Charles Jackson
The final weeks of the European football season rarely feature dead games or dull moments and this weekend promises to be no different. La Liga could see its champion crowned, while the European places are blocked in the round and relegations also begin to appear among the teams. Promotions are also gathering pace, so there’s no excuse not to be absorbed by the different offerings from Europe’s top five national leagues this weekend.
Premier League
Starting in England, where the Premier League title race is yet to be decided, but promotion to next year’s EPL will be on Saturday. It’s the final day of the Championship season, with either Ipswich Town or Leeds United taking the automatic second place behind champions Leicester City, while there are also playoff places behind Southampton, with Norwich City taking on Birmingham City in a game that could decide promotion of the Canaries’ hopes, as well as those of the Blues’ survival. Relegation could take a little longer, with Burnley finding their footing later in the day as Nottingham Forest start to look very nervous.
turns on
This weekend could see Real Madrid join Inter, Bayer Leverkusen and Paris Saint-Germain as champions of their respective national divisions. although it doesn’t just depend on Carlo Ancelotti’s men for that. Barcelona and Girona face each other this Saturday, in a game that Xavi’s team needs to win to deny Real for a little longer. This sort of Catalan Derby could see the home team seal an unlikely qualification for the UEFA Champions League, but it could also see us forced to wait another week as La Liga has extra rounds of games compared to other European leagues, which makes it less pressuring. of this scenario.
series A
In Italy, with Inter and Milan already linked to the Champions League and Juventus already guaranteed a minimum of access to the Europa League, this is an opportunity for the Bianconeri to get closer to a place in the UCL, while Bologna keeps up the pressure behind them for what would rival. Girona as an unexpected success story. AS Roma are also trying to secure a place in the European league despite their continued continental adventure, but a familiar name is also at the wrong end of the table, with Sassuolo needing points against champions Inter to avoid an unthinkable drop to Serie B. Parma They could be crowned winners of the second division if they manage to pick up a few more points, but they don’t rule out Como from a late overtake of the leaders.
Bundesliga
With Germany celebrating an extra Champions League place like Italy, and all the Bundesliga places in the UCL already accounted for, plus Bayer Leverkusen’s title, the excitement is elsewhere on the table. Now it’s a matter of Eintracht Frankfurt securing a place in the Europa League and Cologne making a last stand against relegation, with these three games being their last chances to make a late run for safety that looks unlikely to be better than a place in the relegation playoff. That playoff could see Hamburg rivals HSV or St. Pauli face off on Friday in a clash that could breathe new life into one team’s promotion hopes or could see the other promoted from the second division. Given both clubs’ large followings, this is a low-key contender for the weekend’s game.
League 1
PSG are already champions, with some European places up for grabs, with AS Monaco and Stade Brestois 29 already confirmed to join the continent’s champions. OGC Nice look to secure their place, while Clermont breathes new life into the relegation battle that has increased the pressure on Lorient. AJ Auxerre could secure promotion back from Ligue 2 this weekend, while the playoff line-up is tempting, while AS Saint-Etienne and Angers SCO fight to secure at least second place behind AJA.
