29/05 - 20:00
The FA Cup fourth round acted as an interval for Premier League action. Now, with the English top-flight back after some midweek football, here is a full rundown of the best matches to look out for across Europe.
BUNDESLIGA
Union Berlin vs Borussia Dortmund | Sunday at 2.30pm
This is a match between two of Germany’s top four. Union have lost fewer games than Dortmund but drawing a third of their 21 matches has held them back.
Union Berlin were promoted from the 2. Bundesliga in 2020 and have not looked back. The capital city side qualified for the UEFA Europa Conference League last season and are now hunting a top four spot this year. As well as their remarkable rise in the league, they also defeated local rivals Hertha in the Round of 16 of the DFB-Pokal just a couple of weeks ago.
Marco Rose is under pressure at Borussia Dortmund. Julian Nagelsmann’s Bayern Munich have been extremely impressive but they have been fallible to the point of losing three matches this season. Daft mistakes against inferior opposition means that The Black and Yellows haven’t taken advantage and they sit nine points adrift in the title race.
LA LIGA
Espanyol vs Barcelona | Sunday at 8pm
The Barcelona derby has, historically, been one of the more one-sided local rivalries in Europe. There is more riding on it this time, though.
Espanyol were promoted last season, following their surprising but terribly disappointing relegation in 2020. They were a stubborn team that attacked with efficiency and precision to win the Segunda title and they have carried over that defensive solidity into their La Liga campaign as they sit firmly in the middle-of-the-table.
Xavi Hernandez was appointed in mid-November and has led his former club relatively well. There have been issues for Xavi with a fairly disjointed side lacking a bit of cohesion in the final third. Their 4-2 defeat of Atletico Madrid last weekend, though, was the most impressive Barca have been in quite some time.
LIGUE 1
Olympique Lyonnais vs Nice | Saturday at 8pm
These are two sides that will be and should be challenging for the top four and UEFA Champions League qualification in the closing months of the campaign.
Peter Bosz has been under pressure at Lyon since the summer. His intense and fairly aggressive and attacking style of play has often been ridiculed with his performance at both Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen being underwhelming. Lyon have been very inconsistent so far this season but can be very entertaining to watch.
Christophe Galtier won the French title last season but departed almost immediately to join the ambitious project of Nice on the south coast. Owned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Les Aiglons have invested into the playing squad and the southerners are mounting a serious challenge to be the ‘best of the rest’ behind runaway leaders Paris Saint-Germain.
PREMIER LEAGUE
Leicester City vs West Ham United | Sunday at 4.30pm
The 2015/16 season saw Leicester win the league and West Ham challenge for top four. Between 2016 and 2019, they both suffered stagnation. Since 2019, they’ve risen up the league again.
However, Leicester City are now in a bit of bother. Whilst they remain in the UEFA Europa Conference League and won the FA Cup last season, as well as just missing out on top four in successive seasons, Brendan Rodgers is under pressure with reports suggesting a mass Foxes clear out will be expected in the summer.
West Ham United edged past Roy Hodgson’s struggling Watford by a goal to nil and The Hammers are pushing towards the top four and UEFA Champions League qualification. David Moyes’ side do have the distraction of UEFA Europa League knockout football in the spring of 2022 but the east London club are daring to dream.
PRIMEIRA LIGA
Porto vs Sporting CP | Friday at 8.15pm
This is a huge match for a Friday night. Two of Os Tres Grandes are battling it out for the Portuguese title and this game will be huge for it.
Sergio Conceicao’s Porto remain unbeaten so far this season, sitting at the top-of-the-table. Their 3-2 win against Estoril was pivotal. They trailed 2-0 at half-time to the high-flying surprise package of the time before winning the game, with Francisco Conceicao, son of the boss, netting the winner. They have been exceptional so far this season.
Ruben Amorim is one of the most sought-after managerial prospects in Europe and he delivered Sporting’s first title in nearly 20 years last year. They were unbeaten until the half-way stage of the campaign but have since lost twice. They do remain in the UEFA Champions League with an upcoming Round of 16 tie against Manchester City a possible distraction from the title race.
SERIE A
Napoli vs Inter Milan | Saturday at 5pm
The leaders for much of the first couple of months of the season were Napoli. Serie A’s leaders in the late autumn and all of winter have been Inter Milan. Now they meet.
Luciano Spalletti’s return to management has been a generally positive one with the Neapolitans winning a tough UEFA Europa League group and mounting a legitimate and serious title challenge. Injuries and fixture congestion hit in the busy part of the season to see them stumble but players and form has returned as they look for their first ever Maradona-less Scudetto.
Simone Inzaghi left Lazio to join an Inter side in financial disarray. He has managed the Nerrazzuri very, very well but a defeat in the Derby della Madonnina last weekend against fellow title challengers AC Milan has opened the door back up – so much so that a victory for the hosts in this one would see them leapfrog Inter and go top, at least until Milan play on Sunday.
