Matchday Review - March 13th, 2025
Europa League - Round of 16 2nd Leg
Olympiacos 2 (2) vs. (4) 1 Bodo/Glimt
Athletic Bilbao 3 (4) vs. (3) 1 AS Roma
Lazio 1 (3) vs. (2) 1 Viktoria Plzen
Eintracht Frankfurt 4 (6) vs. (2) 1 Ajax
Lyon 4 (7) vs. (1) 0 FCSB
Tottenham 3 (3) vs. (2) 1 AZ Alkmaar
Rangers 0 (3) vs. (3) 2 Fenerbahce (3-2 on penalties)
Man United 4 (5) vs. (2) 1 Real Sociedad
Bodo/Glimt’s first game advantage meant that they go through despite losing. Bilbao, Lazio, Frankfurt, Lyon, Tottenham, Rangers, and Man United complete the final eight. Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce came close to an amazing comeback but they fell short.
Conference League - Round of 16 2nd Leg
Djurgarden 3 (3) vs. (1) 0 Pafos
Lugano 5 (5) vs. (5) 4 Celje (1-3 on penalties)
Rapid Wien 2 (3) vs. (2) 1 Borac
Cercle Brugge 2 (2) vs. (3) 0 Jagiellonia Bialystok
Legia Warszawa 2 (4) vs. (3) 0 Molde
Chelsea 1 (3) vs. (1) 0 Copenhagen
Fiorentina 3 (5) vs. (4) 1 Panathinaikos
Vitoria 0 (2) vs. (6) 4 Real Betis
Djurgarden, Celje, Rapid Wien, Jagiellonia, Legia Warszawa, Chelsea, Fiorentina, and Real Betis went through last night in the Conference League. Keirnan Dewsbury-Hall scored the only goal of the game for Chelsea as we progress to the quarters. We will face Polish club Legia Warszawa in the next.
Weekend Football Preview
Premier League MW 29
Everton vs. West Ham
15th placed Everton are still unbeaten in the league under David Moyes but have drawn four of their last five games. West Ham sit level on points with Everton but 16th on goal difference. It should be a close game as both teams try to build on their gap from the relegation zone. The reverse fixture was a 0-0 draw.
Southampton vs. Wolves
Southampton sit rock bottom and have lost their last four games. Wolves sit 17th in the table and 14 points ahead of Southampton. Relegation is all but a certainty for Southampton but a win could give the team some hope to cling on to. If Wolves win then they would go nine points clear of the relegation zone. Wolves won the reverse fixture 2-0.
Ipswich Town vs. Nottingham Forest
18th placed Ipswich Town have lost four of their last five games while Forest sit third in the table and could go to within a point of Arsenal with a win. A must win game for Ipswich as they try to get out of the relegation zone while Forest are also looking to keep their place in the top four. The reverse fixture was a 1-0 win for Forest.
Man City vs. Brighton
Fifth placed Manchester City lost to Forest last weekend and now take an inform Brighton on who sit seventh in the table and have won their last four games. A point separates the two teams and this is a big game in terms of the race for Europe. Brighton won the reverse fixture 2-1.
Bournemouth vs. Brentford
Ninth placed Bournemouth only have one win in their last five game as they take on 12th placed Brentford. Bournemouth are falling behind in the race for Europe and need to return to winning ways to revive their chances. Brentford won the reverse fixture 3-2.
Arsenal vs. Chelsea
The big league game of the weekend as Arsenal who sit second in the table take on Chelsea who sit fourth in the table and six points behind Arsenal. As a Chelsea fan I would love to beat Arsenal at the Emirates. The last time we did was in 2021 under Thomas Tuchel when Romelu Lukaku scored and gave all Chelsea fans a false hope. A win against Arsenal could be massively uplifting and it would cut the gap to three points. It would be ideal if Cole Palmer gets a goal or two and returns to form as well. Arsenal seem to struggle against low blocks but are still solid defensively. Big game as both teams look to secure a place in the top four. The reverse fixture was a 1-1 draw. COME ON CHELSEA!!!
Fulham vs. Tottenham
A London derby as 10th placed Fulham welcome 13th placed Spurs. Eight points separate the two teams so there is quite a gap between the two and Fulham are probably favourites based on current form. The reverse fixture was a 1-1 draw.
Leicester vs. Man United
19th placed Leicester have lost their last five games and Nistelrooy welcomes his former club United who sit 14th in the table. If there is any team that Leicester can hope to beat it is United while a loss to Leicester for Amorim and co would be another heavy blow in what has been a terrible season. United won the reverse fixture 3-0.
La Liga MW 28
Las Palmas vs. Alaves
Valladolid vs. Celta Vigo
Mallorca vs. Espanyol
Villarreal vs. Real Madrid
Girona vs. Valencia
Leganes vs. Real Betis
Sevilla vs. Athletic Bilbao
Osasuna vs. Getafe
Rayo Vallecano vs. Real Sociedad
Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona
A huge weekend in Spain as Real Madrid who sit second on goal difference take on fifth placed Villarreal and leaders Barcelona take on third placed Atletico. A win for Barcelona would keep them top while a draw or loss could see Atletico go top or level depending on the Real result. Two big games.
Serie A MW 29
Genoa vs. Lecce
Udinese vs. Verona
Monza vs. Parma
AC Milan vs. Como
Torino vs. Empoli
Venezia vs. Napoli
Bologna vs. Lazio
AS Roma vs. Cagliari
Fiorentina vs. Juventus
Atalanta vs. Inter Milan
The big games continue in Italy as Inter who sit a point clear take on third placed Atalanta. If Atalanta win they go level on points with Inter while Napoli have a chance to go top if they beat Venezia. Fiorentina against Juventus will also be a tricky game while Bologna against Lazio is also sixth against fifth in the table.
Bundesliga MW 26
FC St. Pauli vs. Hoffenheim
Werder Bremen vs. Monchengladbach
Union Berlin vs. Bayern Munich
Mainz vs. Freiburg
Augsburg vs. Wolfsburg
RB Leipzig vs. Borussia Dortmund
VfL Bochum vs. Eintracht Frankfurt
Heidenheim vs. Holstein Kiel
VfB Stuttgart vs. Bayer Leverkusen
No one took advantage of Bayern dropping points last weekend and the Bavarians should beat Union Berlin this weekend. Mainz against Freiburg is going to be a close game as the teams sit third and fifth. Leipzig against Dortmund may not be as big of a game this season but it will still be tricky. Stuttgart against Leverkusen will also be interesting.
Ligue 1 MW 26
Nice vs. Auxerre
Nantes vs. Lille
Angers vs. AS Monaco
Lens vs. Rennes
Lyon vs. Le Havre
Montpellier vs. St-Etienne
Brest vs. Reims
Strasbourg vs. Toulouse
Paris Saint Germain vs. Marseille
PSG against Marseille is a first against second but there is a small 16 point gap between the two teams. The other teams have winnable fixtures as they try and secure European football.
Carabao Cup - Final
Liverpool vs. Newcastle
The Carabao Cup final also takes place on Sunday as Liverpool take on Newcastle. Newcastle have had a week to rest but Anthony Gordon will not be available. Liverpool had to go all the way to penalties against PSG and lost so they will be tired while players like Trent also came off injured. Liverpool will be favourites but it would be great to see Newcastle end their 70+ year trophy drought.
The Women’s League Cup final takes place on Saturday as Chelsea take on Manchester City. Unlike the mens team, Chelsea Women are one of the best teams in the world at the moment and this is the first of four games in a row against Manchester City. COME ON CHELSEA!!!
The Women’s IPL final is on Saturday as well as Delhi Capitals take on Gujrat Titans. I do support Delhi so hopefully the women can do what the mens team have failed to and win an IPL this weekend. COME ON DELHI!!!
Finally, Formula 1 is back this weekend for a new season. The first race is the Australian Grand Prix. There are lost of new faces especially youngsters in their first seasons as F1 drivers. The big talking point has been Lewis Hamilton as he begins his journey as a Ferrari driver. Max Verstappen and Red Bull are still the team to beat. Forza Ferrari!
It’s also Holi today or was it yesterday? It’s confusing. Not a big fan of the festival but to those celebrating Happy Holi!
Have a great weekend everyone!