We have just a couple of weeks late across Europe with UEFA EURO 2024 now coming into view and the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League finals all now set and ready to go.
With a couple of title races still happening, as well as other permutations up and down the leagues across the continent, this is our weekly look ahead to a standout game from each of Europe’s six biggest leagues: the Bundesliga, La Liga, Ligue 1, Premier League, Primeira Liga and Serie A.
Bochum vs Bayer Leverkusen | 6.30pm on Sunday
The league title is done and the European spots are pretty much done in the Bundesliga but the relegation battle, as well as a historic record, remains on the line in the Bundesliga.
Bochum begin this weekend’s round of fixtures sitting four points clear of the relegation playoff place after a couple of vital victories. They pulled off a thrilling 3-2 win against Hoffenheim a few weeks ago before then holding off Union Berlin by four goals to three in the capital city last weekend after racing into a 3-0 half-time lead last weekend.
Bayer Leverkusen came from 2-0 down late on to share a 2-2 draw with Roma in midweek to win 4-2 on aggregate in their UEFA Europa League semi-final with yet another 97th minute equaliser. Xabi Alonso’s side are now 49 games unbeaten across all competitions and are lining up an unbeaten treble with the DFB-Pokal and UEFA Europa League final to come.
Real Mallorca vs Las Palmas | 1pm on Saturday
The title race, UEFA Champions League spots, other European spots and relegation battle are all but over in La Liga but it could be pretty much completed this weekend.
Javier Aguirre’s Real Mallorca reached the final of the Copa del Rey and lost on penalties to Athletic Club last month at La Cartuja in Seville. However, in La Liga, they have been really underwhelming with the Balearic Islanders come into this one on the back of a 1-0 loss to Atletico Madrid which means they are now winless in six matches across all competitions.
Under the management of former Barcelona youth coach Garcia Pimienta, Las Palmas have enjoyed a very impressive campaign having gained promotion to the top-flight last season. However, ever since a 2-0 win over Valencia in February, the Canary Islanders have been very much ‘on the beach’ and are now winless in their last ten games.
Nantes vs Lille | 8pm on Sunday
Ligue 1 has quite a lot still going on at both ends of the table and this Sunday evening encounter impacts upon both the relegation battle and the European race.
Nantes, now once again coached by Antoine Kombouare after the sackings of Pierre Aristouy and Jocelyn Gourvennac, have improved a lot since the March international break. They begin the weekend sitting four points above the relegation playoff place with just two games to go after back-to-back draws before this one.
Paulo Fonseca has done an excellent job in charge of Lille but is now being heavily linked with the Olympique de Marseille role for the summer. The northerners have suffered two defeats in their last three matches. The losses mean they now sit two points outside of the top three and the UEFA Champions League qualifying spots.
Manchester United vs Arsenal | 4.30pm on Sunday
Arsenal have managed just one victory at Old Trafford in the last 16 years and that came behind closed doors so this is a major opportunity for the Gunners this weekend.
Manchester United are bad at football. They have barely played well even once this season and that really isn’t even remotely an exaggeration. The Red Devils were thrashed 4-0 by Crystal Palace last weekend and there is a real chance they slip out of the top seven and the European spots in the Premier League with three games to go.
The Gunners, on the other hand, begin the weekend sitting at the top-of-the-table and above Manchester City by a solitary point but City do have a game-in-hand this week against Tottenham Hotspur. Arsenal have been mature and confident in the last few weeks, continuing that with a 3-0 hammering of AFC Bournemouth last weekend.
📈Longest winning runs in 23/24 (top 4 tiers):
— playmakerstats (@playmaker_EN) April 22, 2024
1⃣2⃣: Stockport
9⃣:⭐️DONCASTER*⭐️, Leeds, Leicester
8⃣: Arsenal, Stockport*
* current runs#drfc @drfc_official pic.twitter.com/HXFn4Md7P4
Porto vs Boavista | 8.30pm on Sunday
Derby da Invicta takes place in Portugal’s second city this weekend with a fair bit riding on it for both clubs at Estadio do Dragao on Sunday evening.
Sergio Conceicao has recently signed a new deal at FC Porto after an impressive run in the UEFA Champions League. However, the Dragons are just about clinging on to a spot in the top three in the Portuguese Primeira Liga, sitting a point above Sporting Braga. They come into this one on the back of a 3-0 hammering of relegation-bound Chaves last weekend.
Boavista are hovering just above the bottom three and the danger zone with just three points separating themselves and Portimonense in the relegation playoff place. They cross the city this weekend on the back of a 1-1 draw at home to Gil Vicente last weekend, which means they are now winless in their last seven matches.
Atalanta vs Roma | 7.45pm on Sunday
Both of these teams come into this one on the back of differing weeks in Europe but the race for a top five finish and UEFA Champions League qualification remains on the line.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta comfortably defeated Olympique de Marseille by three goals to nil in midweek as they eventually won 4-1 on aggregate in their UEFA Europa League semi-final. They also have the Coppa Italia final against Juventus to look forward to, too, and three successive wins in Serie A has put them in an excellent position in the league.
That excellent position has them sitting above Roma on goal difference in fifth place with the Romans struggling to find some form. They managed to pull the aggregate score back to 2-2 against Bayer Leverkusen in Europe before losing 4-2 and that means Daniele De Rossi’s Giallorossi means they have now managed five wins in 13 matches across all competitions.
