Crunch time!
Premier League MW 35
Leicester vs. Newcastle
Leicester sit 3rd 2 points ahead of Chelsea and 4 points behind Man United as they take on Newcastle who sit 17th 9 points above the relegation zone. A win for Leicester would take them closer to 2nd and open up the race for 2nd while a win for Newcastle would insure their safety for the season. Both teams are looking for the win. An interesting game to start the weekend. Leicester won the reverse fixture 1-2.
Leeds vs. Tottenham
Leeds sit 11th winless in their last 3 games as they take on Tottenham who sit 6th and have won their last two games. Leeds are looking to finish in the top 10 while Tottenham sit 5 points from top four. Tottenham are realistically trying to secure a place in Europe. It should be a good game to watch and with Leeds it’s always entertaining. Spurs won the reverse fixture 3-0.
Sheffield United vs. Crystal Palace
Sheffield United are relegated and have nothing to fight for but pride while Palace sit 13th having lost their last 3 games in a row. It’s an inconsequential game but it would be good for either team to win this game. Palace won the reverse fixture 2-0.
Liverpool vs. Southampton
Liverpool could not play last week because of United’s protests so with a game in hand they sit in 7th having drawn their last two games. Southampton sit 15th in the table and are all but safe from relegation this season. Southampton have 1 win in their last 5. Liverpool would go within 4 of the top four if they win this game. It’s a big one for Liverpool as time is running out. Southampton won the reverse fixture 1-0.
Wolverhampton vs. Brighton
Wolves sit 12th while Brighton sit 14th having finally won a game last week. Neither team is under any threat to get relegation but both teams will be looking to get the win. Wolves want to end a winless streak while Brighton will want to continue with another win. The reverse fixture was a 3-3 draw.
Aston Villa vs. Man United
Villa sit 10th having finally won a game last week while they take on United who didn’t play last weekend and were extremely poor losing to Roma on Thursday. United have a crunch fixture list over the next 4 days and their 2nd place could be under threat. Villa can still finish in the top 10 as well so there is plenty to fight for. United won the reverse fixture 2-1.
West Ham vs. Everton
5th placed Everton sit 3 points off top four as they take on Everton who sit 8th 4 points from the top 6. It’s a big game for their European hopes and neither team will want to lose with the table so congested. Everton have only won one of their last 5 games. West Ham won the reverse fixture 0-1.
Arsenal vs. West Brom
9th placed Arsenal are knocked out of Europe and won’t be playing in the top two tiers of European football either. Arsenal can still make the newly formed European Conference League as they sit 5 points behind 7th. A loss for West Brom in this game would relegate them especially if Newcastle win as they sit 10 points from safety. A big game for both teams but Arteta is the manager under real pressure.
Fulham vs. Burnley
Fulham sit 9 points from safety as they play a must win game against Burnley who sit 16th and 9 points clear. A win for Burnley would relegate Fulham and seal safety for Burnley. It’s a big one for Fulham specifically a must win game for a team that is winless recently.
La Liga MW 35
Now that the top four in Spain are all out of Europe all to fight for is La Liga. Barcelona take on Atletico for perhaps the biggest the biggest game in the country this weekend. 2 points separate the two teams. Real Madrid then take on Sevilla with 4 points separating the two teams. Real Madrid are in turmoil after losing to Chelsea and the Spanish media is going after Eden Hazard because he shared a joke with his friends. A big big weekend for the top four in Spain.
Serie A MW 35
Napoli travel to Spezia, Inter take on Sampdoria, Lazio travel to Fiorentina, Atalanta travel to Parma, Roma take on Crotone, and Juventus play Milan in the biggest game this weekend. Inter are Serie A champions officially and can just continue winning games for fun. Two points separate Atalanta in 2nd and Napoli in 5th. Lazio are 6th 3 points behind Napoli. Roma are 9 points behind Lazio and having been knocked out of the Europa League they won’t be playing European football next season. The silver lining for Roma though if it is one is that they have a new manager for next season in the form of Jose Mourinho. An interesting weekend of football to see who get’s closer in the race for top four.
Bundesliga MW 32
Dortmund play Leipzig, Leverkusen travel to Werder Bremen, Wolfsburg play Union Berlin, Bayern entertain Monchengladbach, and Frankfurt play Mainz. With 3 games to go 7 points separate the top two. A win for Bayern would seal another Bundesliga title for them this weekend. Dortmund are a point from top four but they play Leipizig who will want to fight till the end to beat Bayern. Not much to play for but still interesting.
Ligue 1 MW 36
Lille travel to Lens, Lyon take on Lorient, Monaco travel to Reims, and PSG travel to Rennes. Lille remain a point clear of PSG with 3 games to go. Monaco are now 4 points behind PSG while Lyon are a point behind Monaco. The title race is a 2 horse race now with Monaco and PSG having dropped behind. It’s an egg shell situation and with PSG having been knocked out of Europe with a whimper Pochettino will hope that he can at least win Ligue 1. Lille are looking strong though and focused on their goal.
Park The Bus 