WEEKEND BANGERS: The highlighted fixtures for the coming weekend. The final laps of the domestic leagues and the semifinals of the FA Cup.
There are a lot of exciting games to look forward to, with many teams still fighting for important positions in their respective leagues. It will be interesting to see how these matches unfold and how they affect the league standings.
There are nine rounds left of La Liga, about eight rounds of the Premier League, eight rounds left of Serie A, seven rounds left of Ligue 1, six rounds left of the Bundesliga and the Primeira Liga, and five rounds left of the Eredivisie.
Arsenal vs Southampton: Arsenal will be looking to bounce back from their recent setbacks and take advantage of Southampton’s poor form. It will be interesting to see if they can finally hold on to a lead and get a much-needed win.
Real Betis vs Osasuna: Real Betis will want to keep their top 4 hopes alive with a win, but Osasuna can be a tough team to beat at home.
Real Madrid vs Celta Vigo: Real Madrid will be hoping to put pressure on Barcelona with a win, but Celta Vigo has shown they can cause upsets in the past.
Aston Villa vs Brentford: Aston Villa will be confident after their recent run of form, but Brentford will be looking to close the gap on the top 5.
Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid: This is a crucial match for both teams, with Barcelona needing a win to wrap up the title race, while Atletico Madrid will want to maintain their unbeaten run and seek revenge for their previous defeat to Barcelona.
Napoli vs Juventus: Juventus will be hoping to stop their losing streak, but Napoli will be looking to take advantage of their recent form and extend their lead at the top of the table.
Choc des Olympiques: Marseille will be looking to solidify their position in second place, but Lyon has been in good form and could cause an upset.
THE HIGHLIGHTED FIXTURES:
April 21. Arsenal [ vs. ] Southampton (ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE) Angers [ vs. ] Paris Saint-Germain (FRENCH LIGUE 1) April 22. Osasuna [ vs. ] Real Betis (SPANISH LA LIGA) Real Sociedad [ vs. ] Rayo Vallecano (SPANISH LA LIGA) Real Madrid [ vs. ] Celta Vigo (SPANISH LA LIGA) Brentford [ vs. ] Aston Villa (ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE) Liverpool [ vs. ] Nottingham Forest (ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE) Lazio [ vs. ] Torino (ITALIAN SERIE A) Mainz [ vs. ] Bayern Munich (GERMAN BUNDESLIGA) Borussia Dortmund [ vs. ] Eintracht Frankfurt (GERMAN BUNDESLIGA) Auxerre [ vs. ] Lille (FRENCH LIGUE 1) Lens [ vs. ] Monaco (FRENCH LIGUE 1) Manchester City [ vs. ] Sheffield United (FA CUP - Semifinal) April 23. Barcelona [ vs. ] Atlético Madrid (SPANISH LA LIGA) Sevilla [ vs. ] Villarreal (SPANISH LA LIGA) Bournemouth [ vs. ] West Ham United (ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE) Newcastle United [ vs. ] Tottenham Hotspur (ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE) Empoli [ vs. ] Inter Milan (ITALIAN SERIE A) AC Milan [ vs. ] Lecce (ITALIAN SERIE A) Juventus [ vs. ] Napoli (ITALIAN SERIE A) Freiburg [ vs. ] Schalke (GERMAN BUNDESLIGA) Bayer Leverkusen [ vs. ] RB Leipzig (GERMAN BUNDESLIGA) Borussia Mönchengladbach [ vs. ] Union Berlin (GERMAN BUNDESLIGA) Montpellier [ vs. ] Rennes (FRENCH LIGUE 1) Lyon [ vs. ] Marseille (FRENCH LIGUE 1) PSV Eindhoven [ vs. ] Ajax (DUTCH EREDIVISIE) Feyenoord [ vs. ] Utrecht (DUTCH EREDIVISIE) AZ Alkmaar [ vs. ] RKC Waalwijk (DUTCH EREDIVISIE) Brighton & Hove Albion [ vs. ] Manchester United (FA CUP - Semifinal) April 24. Atalanta [ vs. ] Roma (ITALIAN SERIE A)
FRENCH LIGUE 1: Paris St. Germain’s lead grew to 8 points after a win over Lens. Marseille took advantage of Lens’s defeat by winning over Troyes to move into 2nd place and knock Lens down to 3rd. Monaco did the same with a win against Troyes to cut the gap between themselves and Lens to two points.
GERMAN BUNDESLIGA: With Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund looking to finish the season as the ‘top 2’, Union Berlin, RB Leipzig, and Freiburg are contending for the other two spots for Champions League qualifying positions in the standings. RB Leipzig and Freiburg picked up three points, while Union Berlin dropped two points in a draw with Bochum. Six more rounds of the season to go, and Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund remain title hopefuls with two points remaining between the two clubs.
ITALIAN SERIE A: Lazio has won four games in a row and became the second team (after Napoli) to cross the 60-point mark.
The Milan teams (AC Milan and Inter Milan) have dropped points in the last two rounds, while the Roman teams (Lazio and Roma) have picked up the maximum points.
SPANISH LA LIGA: With nine rounds left to go of the Spanish La Liga season, Barcelona’s lead has shrunk to 11 points.
As things stand, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid are chasing second place.
Real Sociedad, Villarreal, and Real Betis are chasing the final slot for the Champions League qualification.
Villarreal and Real Betis were winners over the round, Real Sociedad suffered a Basque derby defeat.
ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: Manchester City got the result against Leicester City to put pressure on Arsenal’s title ambitions. Manchester City joined Arsenal in the 70-point and-up list.
The two teams are now separated by 4 points with a fixture scheduled between them.
DUTCH EREDIVISIE: Regardless of the results from De Topper, Feyenoord will be looking to take full advantage with a win at home against Utrecht. It’s Feyenoord’s title to lose.
FA CUP SEMIFINAL: There is a possibility of a Manchester Derby for the FA Cup final if Manchester City can get past Sheffield United, and Manchester United can do the same against Brighton.
April 21: Arsenal [ vs. ] Southampton (ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE)
The last two league matches for Arsenal has seen them drop two points after taking a 2-goal lead (against Liverpool and West Ham). Both games were away from home. Arsenal will be back in front of their home supporters and will have the opportunity to grab three points against bottom-tabled Southampton. Granted it ended a ‘1-1’ draw in the reverse fixture, Southampton hasn’t been with a win in 6 matches, and are on a three-game losing run at the moment.
April 22: Osasuna [ vs. ] Real Betis (SPANISH LA LIGA)
April 22: Real Sociedad [ vs. ] Rayo Vallecano (SPANISH LA LIGA)
Real Betis and Real Sociedad are looking for a ‘top 4’ finish with 9 more rounds left of La Liga season. Real Betis will be tested at Osasuna. Real Sociedad will face their own test at home against Rayo Vallecano.
April 22: Real Madrid [ vs. ] Celta Vigo (SPANISH LA LIGA)
April 23: Barcelona [ vs. ] Atlético Madrid (SPANISH LA LIGA)
Mathematically, Real Madrid is still alive in the La Liga title race. If Barcelona continues to slip, the gap in points will become a single-digit if Real Madrid can win against Celta Vigo. With Barcelona facing Atletico Madrid, a win for Real Madrid will put pressure on Barcelona to match it.
Barcelona is without a win or a goal in their last 3 league matches; dropping 7 out of a possible 9 points. On the other hand, Atletico Madrid is unbeaten in their last 13 league matches (10 wins), and on a 6-game winning streak coming to this tie. The last time Atletico Madrid lost a league game was on January 8, 2023 – against Barcelona. Will Barcelona do a league double, or will Atletico Madrid amend for the reverse fixture defeat and make it 7 wins in a row?
April 22: Brentford [ vs. ] Aston Villa (ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE)
April 22: Liverpool [ vs. ] Nottingham Forest (ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE)
Aston Villa is on a 5-game winning streak in a run of 8 unbeaten matches that is made up of 7 wins. They will be at Brentford to extend this good run. Aston Villa has a 7-point lead on Brentford in the league standings but the target here is to get make a move towards continental cup football qualification. They are currently 3 points out of the ‘top 5’ but Brighton is just a point behind with 3 games in hand by the end of this round.
Liverpool was without a win in 5 games before picking up a ‘6-1’ win over Leeds United in the last round. Liverpool has a chance to win consecutively when they hose relegation-zoned Nottingham Forest – who are without a win in their last 10 league games (7 defeats).
April 22: Lazio [ vs. ] Torino (ITALIAN SERIE A)
Lazio is unbeaten in 8 Serie A matches (7 wins). As host, Lazio will seek the maximum points against Torino to get more comfortable in second place.
April 22: Lens [ vs. ] Monaco (FRENCH LIGUE 1)
There are just 2 points between Lens and Monaco in the Ligue 1 standings after 31 rounds. Both teams are targeting Champions League football qualification.
April 23: Sevilla [ vs. ] Villarreal (SPANISH LA LIGA)
While Sevilla seeks the points to move further away from the relegation threat, Villarreal wants the points to contend for a ‘top 4’ finish in La Liga. Sevilla enters this fixture after a midweek success over Manchester United to reach the semifinal of the Europa League.
April 23: Bournemouth [ vs. ] West Ham United (ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE)
West Ham is two points behind Bournemouth with a game in hand. Both teams are seeking results to help them move away from the relegation threat.
April 23: Newcastle United [ vs. ] Tottenham Hotspur (ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE)
It is a battle for ‘top 4’ finish between Newcastle United and Tottenham. Newcastle United has a game in hand and a 3-point lead over Tottenham. It’s up to Tottenham to get a result that will keep them in contention for Champions League qualification. Aston Villa, Brighton, and Liverpool are teams that will be looking to take advantage of the outcome of this fixture. Newcastle United is coming from a ‘3-0’ defeat to Aston Villa, while Tottenham is coming from a 3-2 defeat to Bournemouth.
April 23: Empoli [ vs. ] Inter Milan (ITALIAN SERIE A)
April 23: AC Milan [ vs. ] Lecce (ITALIAN SERIE A)
AC Milan and Inter Milan have booked a semifinal meeting in the UEFA Champions League but in the league but of late, both teams have struggled to get maximum points in Serie A. Inter Milan is out against Empoli, while AC Milan welcomes Lecce. According to the current league standings, both Milan clubs should come out of this with a win.
April 23: Juventus [ vs. ] Napoli (ITALIAN SERIE A)
Despite being 16 points in the lead of the Serie A title race, Napoli has been sloppy recently in terms of results. They’ve managed a win in their last 5 matches (vs Lecce). The poor run of results has seen Napoli eliminated from the UEFA Champions League (by AC Milan). Next up for Napoli is a trip to Turin to face Juventus – who are starring at a third straight league defeat if Napoli leaves with a win.
April 23: Lyon [ vs. ] Marseille (FRENCH LIGUE 1)
Choc des Olympiques – A victory for Marseille will be their best bet of getting comfortable in second place. Lyon is coming to this game on three straight league wins, including a win in Paris against Paris St. Germain.
April 24: Atalanta [ vs. ] Roma (ITALIAN SERIE A)
Roma with a win against Atalanta will keep the Milan clubs away from tampering with their league position. Atalanta is just two wins away from equaling Roma in points.
April 23: PSV Eindhoven [ vs. ] Ajax (DUTCH EREDIVISIE)
April 23: Feyenoord [ vs. ] Utrecht (DUTCH EREDIVISIE)
De Topper: PSV Eindhoven beat Ajax to the KNVB Cup Final last season, and they will meet again in the final this season (April 30th). PSV Eindhoven was also the winner of the Dutch Super Cup at the start of the season. The reverse fixture was also a ‘2-1’ win for PSV Eindhoven.
PSV Eindhoven will host Ajax from the league points to keep tabs on Feyenoord in the league title race. Both teams are 8 points behind Feyenoord in the Eredivisie title race.
Regardless of the results from De Topper, Feyenoord will be looking to take full advantage with a win at home against Utrecht. It’s Feyenoord’s title to lose.
