💽 THE SAVES WE MADE THIS WEEK
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The Europa League final took place on Wednesday, with Atalanta coming out as winners against a Bayer Leverkusen side that had been unbeaten.
Besiktas won the Turkish Cup final on Thursday.
The season is completed in five of the seven top leagues, and the two remaining leagues come to an end this weekend. The Spanish La Liga season concludes on Saturday, while the Italian Serie A concludes on Sunday.
The 🏴 FA Cup final, the 🇩🇪 DFB-Pokal final, and the 🇫🇷 Coupe de France final are all scheduled for Saturday, with 🇵🇹 Taça de Portugal final set for Sunday.
🇮🇹 The only thing left to be decided in the Italian Serie A on the final match day is the last relegation spot.
🇪🇸 The race on the final day will be for the Pichichi trophy. Alexander Sorloth is two goals ahead after scoring 4 goals in the last round against Real Madrid. Artem Dovbyk, who was in the lead, is now second with 21 goals.
LA LIGA LEADING GOALSCORERS:
1| Alexander Sorloth (Villareal) – 23 goals
2| Artem Dovbyk (Girona) – 21 goals
3| Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid) – 19 goals
4| Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona) – 18 goals
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📅 Monday, May 20, 2024
🇨🇲 Roger Milla turns 72, 🇪🇸 Iker Casillas turns 43, 🇨🇿 Petr Čech turns 42, 🇦🇷 Gerónimo Rulli turns 32, 🇵🇱 Piotr Zieliński turns 30, 🇩🇰 Robert Skov turns 28, 🇯🇵 Kaoru Mitoma turns 27.
🇮🇹 Salernitana ( 1 ) – ( 2 ) Hellas Verona (italian serie a)
Hellas Verona faced a relegated Salernitana side with very little at stake and consequently no pressure on them. Facing a relaxed Salernitana wasn’t expected to be an easy task but Hellas Verona secured the points needed through two goals in the first half, to pick up a 2-1 win that confirmed their safety in Serie A for the next season.
🇮🇹 Bologna ( 3 ) – (3) Juventus (italian serie a)
After 36 rounds of the Serie A season, Bologna and Juventus are deadlocked on 68 points after Juventus came from 3 goals down to get a draw. Both teams have already secured qualification for next season’s Champions League, so there’s not much at stake except for bragging rights for Bologna, who have the opportunity to finish the season ahead of Juventus.
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📅Tuesday, May 21, 2024
🇩🇪 Uwe Rahn turns 62, 🇨🇲 François Omam-Biyik turns 58, 🇿🇦 Quinton Fortune 47.
🇳🇱 NAC Breda ( 1 ) – ( 1 ) FC Emmen (eredivisie promotion play off semi final – first leg)
A late penalty allowed FC Emmen to go home with a 1-1 draw. Vicente Besuijen scored FC Emmen’s goal through a penalty in the 82nd minute, canceling the lead that Sigurd Haugen had given NAC Breda in the 38th minute.
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📅 Wednesday, May 22, 2024
🇬🇧 George Best would’ve been 78, 🇵🇾 Rolando Chilavert turns 63, 🇳🇬 Garba Lawal turns 50, 🇨🇱 Arturo Vidal turns 37.
🇪🇺 🏆 Europa League Final
🇮🇹 Atalanta ( 3 ) – ( 3 ) 🇩🇪 Bayer Leverkusen
It took 52 matches but finally, Bayer Leverkusen suffered a defeat in the football calendar.
Bayer Leverkusen’s unbeaten streak came to an end after 51 matches, and unfortunately for them, it came in a cup final. Bayer Leverkusen had the opportunity to win the title for the second time in their history, but they failed to do so, losing the Europa League final 3-0 against Atalanta. All three goals were scored by Ademola Lookman (12’ 26’ 75’).
This is an unforgettable season for both clubs. Both clubs made it to their domestic cup finals this season. Atalanta lost the Coppa Italia final to Juventus, while Bayer Leverkusen will play Kaiserslautern in the DFB-Pokal final after this fixture.
For a club with a Coppa Italia win in 1963 being their most prestigious trophy to date, this Europa League title is a historic achievement for Atalanta.
Bayer Leverkusen became the German Bundesliga champions for the first time this season, becoming the first team in the history of the league to go a full season unbeaten.
🇳🇱 ADO Den Haag ( 1 ) – ( 2 ) Excelsior (eredivisie promotion play off semi final – first leg)
Despite ADO Den Haag’s best efforts, Excelsior took home a 2-1 lead to set up for the second leg. Excelsior’s goals came within the opening 25 minutes, putting them in a strong position early in the match.
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📅 Thursday, May 23, 2024
🇮🇹 Daniele Massaro turns 63, 🇧🇷 Ricardinho turns 48, 🇸🇲 Andy Selva turns 48, 🇵🇹 Hugo Almeida turns 40.
🇹🇷 Besiktas ( 3 ) – ( 2 ) Trabzonspor (Turkish Cup final)
Turkish Cup titles: Galatasaray (18), Besiktas (11), Trabzonspor (9).
The next two most successful clubs in the Turkish Cup met for this year’s final, and the second on the list added a title to their record.
Trabzonspor gave up an early lead and found themselves 2-1 down by the 54th minute. They drew even with a late goal in the 89th minute, only to concede again in the 4th minute of added time, losing the Turkish Cup final to Besiktas.
🇮🇹 Cagliari ( 2 ) – ( 3 ) Frosinone (italian serie a)
It looked like Cagliari was on their way to at least a point when they came from a goal down in the first half to lead Fiorentina 2-1 by the 85th minute. A point from a draw would’ve been enough for Cagliari to officially confirm their safety from relegation, but they conceded two goals and suffered a home defeat. The result puts Fiorentina in a position to compete for 7th place with Lazio in the final round of the season.
Cagliari’s season is over as they become the first team in Serie A to play 38 games this season. They are still within the relegation zone and will only be saved if Empoli doesn’t secure a win at home against Roma.
🇳🇱 NEC Nijmegen ( 1 ) – ( 2 ) Go Ahead Eagles (eredivisie european competition playoff semi final)
🇳🇱 Utrecht ( 3 ) – ( 1 ) Sparta Rotterdam (eredivisie european competition playoff semi final)
Utrecht and Go Ahead Eagles will play for UEFA Conference League qualification from the Eredivisie after both teams won their semifinal matches against NEC Nijmegen and Sparta Rotterdam, respectively.
The match is on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
🇩🇪 Bochum ( 0 ) – ( 3 ) Fortuna Dusseldorf (bundesliga promotion playoff first leg)
Fortuna Dusseldorf have one hand in the top division after taking home a 3-0 lead against Bochum in the first leg of the promotion play off game. The second leg is on Monday, May 27, 2024.
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THE SHOTS TO TAKE THIS WEEKEND
HIGHLIGHTED FIXTURE
📅 Friday, May 24, 2024
🇪🇸 Girona vs. Granada (spanish la liga)
📅 Saturday, May 25, 2024
🏴 Manchester City vs. Manchester United (fa cup final)
🇩🇪 Kaiserslautern vs. Bayer Leverkusen (dfb-pokal final)
🇫🇷 Lyon vs. Paris Saint-Germain (coupe de france final)
🇪🇸 Real Sociedad vs. Atletico Madrid (spanish la liga)
🇪🇸 Osasuna vs. Villarreal (spanish la liga)
🇪🇸 Real Madrid vs. Real Betis (spanish la liga)
📅 Sunday, May 26, 2024
🇵🇹 Porto vs. Sporting CP (taca de portugal final)
🇪🇸 Sevilla vs. Barcelona (spanish la liga)
🇪🇸 Racing de Ferrol vs. Leganés (segunda división)
🇪🇸 Sporting Gijon vs. Eibar (segunda división)
🇪🇸 Valladolid vs. Villarreal B (segunda división)
🇳🇱 Utrecth vs. Go Ahead Eagles (eredivisie conference league playoff)
📅 Monday, May 27, 2024
🇩🇪 Fortuna Dusseldorf vs. Bochum (bundesliga promotion playoff second leg)
📅 Friday, May 24, 2024
🇺🇾 José Nasazzi would’ve been 123, 🇫🇷 Eric Cantona turned 58, 🇺🇲 DaMarcus Beasley turned 42, 🇦🇷 Rodrigo De Paul turned 30.
🇪🇸 Girona vs. Granada (spanish la liga)
Fortunately for Artem Dovbyk (21 goals), Girona will be hosting relegated Granada for their final match of the season. There is an opportunity for him to take advantage of Girona’s superiority this season and add some goals to his tally in the league. Dovbyk is trailing in the Pichichi Trophy race (league top scorer award) by two goals.
Granada will be playing their football in the Segunda Division in the coming season, while Girona will be playing Champions League football next season after securing a position behind only Real Madrid and Barcelona. There is nothing left for either club to do but try to close out the season with some success.
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📅 Saturday, May 25, 2024
🇮🇹 Gaetano Scirea would’ve been 71, 🇦🇷 Daniel Passarella turns 71, 🇺🇲 Carlos Bocanegra turns 45.
🏴 Manchester City vs. Manchester United (FA Cup final)
Just as it was last season, we have a Manchester derby for the FA Cup final.
Manchester City will be looking for the same outcome to retain the crown, while Manchester United will hope to amend the result from last year. Not much has changed in terms of expectations and odds. If there are any changes, expectations have arguably dipped for Manchester United to get something out of this tie. With that said, Manchester United is looking for their 13th FA Cup title, while Manchester City is aiming for their 8th.
🇩🇪 Kaiserslautern vs. Bayer Leverkusen (DFB-Pokal final)
Kaiserslautern are two-time winners of the German Cup, with their latest title coming in 1996, while Leverkusen have won it once, in 1993. With that said, the two teams are in different divisions in the German league, and while Leverkusen comfortably won the league title in the first division, Kaiserslautern wasn’t far off the relegation zone in the second division.
Leverkusen goes into this game as the heavy favorite to win, especially following their first and only defeat of the season, a 3-0 loss to Atalanta in the Europa League final.
🇫🇷 Lyon vs. Paris Saint-Germain (Coupe de France final)
Paris Saint-Germain are aiming for their first Coupe de France title since 2021 to extend their record in the competition to 15 titles. They face a Lyon side that hasn’t won the cup since 2012. It will be Lyon’s 6th title if they manage to win.
🇪🇸 Osasuna vs. Villarreal (spanish la liga)
Alexander Sorloth (23 goals) will look to improve his tally to hold on to the top spot and win the Pichichi trophy when Villarreal travels to face Osasuna. On the other side of the game is Osasuna’s Ante Budimir (16 goals), who will need a historic performance to catch up. Sorloth scored four goals against Real Madrid in the last round.
🇪🇸 Real Madrid vs. Real Betis (spanish la liga)
Real Madrid will host Real Betis, giving Jude Bellingham (19 goals) his last opportunity at home to improve his goal tally for the season. Bellingham is four goals behind in the race for the Pichichi Trophy, so he will have his work cut out for him against Real Betis.
🇪🇸 Real Madrid vs. Real Betis (spanish la liga)
Barcelona will be up against Sevilla on the final day of the season, and Robert Lewandowski (18 goals) will look to improve his tally in Seville. It is unlikely but Lewandowski will need a minimum of 5 goals on the day to contend for the Pichichi trophy.
🇳🇱 FC Emmen vs. NAC Breda (eredivisie promotion play off semi final – second leg)
🇳🇱 Excelsior vs. ADO Den Haag (eredivisie promotion play off semi final – second leg)
Excelsior has a goal lead to protect (2-1) at home against ADO Den Haag, while FC Emmen will be at home with an away goal lead after a 1-1 draw with NAC Breda.
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📅 Sunday, May 26, 2024
🏴 Sir Matt Busby would’ve been 115, 🇮🇹 Luca Toni turns 47, 🇨🇴 Juan Cuadrado turns 36.
🇵🇹 Porto vs. Sporting CP (taca de portugal)
Porto is looking to make it three Taça de Portugal title wins in a row by beating Sporting CP. Interestingly, Sporting CP’s last title was against Porto, won through a penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw.
🇮🇹 Empoli vs. Roma (italian serie a)
🇮🇹 Frosinone vs. Udinese (italian serie a)
The only thing left to be decided in the Italian Serie A on the final match day is the last relegation spot. Empoli will want to avoid relegation with a win, but they will also need Udinese to drop points, either through a defeat or a draw, and for Frosinone to lose.
Cagliari’s season is over as they become the first team in Serie A to play 38 games this season. They are still within the relegation zone and will only be saved if Empoli doesn’t secure a win at home against Roma.
🇪🇸 SEGUNDA DIVISIÓN STANDINGS:
1| Leganés – 70 points
2| Valladolid – 69 points
3| Eibar – 68 points
🇪🇸 Racing de Ferrol vs. Leganés (segunda división)
🇪🇸 Sporting Gijon vs. Eibar (segunda división)
🇪🇸 Valladolid vs. Villarreal B (segunda división)
There is a point interval between the top three in the Segunda division in their race to win the division and also pick up promotion. Direct promotion is only for the top two. The third place finisher will be part of the four teams that will go into playoffs and fight for one promotion spot.
🇳🇱 Utrecht vs. Go Ahead Eagles (eredivisie conference league playoff): A game for the Conference League football in the coming season.
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📅 Monday, May 27, 2024
🇩🇪 Fortuna Dusseldorf vs. Bochum (bundesliga promotion playoff second leg):
Fortuna Dusseldorf will be home with a 3-0 lead on Bochum.
Dusseldorf has a healthy lead of 3 goals to secure promotion to the top flight, while Bochum has to crawl back to overcome the deficit and avoid relegation.
