Every Thursday or Friday, I pick the best or most exciting games not to be missed in the world of soccer each weekend. From derbies to top-of-the-table clashes, relegation six-pointers to world-class players facing off, or other interesting tactical battles, there will be something for everyone to enjoy.
This week, we take you to England, France, Spain, Italy and Germany for some big-name clashes, battles for UEFA Champions League places and title race action.
– Tighe: Why a back three doesn’t have to be defensive
– Marcotti: AFCON decision was right, but why did it take so long?
– Premier League, LaLiga and … Scotland? Most exciting races in Europe
Spanish LaLiga, Matchday 29
Kickoff: Sunday, 3 p.m. ET
A Madrid derby is always special, even more so when the stakes are high. Atleti can’t really catch their archrivals in LaLiga — they’re nine points behind with 10 games to go — but they can be a major spoiler when it comes to the title race. Madrid are four points behind Barcelona, who host Rayo Vallecano, a side that have won only three games away from home all season. So this is a huge opportunity for Diego Simeone and his players to really hurt Madrid and do Barça a big favor.
Atletico’s form is solid going into this game, with some strong performances in recent weeks, notably their dominant 3-2 victory over in-form Real Sociedad. Alexander Sørloth has found his scoring boots, Antoine Griezmann is still capable of magic, and it all means Atleti will travel to the Bernabéu feeling plenty confident.
1:09
Güler seals Real Madrid’s win with halfway-line goal
Real Madrid’s Arda Güler scores a stunning goal from halfway to stamp victory for Real Madrid.
The hosts will want revenge, having lost the reverse fixture 5-2 back in September. Interim manager Álvaro Arbeloa seems to have found the solution to Madrid’s problems of late, using a more pragmatic 4-4-2 formation and seeing an upturn in form from defensive midfielders Thiago Pitarch and Aurélien Tchouaméni. Kylian Mbappé is even back from a knee injury for this game after coming on for 20 minutes against Manchester City in the Champions League in midweek. He will go back straight into the starting lineup and should be the main threat when these teams meet Sunday.
MY PREDICTION: Real Madrid 1-1 Atletico Madrid. This is going to be a very intense, feisty affair at the Bernabéu on Sunday evening, with a lot of pressure on both teams in this massive derby. I think Madrid will struggle to break down Atleti, and so I expect a draw.
Carabao Cup final
Kickoff: Sunday, 11:30 a.m. ET
This is the first trophy of the English domestic season and it will be decided by the two best teams in the Premier League, with first playing second to boot. A nine-point gap separates the two sides in the table — though City do have a game in hand and host Arsenal next month — this cup final could cast a large shadow over the rest of the season.
If Arsenal beat City and continue their recent form (they are unbeaten since January), it will give them a psychological advantage for the final sprint of the title race and could erase what is left of City’s confidence. However, if City win and bounce back after their recent poor performances — they have just one win in their last five in all competitions, two draws against Forest and West Ham and two losses against Real Madrid — it could yield the belief they need to keep fighting. Those pair of Champions League round-of-16 defeats will have hit hard, though, especially given they had a mostly full squad at Pep Guardiola’s disposal.
1:50
Can anyone stop Arsenal winning the Champions League?
Alejandro Moreno debates Arsenal’s chances of winning the Champions League.
The Catalan manager is struggling to find solutions to their imbalance, their lack of creativity and their defensive issues. His 4-2-2-2 formation looks vulnerable at times, and Erling Haaland has only scored once in the last five games in all competitions.
When it comes to Arsenal, we could discuss their style and efficiency and whether they are enjoyable to watch or not — ESPN’s Mark Ogden has already weighed in there — but one thing is clear: They are the most solid and controlling team in Europe right now. They won’t give the opposition anything, and they have plenty of individual talents who can change a game (Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze, Declan Rice). Their robust defense — they have 25 clean sheets in 49 games this season, all competitions — is one of the strongest in English football history, and they are so well organized and hardworking that it is difficult to break them down.
Arsenal also have so much momentum coming into this game, but there is also an added pressure: This is their first final since they won the FA Cup in 2020 at an empty Wembley Stadium amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Bukayo Saka is the only player in Arsenal’s squad that day who remains in the team. A decent portion of Arsenal’s squad have never actually won a major club trophy. The same cannot be said for City’s side.
Will Arsenal feel the pressure on Sunday?
MY PREDICTION: Arsenal 2-1 Manchester City. I think Arsenal will approach this game the right way, with confidence but not lightly, and City will struggle to find a way of breaking their defense. I won’t predict an Arsenal goal on a set piece, but they are in excellent form to face a City side full of doubts.
English Premier League, Matchday 31
Kickoff: Sunday, 9:15 a.m. ET
It has been an eternity since Tottenham have been involved in a relegation six-pointer, but here they are! After a torrid season that has hit a low point this calendar year, they must fight to remain in the Premier League. The biggest game in their remaining run comes on Sunday against Forest in front of what promises to be an anxious crowd. Forest are far more used to relegation battles and scraps than Spurs, and that added experience under pressure could totally make the difference here.
1:46
Will the loser of Tottenham vs. Nottingham Forest be relegated?
Julien Laurens and Nedum Onuoha look ahead to a huge game in the race for Premier League survival, when Tottenham host Nottingham Forest.
Both teams and their new managers in poor form. Under Igor Tudor, Spurs lost four games in a row, being humiliated by Arsenal and Atlético Madrid, but they did escape Liverpool with a 1-1 draw last weekend thanks to a 90th-minute goal at Anfield. Meanwhile, Forest under Vitor Pereira have lost four and drawn two (including at Manchester City) in their last six games across all competitions. The visitors are struggling to score (five goals in their last six games, including two at City) and the infamous “new manager bounce” doesn’t seem to be there. They are 17th in the table, just a point behind Spurs. A win for either side would be a monumental lifeline.
Spurs might be at home, but they are the rare team for whom that is not great news. They have won just twice and managed four draws from 15 league games. It is a pathetic return, and they owe their fans some sort of response. Tudor has struggled since Day 1 and his “tough guy” approach isn’t working, but that hard-fought point at Liverpool offers a little encouragement.
MY PREDICTION: Tottenham 2-1 Nottingham Forest. Both teams played in midweek, but Tottenham will finally win again, for the first time at home since December. (It helps Tudor & co. that Forest have been poor away from home, with 15 points from a possible 45.) Spurs cannot let this opportunity pass. It won’t be pretty, but I expect them to find a way to win.
High-flying underdogs aim for top five
Lyon vs. AS Monaco
French Ligue 1, Matchday 27
Kickoff: Sunday, 9 a.m. ET
This game pits fourth vs. sixth in Ligue 1, with just four points separating two teams that have very different momentum.
Despite being narrowly knocked out by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League knockout phase playoffs, Monaco are on fire domestically, with five league wins in a row to send them soaring up the table. They have their sights on Lyon in fourth and Marseille in third, with the latter traveling to Monaco next weekend. They have to win these two matches against their direct opponents for a Champions League place.
After weeks of average performances, Sébastien Pocognoli and his players have finally found the right formula. Alternating between a back three and back four, putting key players in the right positions, like Aleksandr Golovin and Maghnes Akliouche between the lines in midfield plus Folarin Balogun in front of goal, have made this team click. This is a huge trip for them to the Groupama Stadium, but unlike Lyon, Monaco have had the whole week to prepare for this. They are confident, and USMNT star Balogun is the main guy for them right now, with six goals and one assist in his last six games across all competitions.
Lyon’s form is the total opposite to Monaco’s. Paulo Fonseca has plenty of players missing, and his men are tired, too. They are in action in midweek in the Europa League against Celta Vigo but are winless in their last six (all competitions) prior to that (two losses, four draws). They could not beat or even score against strugglers Le Havre last weekend (0-0). After starting really well, Real Madrid loanee Endrick has been inconsistent, and Fonseca is struggling to get this team going. They can’t lose this game to a direct rival.
MY PREDICTION: Lyon 1-2 AS Monaco. Lyon are on their knees physically, and Monaco have great momentum and confidence. I like what Pocognoli is doing at the moment, and his team will continue an impressive run of wins with another on Sunday.
A Dutch derby with European implications
Feyenoord vs. Ajax
Dutch Eredivisie, Matchday 28
Kickoff: Sunday, 8:30 a.m. ET
De Klassieker, the biggest game in the Dutch calendar, is on Sunday, and it should be pretty amazing. Feyenoord sit in second place in the table, just five points above Ajax in fourth (and three over NEC Nijmegen in third). Though PSV are almost guaranteed to win the title, with a 16-point lead and just seven games left, the fight for second and third will be great, and this game will play a massive part in it.
Ajax are on their third manager of the season after Oscar Garcia took over from Fred Grim. The Spaniard won his first game in charge easily last weekend (4-0 vs. Sparta Rotterdam) and this time they travel to Rotterdam to face their old enemy. Feyenoord and their manager Robin van Persie have blown hot and cold so far this season; they are capable of great things but go totally missing at times. Former Chelsea winger Raheem Sterling is expected to start on the left wing with Ayase Ueda, the top scorer in the Eredivisie, up front and Paris-born winger Anis Hadj Moussa on the other flank. Sterling is still far from his best after months of exile at Chelsea, but the other two forward players have been superb all season long.
For Ajax, this is a huge opportunity to make a push for a top-three finish. They have been very inconsistent as well, showing their youth at times, and while they have the third-best defense in the league, they’ve scored far fewer goals (52) than the teams around them like PSV (77), Feyenoord (60) and Nijmegen (67). However, in Mika Godts, they have a future star. He is a chance-creating machine, a dribbling machine, and he’s still only 20 years old.
MY PREDICTION: Feyenoord 2, Ajax 2. This is tricky to call. Ajax have won their last three games against Feyenoord, including the reverse fixture (3-0) back in December against the run of play. But Van Persie and Feyenoord can’t afford to let Ajax bridge the gap. They will have the support of their amazing fans, while Ajax have only won three games away from home all season. I still expect a draw.
