The best title race for a generation comes down to the final day in Scotland, the Premier League takes a back seat for the FA Cup final (at least until Sunday), and there is plenty on the line for three teams looking to avoid the drop in Germany, and even more at risk in Spain.
Hearts out to break Old Firm duopoly
As we all know by now, no one but Celtic or Rangers has won the Scottish Premiership since 1985. The last time Hearts claimed the title was 66 years ago. And quite poetically, a combination of a fixture computer that clearly loves a bit of drama, and results in the midweek round of games has set us up with a final day title decider.
Hearts will defend a one point advantage in the table when they go to Celtic Park on Saturday lunchtime.
The equation may have been so much simpler had Celtic not been awarded a highly contentious stoppage time penalty by VAR - labelled “disgusting” by Hearts manager Derick McInnes - which Kelechi Iheanacho then converted in the 99th minute to beat Motherwell 3-2 on Wednesday night.
But then ending the Glasgow clubs’ stranglehold on the title was never going to be easy. Hearts have led the way for the majority of the season but both Celtic and Rangers have improved in the latter months (until Rangers’ recent slump). Martin O’Neill’s side come in to the crunch game on a six-game winning streak, but crucially, Hearts have let to lose against them this season - winning their first two meetings before January’s 2-2 draw in Edinburgh.
A draw here would be enough to create history.
Who takes the title in Scotland?
Arsenal set to seize initiative
Arsenal will have to wait until Monday evening to play their penultimate game of the season - at home to Burnley.
The Gunners can’t clinch the Premier League title this week, but Mikel Arteta knows that anything but a win would give City a chance to go above them before next weekend’s final round of matches.
A win against the already relegated Clarets takes Arsenal five points clear and heaps all the pressure back on to Pep Guardiola’s challengers, who visit Champion League-chasing Bournemouth on Tuesday evening. Any slip up there will see the title decided in front of just 11,000 fans on the Dorset coast.
Could we see a final twist in the campaign that takes it to the final day of the season?
The majority of this weekend’s Premier League schedule takes place on Sunday, but the relegation battle will not be decided just yet. That’s because Spurs were due to play Chelsea, City’s opponents in the FA Cup final (see below), a game that has been put back to Tuesday. Most attention, then, will be on what happens to West Ham away at Newcastle. The Hammers currently sit two points below Spurs so will be desperate for a result.
Formally the pinnacle of the English season, but now rudely interrupting a heated season finale back in the league, the FA Cup remains a hallowed occasion for most.
And for Chelsea, it’s a chance to rescue a campaign that started so brightly with the FIFA Club World Cup that they won last summer. With European football no longer a guarantee now they’ve slipped to ninth in the Premier League table, winning a ninth FA Cup would mean that they will compete in the Europa League next season.
The Blues will be coached by Calum McFarlane, who has also spent time working in Man City’s academy. Chelsea’s Cup run has featured just one test against top flight opposition - the semifinal victory over Leeds - and they remain winless in all other competitions since early March.
City’s class of 2025/26 have the chance to become the sixth side to claim a domestic Cup double in English football, having last achieved the same feat in 2019, and they are currently on a 13 game unbeaten run against Chelsea.
Avoiding the (automatic) drop in Germany
For St. Pauli, Heidenheim, and perhaps most surprisingly, Wolfsburg (who’ve been in the top flight since 1997!), it all comes down to the final round of the Bundesliga season. All three know they will definitely finish in the bottom three, cut adrift from the rest of the league but all level on 26 points.
There does, however, remain a chance of redemption for one of them! And that’s because the team that finishes 16th get a reprieve from automatic relegation by way of a playoff against the side who finishes third in the 2.Bundesliga - where, we’re also left with three teams fighting over second, and third spot, behind recently crowned champions Schalke.
Back in the top flight, Heidenheim are the unknown quantity. A late season run of one defeat in seven has seen them gradually haul their way back in to contention. Tomorrow, they face midtable Mainz in their last game.
The main focus will be in Hamburg, where the other two relegation contenders, St. Pauli and Wolfsburg play each other. This will be an incredibly nervous affair, where defeat means automatic demotion (unthinkable for Wolfsburg), and a win for either might not be enough given that the split between the three teams at risk is also incredibly tight on goal difference.
We expect to see a surge in FotMob usage around the Millerntor stadium as fans try to keep up with events at Heidenheim.
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In the best example of life imitating art we’ve seen for a while, Cristo Fernández, who stars as one of the on-screen players for the fictional side in ‘Ted Lasso’, has signed a real-life professional contract.
The Mexican-born actor has been awarded a deal at El Paso Locomotive, who ply their trade in the USL Championship, officially the second tier of US soccer, after training with the club since March.
El Paso currently sit fourth in the western conference but coach Junior Gonzalez believes Fernández has plenty to offer them, beyond the famous “futbol is life” mantra that his character is known for saying in the show. “His passion for the game and leadership qualities for our locker room allow us to continue growing the positive culture we strive for as a club.”
Two relegation places are still on the line in LaLiga. Everyone from ninth placed Athletic Club to Levante in 19th are within five points of each other and are still at risk, with two rounds of the season still remaining.
This is before we get in to head-to-head records, goal difference, and Spanish football’s lengthy list of tiebreakers. As it stands, only Real Oviedo (two-nil losers at Real Madrid on Thursday) have gone down. Besides Athletic Club - who’ve never been relegated - other big names, such as Sevilla and Valencia require something to secure their safety.
This weekend, all eyes will be on Levante vs. Mallorca, the two sides who currently occupy the remaining relegation places. Momentum is crucial at this point in the season, and at the moment, that lies with the home side. Dead and buried a few weeks ago, Levante have won four and lost just one of their last six.
Another victory here will have them dreaming of the Great Escape.
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Thomas Tuchel names his 26-player squad next Friday, while Mauricio Pochettino reveals his USMNT squad the following Tuesday.
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Friday: Aston Villa take on Liverpool in the Premier League with both sides knowing that a win will secure them Champions League football next season. Villa, of course, have next Wednesday’s Europa League final to prepare for, so look out for their team selection. In Scotland, an unusual set of circumstances will see the second leg of Hamilton Academical and Clyde’s relegation playoff in League One played at Clyde’s traditional home. This season, licensing issues have seen Hamilton move to Clyde’s Broadwood Stadium while Clyde are using Hamilton’s New Douglas Park!
Saturday: Vincent Kompany’s Bayern Munich end their Bundesliga title winning at home to FC Köln before then going on to face Stuttgart in the DFB Pokal final next weekend. And watch out for the subplot developing in Saudi football where Al Hilal play their game in hand over league leaders Al Nassr. The former can still thwart Al Nassr’s bid to win a first league title since the arrival of a certain Cristiano Ronaldo. Al Nassr, meanwhile, are playing in the final of the AFC Champions League Two (Asia’s Europa League equivalent).
Sunday: Nottingham Forest’s trip to Manchester United could see them get the result they need to avoid being dragged in to West Ham and Tottenham’s relegation dispute. For Inter, PSG, and Barcelona, their respective games against Hellas Verona, Paris FC, and Real Betis, will be a metaphorical lap of honour having already claimed top honours in one of Europe’s big five leagues. For others, such as Club Brugge and title rivals Union St. Gilloise, in Belgium, it’s yet to be decided. Just a point separates these two with two to play.
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