The Premier League title race marches on as Arsenal and Manchester City are set to battle to the wire

The weekend is coming! I’m Jonathan Johnson, ahead of another big weekend in European football as a starter, who prepares for Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday ahead of the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals next week.

Football correction

All times US/East

Friday, May 3
Serie A: Torino x Bologna, 2:45 pm Paramount+
USL League One: Richmond Kickers vs. One Knoxville, 7pm CBS Sports Golazo Network

Saturday, May 4th
Championship: Last day of relegation and promotion, 7:30 am ESPN+
La Liga: Real Madrid x Cádiz, 10:15 am ESPN+
EPL: Manchester City x Wolverhampton Wanderers, 12:30 pm NBC
USL: Pittsburgh Riverhounds vs Miami FC, 7pm CBS Sports Golazo Network

Sunday, May 5th
EPL: Liverpool x Tottenham Hotspur, 11:30am Peacock
NWSL: Houston Dash vs. Kansas City Current, 1pm CBS
Paramount+
Serie A: Roma x Juventus, 2:45 pm Paramount+

The hotline

New twists in the EPL?

This weekend brings another round of games in which Arsenal and Manchester City will do their best to stay close to each other, while Liverpool try to close a gap that already seems too big. The Gunners face Bournemouth on Saturday in the early game before the reigning champions take to the field in their final game against Wolverhampton Wanderers. However, Sunday is undoubtedly the most attractive list with Brighton and Hove Albion v Aston Villa, Chelsea v West Ham United and then Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur. In an attempt to keep their title hopes alive, the Reds will have to definitively destroy Spurs’ UEFA Champions League dreams, while a victory for the Villans away to the Seagulls could confirm Unai Emery’s men at the helm of Ange Postecoglou’s side . James Benge broke Spurs’ stumbles:

• Benge: “Postecoglou may think otherwise, but there is certainly no one else who can convincingly claim that Tottenham have no problems when it comes to defending set pieces. Two conceded to Arsenal on Sunday, two others, one of the most basic, withdrew to Chelsea on Thursday night. No point won in the Champions League depends on the vagaries of Aston Villa’s domestic form. Postecoglou is aiming to further redefine Tottenham’s culture. murmurs of dissatisfaction from the Spurs fan base. A team that no one expected to be in the top four can at least end the season concluding that they took their quest until May, a lot longer than their conquerors at Stamford Bridge.”

Arsenal and City will take their chances in reasonably favorable home games, although mid-table opponents such as Bournemouth and Wolves can sometimes spring unwanted surprises on the title contenders as part of a tricky contest. Liverpool will not have it easy against Spurs, who have now lost their last three games, and Jurgen Klopp’s men appeared to be feeling the pressure last week when Mo Salah and the German had a falling out during the draw with West Ham United . A similar result and performance for the Reds will certainly end their title chances before they face Villa or Wolves, so there will be no choice but to go for the win, with both EPL title rivals playing the day before, which could be an additional source of motivation.

Sponsored by Paramount+

Midfield Link Game

What else is at stake?

The main attraction outside the Premier League is the other European league that has yet to see a national champion crowned: La Liga. Perhaps we won’t have to wait much longer for Real Madrid to celebrate their success, which could happen in Cádiz, at home, on Saturday, depending on Barcelona’s performance in Girona. If that happens with four games to go, it will just be the EPL waiting to crown its best team after Serie A, the Bundesliga and Ligue 1. It would also allow Real to focus on the second leg of their Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich in the next game. week after a good first leg for the German teams, with Borussia Dortmund also beating Paris Saint-Germain.

With the European positions being decided, there is also the question of promotion and relegation, with the Championship climaxing on Saturday in what should be a dramatic finale. Will Ipswich Town or Leeds United secure a second automatic playoff spot? Who among Norwich City, West Bromwich Albion and Hull City will join Southampton in the playoff places? The Canaries are fascinating in this regard as they need to beat Tom Brady’s Birmingham City to be 100% sure of their place and such a result would see the Blues relegated to League One after a disastrous season that saw Wayne Rooney come and go like the team. have plummeted from the playoffs to the relegation places, where they will likely join American-owned Huddersfield Town.

Top stories

Crew reaches the CCC final: MLS apparel Columbus Crew makes history by reaching the CONCACAF Champions Cup final after defeating Mexican opponents.

PSG’s reasons for hope: Wasteful French giants fell at Dortmund but can still imagine their chances of reaching the Champions League final.

Sergino Dest tears ACL: USMNT and PSV player will miss this summer’s Copa América and is expected to be out for a “long period” with a knee injury.

Bayern’s season in one game: As Harry Kane’s goals and defensive errors defined Bayern Munich’s season under Thomas Tuchel, but also the UCL semi-final against Real Madrid so far.

Kelley O’Hara retiring: The 35-year-old two-time World Cup champion and USWNT defender announces she will retire at the end of the NWSL season.

Jadon Sancho is back: As Borussia Dortmund have revived their former star and England international after a nightmare period with Manchester United.

The back row

Best bet

• La Liga: Girona x Barcelona, ​​Saturday, 12:30 p.m.
• THE PICK: Draw with both teams to score (+320) — Barça can delay confirming Real Madrid’s title with an away win in Girona, just hours after the La Liga leaders face Cádiz. Xavi’s men are 11 points behind with five games remaining, so just one win will be enough to postpone the inevitable, while their hosts in this Catalan Derby could still qualify for the UEFA Champions League with Michel’s side two points behind Barça in the table. UCL qualification could be secured this weekend regardless of the result here, as Athletic Club are 13 points behind and the Blaugrana’s away form this season suggests it will be difficult for Girona to reach maximum points. of the last four and could complete a double over Barça after winning at the start of the season.

What’s on CBS Sports Golazo Network

Morning Football (Weekdays 8am-10am): Hosts Susannah Collins, Charlie Davies, Nico Cantor and Alexis Guerreros help fans start their day on the network’s flagship morning show with highlights, interviews and the biggest stories in football. Morning Footy is also available in podcast formatso you’ll never have to miss an episode.

Box 2 Box (Weekday afternoons): The news-based program quickly recaps all the latest headlines from around the world, with panelists predicting the day’s top matchups. Catch Box 2 Box on CBS Sports Golazo Network on the CBS Sports app, PlutoTV and Paramount+.

3⃣ Attacking Third (Monday, Thursday): The main women football podcast It is social brand now it’s a live studio show. The NWSL season is back and our women’s soccer coverage is stronger than ever. Our analysts will analyze the USWNT, NWSL, and European domestic seasons throughout the year.

Kicking (Tuesdays): CBS Sports Golazo Network’s New Unfiltered Talk Show Returns Tuesday Hosted by Kate Abdo, Clint Dempsey, Mo Edu and Charlie Davies, the group chat candidly with the biggest names in the Beautiful Game and share their stories on and off the field.

Call it whatever you want (Monday night): A weekly podcast where Jimmy Conrad, Jesse Marsch and Charlie Davies cover all things USMNT and the state of the beautiful game in the United States.

Punctuation (Daily): Scoreline is the newest place for fans to keep up with all the biggest news and results impacting global football, match highlights from major football competitions and all the unmissable goals from the day’s action, which starts Thursday and goes live air for seven days. one week.

How to watch: CBS Sports Golazo Network is a free 24/7 channel exclusively dedicated to offering unparalleled coverage of all the world’s major football competitions. You can stream for free on CBS Sports app, Pluto TV It is Paramount+.