WEEKEND BANGERS
The title race is over in Italy, almost done in the Netherlands, heating up in France, and continues to be a tight one in Germany, and in England.
The highlighted fixtures coming up this weekend include the Superclásico in Argentina, and the Copa del Rey final in Spain.
THE HIGHLIGHTED FIXTURES:
May 6.
Bournemouth [ vs. ] Chelsea - (PREMIER LEAGUE) Manchester City [ vs. ] Leeds United - (PREMIER LEAGUE) Tottenham Hotspur [ vs. ] Crystal Palace - (PREMIER LEAGUE) Liverpool [ vs. ] Brentford - (PREMIER LEAGUE) AC Milan [ vs. ] Lazio - (SERIE A) Roma [ vs. ] Inter Milan - (SERIE A) Augsburg [ vs. ] Union Berlin - (BUNDESLIGA) Freiburg [ vs. ] RB Leipzig - (BUNDESLIGA) Werder Bremen [ vs. ] Bayern Munich - (BUNDESLIGA) Lens [ vs. ] Marseille - (LIGUE 1) Real Madrid [ vs. ] Osasuna - (COPA DEL REY FINAL) Sparta Rotterdam [ vs. ] PSV Eindhoven - (EREDIVISIE) Ajax [ vs. ] AZ Alkmaar - (EREDIVISIE) Benfica [ vs. ] Braga - (PRIMEIRA LIGA) Cremonese [ vs. ] Spezia - (SERIE A) Hertha Berlin [ vs. ] Stuttgart - (BUNDESLIGA)
May 7.
Newcastle United [ vs. ] Arsenal - (PREMIER LEAGUE) West Ham United [ vs. ] Manchester United - (PREMIER LEAGUE) Atalanta [ vs. ] Juventus - (SERIE A) Napoli [ vs. ] Fiorentina - (SERIE A) Borussia Dortmund [ vs ] Wolfsburg - (BUNDESLIGA) Angers [ vs ] Monaco - (LIGUE 1) Troyes [ vs ] Paris Saint-Germain - (LIGUE 1) River Plate [ vs. ] Boca Juniors - (PRIMERA DIVISION) Lecce [ vs. ] Hellas Verona - (SERIE A) Nantes [ vs. ] Strasbourg - (LIGUE 1)
May 8.
Nottingham Forest [ vs. ] Southampton - (PREMIER LEAGUE) Empoli [ vs. ] Salernitana - (SERIE A)
BUNDESLIGA:
Bayern Munich retook the lead in the last round after Dortmund failed to win at Bochum.The two teams are separated by just one point in the Bundesliga title race. On Saturday, Bayern Munich will travel to Werder Bremen, while Dortmund will host Wolfsburg.
Union Berlin, Freiburg, and RB Leipzig are gunning for the two other Champions League qualification spots in the league. There are just two points between the three teams. Union Berlin will be in Augsburg, while Freiburg and RB Leipzig face each other.
LIGUE 1:
The previous round saw Marseille cut Paris St. Germain’s lead to five points, while Lens remained a point behind Marseille.
Paris St. Germain will need a result in Troyes to make up for last round’s home defeat against Lorient.
The winner of the match between Lens and Marseille will finish second in the round and improve their chances of qualifying for the Champions League next season.
Monaco has fallen further behind the ‘top three’ after two consecutive defeats. They face a third straight defeat when they travel to Angers. Fortunately for Monaco, Angers is facing a fourth straight defeat in that game.
After Angers confirmed their fate, there are three more relegation slots available. Ajaccio and Troyes are on the verge of taking two spots, leaving one of Nantes, Strasbourg, Auxerre, or Brest to take the final spot.
PREMIER LEAGUE:
Manchester City and Arsenal are still a point apart, but Manchester City has a game in hand and can extend their lead to four points if they keep winning. Manchester City will host a relegation-battling Leeds United, while Arsenal will look to build on their first win in five games when they travel to face a Newcastle side aiming for a ‘top four’ finish.
May 6.
Bournemouth [vs.] Chelsea
Manchester City [vs.] Leeds United
Tottenham Hotspur [vs.] Crystal Palace
Liverpool [vs.] Brentford
May 7.
Newcastle United [vs.] Arsenal
West Ham United [vs.] Manchester United
The pressure falls on Arsenal to win at Newcastle if Manchester City secures a win against Leeds United.
Manchester United’s midweek defeat at Brighton means the points against West Ham in London will be crucial in their pursuit of a ‘top four’ finish. With Liverpool making a late push, Manchester United’s margin of error is shrinking.
SERIE A:
The title race is over, as Napoli claimed the crown with a 1-1 draw against Udinese on Thursday, May 4, 2023.
Napoli’s title win leaves three spots for Champions League qualification through the league for 6 teams: Lazio, Juventus, Inter Milan, Atalanta, AC Milan, and Roma are the six teams vying for these three positions.
Each of the six teams will play another team from the list of six this weekend.
May 6:
AC Milan [vs.] Lazio
Roma [vs.] Inter Milan
May 7:
Atalanta [vs.] Juventus
Napoli [vs.] Fiorentina
Last weekend’s “Milan vs. Rome” matches saw Inter Milan beat Lazio 3-1, and Roma draw 1-1 with AC Milan.
This weekend, Roma will host Inter Milan after playing host to AC Milan last weekend. Lazio will be back at the San Siro to face AC Milan after playing against Inter Milan last weekend. All four teams will be fighting for points to finish in the “top 4.”
Juventus will be in Bergamo against an Atalanta side that is on a three-game winning streak.
Sampdoria is on the brink of relegation.
Superclásico: – River Plate vs. Boca Juniors
May 7: River Plate [vs.] Boca Juniors
Buenos Aires rivals River Plate and Boca Juniors will face off this Sunday in the Argentine Primera División. Home advantage and form will predict a River Plate win, but this is a derby, and the rules don’t always apply.
EREDIVISIE:
May 6:
Sparta Rotterdam [vs.] PSV Eindhoven
Ajax [vs.] AZ Alkmaar
If PSV Eindhoven fails to beat Sparta Rotterdam on Saturday, Feyenoord will win the Eredivisie if they defeat Excelsior.
Ajax and AZ Alkmaar will compete in Amsterdam for points toward Champions League qualification. The two teams are separated by only two points.
PRIMEIRA LIGA:
May 6: Benfica [vs.] Braga
Braga will reopen the title race if they continue their good form against Benfica on Saturday. The Portuguese Primeira Liga season has four games left, with Benfica leading by four points. Braga won the reverse fixture 3-0 and has won their last three meetings with Benfica, including knocking them out of the Taca de Portugal quarterfinals.
COPA DEL REY: FINAL
May 6: Real Madrid [vs.] Osasuna
Real Madrid goes in for their 20th Copa del Rey title after a 9-year drought. Osasuna is hoping to win their first.
A SNAPSHOT OF THE CURRENT STATE OF EUROPEAN FOOTBALL. THE PERFORMANCE INDEX RANKING:
Napoli may have won the Scudetto, but they dropped from fourth to fifth place.
The top three remain unchanged from last week, despite Paris St. Germain dropping a few ranking points (about 11).
Bayern Munich moved up to fourth, Barcelona remained sixth, Real Madrid moved up to seventh, and Borussia Dortmund dropped to eighth.
Atletico Madrid has entered the ‘top ten,’ while Monaco has dropped out.
Marseille moved up to ninth place.
Feyenoord is ranked 29th, and Benfica is ranked 26th. The two are the lowest of the league leaders.
Arsenal (2nd) is the best performer among the teams that are not currently at the top of the league table.
The top 50
RANKING
1. Manchester City (English Premier League) – 443.48 points.
2. Arsenal (English Premier League) – 395.91 points.
3. Paris Saint-Germain (French Ligue 1) – 369.48 points.
4. Bayern Munich (German Bundesliga) – 364.83 points.
5. Napoli (Italian Serie A) – 363.21 points.
6. Barcelona (Spanish La Liga) – 338.85 points.
7. Real Madrid (Spanish La Liga) – 305.39 points.
8. Borussia Dortmund (German Bundesliga) – 292.67 points.
9. Marseille (French Ligue 1) – 282.24 points.
10. Atlético Madrid (Spanish La Liga) – 274.36 points.
11. Monaco (French Ligue 1) – 262.76 points.
12. Newcastle United (English Premier League) – 258.79 points.
13. Lens (French Ligue 1) – 255.94 points.
14. Liverpool (English Premier League) – 247.5 points.
15. Inter Milan (Italian Serie A) – 237.18 points.
16. Lille (French Ligue 1) – 231.58 points.
17. Brighton & Hove Albion (English Premier League) – 230.66 points.
18. Lazio (Italian Serie A) – 225.06 points.
19. Tottenham Hotspur (English Premier League) – 218.5 points.
20. Juventus (Italian Serie A) – 215.03 points.
21. Atalanta (Italian Serie A) – 213.97 points.
22. Manchester United (English Premier League) – 212.03 points.
23. RB Leipzig (German Bundesliga) – 210.4 points.
24. Rennes (French Ligue 1) – 203.7 points.
25. Milan (Italian Serie A) – 203.06 points.
26. Benfica (Portuguese Primeira Liga) – 195.33 points.
27. Freiburg (German Bundesliga) – 191.07 points.
28. PSV Eindhoven (Dutch Eredivisie) – 189.77 points.
29. Feyenoord (Dutch Eredivisie) – 188.63 points.
30. Real Sociedad (Spanish La Liga) – 186.79 points.
31. Union Berlin (German Bundesliga) – 185.07 points.
32. Bayer Leverkusen (German Bundesliga) – 184.43 points.
33. Lyon (French Ligue 1) – 182.06 points.
34. Roma (Italian Serie A) – 180.3 points.
35. Wolfsburg (German Bundesliga) – 179.73 points.
36. Ajax (Dutch Eredivisie) – 177.08 points.
37. Villarreal (Spanish La Liga) – 171.3 points.
38. Braga (Portuguese Primeira Liga) – 168.12 points.
39. Porto (Portuguese Primeira Liga) – 166.47 points.
40. Brentford (English Premier League) – 165.06 points.
41. Aston Villa (English Premier League) – 164 points.
42. Girona (Spanish La Liga) – 161.88 points.
43. Mainz (German Bundesliga) – 159.53 points.
44. Eintracht Frankfurt (German Bundesliga) – 155.97 points.
45. Montpellier (French Ligue 1) – 150.97 points.
45. Lorient (French Ligue 1) – 146.94 points.
47. Real Betis (Spanish La Liga) – 145.42 points.
48. Sporting CP (Portuguese Primeira Liga) – 140.28 points.
49. Fiorentina (Italian Serie A) – 137.48 points.
50. Athletic Club (Spanish La Liga) – 135.97 points.
