=====================================================

Seville derby and a very important North London derby are part of the action coming our way this weekend.
Arsenal, Manchester City, and Liverpool will all seek Premier League victories to aid their title aspirations.
Real Madrid will strive for points to help close out their La Liga title race sooner. They will be away against Real Sociedad.
Dortmund and RB Leipzig vie for the top four spots in the German Bundesliga. Juventus and AC Milan battle for second place in Serie A. Sporting CP will aim for a win in Porto to tighten their grip on the Primeira Liga title.
It is Milan vs. Turin in the Serie A, with AC Milan traveling to Turin to face Juventus, and Torino coming to Milan to face Inter Milan.
… and many other intriguing battles across European leagues.

=====================================================

THE FOOTBALL WATCHLIST

Apr 26.
🇪🇸 Real Sociedad vs. Real Madrid (spanish la liga)

Apr 27.
🇪🇸 Atlético Madrid vs. Athletic Club (spanish la liga)
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 West Ham United vs. Liverpool (english premier league)
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Aston Villa vs. Chelsea (english premier league)
🇮🇹 Inter Milan vs. Torino (italian serie a)
🇮🇹 Juventus vs. AC Milan (italian serie a)
🇮🇹 Lazio vs. Hellas Verona (italian serie a)
🇩🇪 Bayern Munich vs. Eintracht Frankfurt (german bundesliga)
🇩🇪 RB Leipzig vs. Borussia Dortmund (german bundesliga)
🇩🇪 Bayer Leverkusen vs. Stuttgart (german bundesliga)
🇫🇷 Paris Saint-Germain vs. Le Havre (french ligue 1)
🇵🇹 Benfica vs. Braga (portuguese primeira liga)

Apr 28.
🇪🇸 Real Betis vs. Sevilla (spanish la liga)
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Tottenham Hotspur vs. Arsenal (english premier league)
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Nottingham Forest vs. Manchester City (english premier league)
🇮🇹 Napoli vs. Roma (italian serie a)
🇩🇪 Darmstadt vs. Heidenheim (german bundesliga)
🇫🇷 Lyon vs. Monaco (french ligue 1)
🇫🇷 Marseille vs. Lens (french ligue 1)
🇳🇱 NEC Nijmegen vs. AZ Alkmaar (dutch eredivisie)
🇳🇱 PEC Zwolle vs. Heracles Almelo (dutch eredivisie)
🇵🇹 Porto vs. Sporting CP (portuguese primeira liga)

Apr 29.
🇪🇸 Barcelona vs. Valencia (spanish la liga)
🇮🇹 Genoa vs. Cagliari (italian serie a)
🇵🇹 Estrela da Amadora vs. Farense (portuguese primeira liga)

=====================================================

THE SHOTS TO TAKE THIS WEEKEND

Friday, April 26, 2024

🇲🇽 Jonathan dos Santos turns 34.

🇪🇸 Real Sociedad vs. Real Madrid (spanish la liga) –
Real Madrid will look to follow their win in El Clasico with another three points when they face Real Sociedad. Real Madrid holds an 11-point lead in the La Liga title race, which they aim to preserve or expand with a victory against Real Sociedad. The gap between the two teams is 30 points, and Real Madrid emerged as 2-1 winners in the reverse fixture, overcoming an early goal deficit to secure the win.

=====================================================

Saturday, April 27, 2024

🇮🇹 Paolo Pulici turns 74, 🇦🇷 Cristian Romero turns 26

.🇪🇸 Atlético Madrid vs. Athletic Club (spanish la liga) –
There is a three-point difference between the two teams as they compete for 4th place. This will mark their fourth encounter this season, including the reverse fixture and a two-legged Copa del Rey semi-final tie, all of which Athletic Club won without conceding a goal. If Athletic Club secures another victory against Atlético Madrid, they will seize 4th place from them.
Atlético Madrid is coming off a 2-0 league defeat to Alavés after being eliminated from the Champions League in a 4-2 loss to Borussia Dortmund.
Athletic Club has recorded consecutive 1-1 draws in the league since winning the Copa del Rey. That makes it three 1-1 draws in a row, including the Copa del Rey final, which was decided on penalties after a 1-1 draw with Mallorca. Considering their match before the Copa del Rey final was a 2-0 league defeat against Real Madrid, Athletic Club hasn’t secured a straight win in their last four fixtures.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 West Ham United vs. Liverpool (english premier league) –
Following a Merseyside derby defeat to a struggling Everton side, Liverpool are on the hunt for league points to quickly bounce back and try to get back into the title race against Arsenal and Manchester City. West Ham United will be their opponent, a team they’ve beaten twice this season, in the league (3-1) and in the EFL Cup (5-1). Liverpool’s league title ambitions can’t afford dropped points this weekend.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Aston Villa vs. Chelsea (english premier league) –
Aston Villa will be at home, seeking points to aid their chase for a ‘top four’ finish this season. They will host a midtable Chelsea side, coming off a 5-0 thrashing from Arsenal.

🇮🇹 Inter Milan vs. Torino (italian serie a) –
Inter Milan’s first match as newly-crowned champions will be at home against Torino. They secured a 3-0 victory in the reverse fixture.

🇮🇹 Juventus vs. AC Milan (italian serie A) –
AC Milan will seek a positive outcome in Turin (against Juventus) to recover from their Milan derby defeat to Inter Milan in the last round. There is a five-point difference between the two sides, with AC Milan aiming to maintain or extend their lead.
With Bologna closely trailing, just two points behind, Juventus risking dropped points could potentially jeopardize their current league position (3rd) if Bologna prevails against Udinese.

🇩🇪 Bayern Munich vs. Eintracht Frankfurt (german bundesliga) –
Although they’ve lost the league title, this match serves as an opportunity for Bayern Munich to maintain sharpness ahead of their upcoming Champions League fixture. Additionally, with Stuttgart close behind, securing points will strengthen Bayern Munich’s position in the Bundesliga standings.
In the reverse fixture, Bayern Munich suffered a 5-1 defeat, providing extra motivation for them to seek revenge when they host Eintracht Frankfurt.

🇩🇪 RB Leipzig vs. Borussia Dortmund (german bundesliga) –
In the chase for 4th place, RB Leipzig leads 5th-placed Dortmund by two points in the Bundesliga. The victor will claim 4th place with only three more rounds left in the season. RB Leipzig emerged as 3-2 winners in the reverse fixture against a 10-man Dortmund, with Dortmund reduced to playing with a man down from the 15th minute after Mats Hummels received a red card.

🇩🇪 Bayer Leverkusen vs. Stuttgart (german bundesliga) –
Stuttgart is coming off their first league defeat in their last 12 league games as they face a Bayer Leverkusen side that remains unbeaten this season in all competitions. While the win may not be crucial for Leverkusen, as they have already clinched the league title, it holds significance for Stuttgart in their pursuit of a second-place finish in the league.
The reverse fixture ended in a 1-1 draw, with Leverkusen rallying from behind to secure a point. In their most recent encounter, Leverkusen twice came from behind before netting a goal in the 90th minute to eliminate Stuttgart from the DFB-Pokal in the quarterfinals.

🇫🇷 Paris Saint-Germain vs. Le Havre (french ligue 1) –
This match is expected to be one-sided, with table-toppers Paris Saint-Germain hosting relegation-threatened and recently-promoted Le Havre. For those interested in witnessing PSG’s journey to another title, this fixture is a must-watch. PSG currently enjoys an 11-point lead with 8 rounds remaining in the season.

🇵🇹 Benfica vs. Braga (portuguese primeira liga) –
Benfica, aiming to contend for the league title, will face Braga, who are currently competing for 3rd place with Porto.
Benfica’s chances of retaining the league title are slim. They trail Sporting CP by 7 points in the title race, with a maximum of 12 points left for each club.

=====================================================

Sunday, April 28, 2024

🇮🇹 Walter Zenga turns 64, 🇦🇷 Diego Simeone turns 54, 🇵🇹 Pauleta turns 51, 🇪🇸 Juan Mata turns 36.

🇪🇸 Real Betis vs. Sevilla (spanish la liga) – Seville derby
The reverse fixture ended in a 1-1 draw, but Real Betis currently holds an 11-point advantage over Sevilla in the league after 32 rounds of the season. With an 11-point lead and home advantage, Betis are the favorites in this encounter, but derby matches often follow different dynamics.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Tottenham Hotspur vs. Arsenal (english premier league) – North London derby
Following their impressive 5-0 victory over Chelsea, Arsenal will now face another London rival in Tottenham. Arsenal is currently in a title race and holds a 17-point lead over Tottenham, who are coming into this match after a 4-0 defeat against Newcastle United. The only advantage Tottenham has is playing at home; otherwise, all indicators suggest an Arsenal victory. Tottenham’s motivation lies in potentially disrupting Arsenal’s title aspirations by playing spoiler in this derby.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Nottingham Forest vs. Manchester City (english premier league) –
Manchester City will aim to secure more points in their quest to defend their league title. Following a midweek 4-0 away win against Brighton, they now face Nottingham Forest away. The last time Manchester City visited Nottingham Forest, it ended in a 1-1 draw. They can’t afford to drop points this time. The reverse fixture saw Manchester City clinch a 2-0 victory.

🇮🇹 Napoli vs. Roma (italian serie a) –
It has been a disappointing title defense season for Napoli, as they currently sit in 8th place after 33 rounds, trailing Roma (5th) by 6 points, with Roma having a game in hand. Both teams are coming off a defeat in the last round, with Roma suffering a loss to Bologna, while Napoli was beaten by a relegation-threatened Empoli side.
Neither Napoli nor Roma can secure their position in the league standings if they drop points in this match.

🇫🇷 Lyon vs. Monaco (french ligue 1) –
It’s highly unlikely that Monaco can prevent Paris Saint-Germain from winning the title, but they aim to delay PSG’s inevitable title confirmation by securing victories of their own. Monaco will visit Lyon, who are coming off a 4-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.

🇵🇹 Porto vs. Sporting CP (portuguese primeira liga) –
Porto is competing for a third-place finish and will host Sporting CP, who currently lead the league table and are seeking the points to secure the title.
Sporting CP holds a 7-point lead at the top of the Primeira Liga standings, with a maximum of 12 points remaining for each club.
As it stands, Sporting CP is just two wins away from clinching the league title, and they have the opportunity to begin that quest in Porto.

=====================================================

Monday, April 29, 2024

🇭🇷 Domagoj Vida turns 35

🇪🇸 Barcelona vs. Valencia (spanish la liga) –
Barcelona is in need of a victory to rebound from their El Clásico defeat in the last round and their Champions League second-leg loss against Paris Saint-Germain.

=====================================================

THE TITLE RACE IN THE TOP 7 LEAGUES:

🇩🇪 Bundesliga: Bayer Leverkusen with a 16-point lead (Title decided)
🇮🇹 Serie A: Inter Milan with a 17-point lead (Title decided)
🇪🇸 La Liga: Real Madrid with a 11-point lead.
🇫🇷 Ligue 1: Paris Saint-Germain with a 11-point lead.
🇳🇱 Eredivisie: PSV Eindhoven with a 9-point lead.
🇵🇹 Primeira Liga: Sporting CP with a 7-point lead.
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Premier League: Arsenal holds a 1-point lead but has played one more game than second-place Manchester City.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 PREMIER LEAGUE
Liverpool is now disadvantaged, Arsenal is top of the league, and Manchester City has the advantage.
Arsenal used a 5-0 thrashing of Chelsea to stay top of the league.
Manchester City is with a game in hand, and are just a point behind Arsenal after beating Brighton 4-0.
Liverpool slipped a position down to third after losing against Everton.
=====================================================

🇪🇸 LA LIGA
Defeat against Atletico Madrid pulled Girona further away from second place, handing the duty to Barcelona as the primary contender against Real Madrid in the chase for the La Liga title.
Eight points remain between Real Madrid and Barcelona after they both came out of the round with a ‘1-0’ win from their respective matches.
=====================================================

🇮🇹 SERIE A
Inter Milan’s lead was maintained despite dropping points, as the top three teams in the Serie A standings were all involved in draws: a goalless draw for Juventus, a 2-all draw for Inter Milan, and a 3-all draw for AC Milan.
=====================================================

🇩🇪 BUNDESLIGA
With five more rounds left in the Bundesliga season, Bayer Leverkusen ended the title race by becoming champions for the first time ever. They remained unbeaten in 29 league games, securing a 16-point lead over their closest rivals (Bayern Munich and Stuttgart).
The only positional change in the league standings was Freiburg moving up to 8th position with their win against bottom-tabled Darmstadt, while Hoffenheim dropped to 9th, losing to relegation-threatened Mainz.
=====================================================

🇫🇷 LIGUE 1
There are a maximum of 24 points left in the Ligue 1 season, and Paris Saint-Germain holds an 11-point lead in the title race, with Monaco as their main contender.
Both teams played league games on Wednesday and both secured wins; Monaco with a narrow 1-0 home victory against Lille, while Paris Saint-Germain emerged as 4-1 away winners against Lorient.
=====================================================

🇳🇱 EREDIVISIE
The Eredivisie title race has been a two-horse race, with PSV Eindhoven leading throughout. Feyenoord tried to keep pace to defend their league title, but PSV Eindhoven were as close to perfect as they could be to deny them.
There are a maximum of 9 points left in the Eredivisie title race for both teams, with PSV Eindhoven holding a 9-point lead and a 30-goal difference over Feyenoord.
PSV Eindhoven’s most recent league win was a 8-0 win against Heerenveen.
=====================================================

🇵🇹 PRIMEIRA LIGA
Sporting CP extended their lead in the Primeira Liga title race by defeating their sole competitors, Benfica. The gap now stands at 4 points, and if they maintain consistency with victories, they will secure the league title by a margin of at least 7 points.
=====================================================

THE LEADING 20 CLUBS FROM OUR INDEX RANKING.

Bayer Leverkusen leads our index ranking as one of the best-performing clubs in Europe, sharing the podium with Manchester City and Bayern Munich.
Paris Saint-Germain remains the only defending champion atop their league standings, and they are the sole French club to make it into the top 20, securing the 9th position.
PSV Eindhoven (12th) represents the only Eredivisie side in the top 20, narrowly missing out on the top 10. Similarly, Sporting CP (19th) stands as the lone Primeira Liga side in the top 20.

1st | 🇩🇪 Bayer Leverkusen (German Bundesliga) – 546.06 points
2nd | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Manchester City (English Premier League) – 505.97 points
3rd | 🇩🇪 Bayern Munich (German Bundesliga) – 490.22 points
4th | 🇪🇸 Real Madrid (Spanish La Liga) – 485.88 points
5th | 🇮🇹 Inter Milan (Italian Serie A) – 477.88 points
6th | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Arsenal (English Premier League) – 471.08 points
7th | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Liverpool (English Premier League) – 424.61 points
8th | 🇫🇷 Paris Saint-Germain (French Ligue 1) – 382.47 points
9th | 🇪🇸 Barcelona (Spanish La Liga) – 354.13 points
10th | 🇩🇪 RB Leipzig (German Bundesliga) – 348.94 points
11th | 🇪🇸 Atlético Madrid (Spanish La Liga) – 328.79 points
12th | 🇳🇱 PSV Eindhoven (Dutch Eredivisie) – 324.56 points
13th | 🇩🇪 Stuttgart (German Bundesliga) – 306.43 points
14th | 🇮🇹 AC Milan (Italian Serie A) – 306.18 points
15th | 🇪🇸 Girona (Spanish La Liga) – 305.78 points
16th | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Aston Villa (English Premier League) – 296.38 points
17th | 🇵🇹 Sporting CP (Portuguese Primeira Liga) – 285.65 points
18th | 🇮🇹 Roma (Italian Serie A) – 280.63 points
19th | 🇮🇹 Atalanta (Italian Serie A) – 276.53 points
20th | 🇩🇪 Borussia Dortmund (German Bundesliga) – 267.75 points

=====================================================

🇮🇹 Inter Milan and 🇳🇱 PSV Eindhoven have both accumulated the most league wins (27 each), but it’s PSV Eindhoven and Sporting CP that top the list for the highest win rate (0.87 each).
Inter Milan’s 86 points accumulated in the Italian Serie A this season make them the club with the most points in Europe, but it’s PSV Eindhoven that holds the best points-per-game record at 2.71.
🇳🇱 Vitesse holds the spot for the club with the fewest points accumulated (-1) due to point deduction. The deduction means Vitesse has dropped 90 league points this season, the most.

PSV Eindhoven has scored the most goals (103), at a rate of 3.32 goals per game. They’ve also conceded the fewest (17), allowing them to drop the fewest league points (9). They share the lowest goal concession rate with Inter Milan at 0.55 each.

🇩🇪 Bayer Leverkusen is the only unbeaten team in Europe in all competitions.
🇫🇷 Clermont’s 21 goals in Ligue 1 are the fewest in Europe, while 🇪🇸 Cádiz’s 0.69 goals per game in La Liga are the lowest in Europe.

No team has conceded more goals than 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Sheffield United (92), at a rate of 2.71 goals per game. This has contributed to Sheffield United’s 24 defeats in the English Premier League, the worst record across Europe.

🇪🇸 Almeria has won at a rate of 0.03, giving them the fewest wins in La Liga so far this season, just 1 win.

=====================================================