle Sounders open their account in Group B, against San Jose Earthquakes.

?? And for Premier League fans of a certain age, there will be an instantly recognisable name on the team sheet of Alta IF, a third tier Norwegian side who are set to start their season against Tromsdalen later today.

The club, based in the second most northernly city in the world have signed 38-year-old, former Blackburn Rovers hero, Morten Gamst Pedersen.


? Saturday

??????? The top three all play in the Premier League on Saturday and we may see the season’s first casualty.

If Watford pick up so much as a point at home to Newcastle United, Norwich City will be relegated – regardless of the result of their game against West Ham.

At the top, Liverpool continue their quest to reach 100 points in their epic season as they take on Burnley whilst Manchester City and Chelsea are on the road, at Brighton and Sheffield United respectively.

?? There’s a top of the table clash in Serie A, where Juventus will take on Atalanta, a side even more on form than themselves! Across all competitions, the side from Bergamo are unbeaten in 13, winning 12 of those dating back to January.

?? Only 3 La Liga games to look forward to on Saturday, but one of them will see Barcelona go to Real Valladolid looking to either close the gap on Real Madrid, or indeed overtake them if there’s any slip ups in their game tonight.

?? Following on from the NWSL and the MLS, one of our favourite US leagues – the USL Championship will return over the weekend. On Saturday night, we’ll see how last year’s champions, Real Monarchs – the B side of Real Salt Lake have handled the extended break as they get back underway against Landon Donovan’s as yet unbeaten new club, San Diego Loyal.


? Sunday

??????? One game dominates the schedule on Sunday, with the first ever North London Derby set to take place at Tottenham’s new stadium.

A lot has been written about the indifferent form shown by Spurs since the return of Premier League action but they’ve only lost one of their four games so far – that’s less than Arsenal. Although, the Gunners have seemingly recovered from a difficult start to win their last four on the bounce.

?? PSG were declared winners of Ligue 1 way back on the 30th April, with the French football season curtailed in the wake of the pandemic. But this weekend, as the Parisians gear up for their tilt at the Champions League in August, they will be back in domestic action for the first time. Mbappe and co are in Le Harve on Sunday for a friendly against the Ligue 2 side.

?? With Zlatan Ibrahimović back to match fitness, Milan have beaten the top two in Serie A, Lazio and Juventus within the space of a week. The Swede scored in both victories, and after the Juve game, he claimed they would be winning the title this year, if only he’d been back at the club for the start of the season! This weekend and back to reality, the best Milan can hope for is to leapfrog Sunday’s opponents Napoli in to 5th.

?? Lastly, we wanted to point you in the direction of one of the stranger aspects of the MLS is Back tournament. Due to the hot and humid summer climate in Florida and all games taking place in the same stadium, the league made the bold decision to have some matches kick-off when it’s a little cooler… at 9am local time. That’s right, football at breakfast time!

Toronto FC vs. DC United is one such game coming up bright and early on Sunday.

We’ve never heard of competitive games being played that early anywhere in the world but if you have – please get in touch with us via our social channels as that is some trivia we need to know about!


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!

Posted by Bill Biss